IGT Toscana il Nicchio

Italy
Tuscany
2022

Il Nicchio is Cabernet Franc, though in select vintages they reserve the right to add a few percentage points of Merlot.   The base is the north face of the Bellaria vineyard on the border of Bolgheri and Bibbona. Malolactic occurs in 80% in barriques, 20% in stainless steel.  Aging is in barrel (80% new) for 16 months, and then held back in bottle for a few years before release in a wood box three-pack.

98 points
"Intense and dark wine with outstanding complexity. It shines with bramble fruits, milk and mint, bark and clove aromas, cedar wood and cocoa powder. Dense and firm with full-bodied, velvety tannins, refreshing long acidity and mid-palate consistency with Mediterranean herbes depth. Long spicy and savory finish."
Aldo Fiordelli,
JamesSuckling.com
July 2026 n
96+ points
"The 2023 Il Nicchio is another important step forward this young estate, a wine that shows how profoundly beautiful Cabernet Franc can be on the Tuscan Coast. Black cherry, cloves, tobacco, bittersweet chocolate and new leather open effortlessly in the glass. Supple in its contours, with magnificent balance, the 2023 is utterly sublime. Floral overtones extend the resonant, beautifully layered finish. A dollop of Merlot rounds out the blend. I can’t wait to see how this develops with time in bottle."
Antonio Galloni ,
Vinous
July 2026
96 points
"The 2022 Il Nicchio is composed entirely of Cabernet Franc, reflecting the conditions of a warm draught vintage in which the Merlot vines suffered and the grapes were ultimately excluded from the blend. The wine pours a deep, saturated red hue and opens with layered aromatics of blueberry, boysenberry, lavender, sweet tobacco, and cedar. Full-bodied and plush, it offers a ripe, enveloping texture with notes of dark cocoa and dark fruit, supported by underlying freshness. There’s more richness and depth in this vintage, though it remains balanced and should improve as it sheds some of its baby fat with time. It is already approachable and expressive and offers more immediacy compared to the 2021. It was aged for 16 months in French oak barrels, 80% new, with the remainder in one-year-old barrels"
Audrey Frick ,
Jeb Dunnuck
May 2026
95 points
"In a heavy glass bottle, the Tenuta del Nicchio 2022 Il Nicchio, a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, presents itself as a robust, full-bodied Tuscan red that carefully balances intensity with structure and depth. Black fruit flavors are wrapped in sweet spice and toasted notes, with Merlot providing volume and richness while Cabernet Franc contributes a more perfumed dimension marked by hints of campfire ash and pencil shaving."
Monica Larner,
Wine Advocate
February 2026

SKU/Code: 
DB6812-22
Product Line: 
California ONLY
California Portfolio
National Portfolio
Wine
Red