Volpaia Balifico 2018 / 750 ml.

Note: The image above may display a previous vintage of this item.
Item#: 98915
The 2018 Balifico, Volpaia’s Sangiovese/ Cabernet Sauvignon blend, is fabulous. Rich and inky, the 2018 offers up a compelling mélange of dark berry fruit, dark spice, licorice and espresso. I especially admire the wine’s textural richness. I imagine the 2018 will drink well for many, many years to come. In this tasting it is a total knock-out.
Alluring violet, black currant and black cherry fruit introduces this seductive red, with firm, pointed tannins and vivid acidity providing structure as this glides to a lingering, detailed finish. Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2037. 750 cases made, 200 cases imported.
Limited Inventory
This is the location where you can find this item at our store.
'W' means it's located along the wall. 'RR' means it's in our Reserve Room. Otherwise, the item can be found on our sales floor in the marked aisle.
5 items or less in stock. We will confirm your order by email.
Usually ships within 24 hours. Also available for same-day pickup at our store.
Primary Grape: Sangiovese | All Grapes: Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon
DESIGNATIONS
How to Get It (Select available options below at checkout)
Store Pickup
Available
In-Store/Curbside
1-2 Hours
FREE
Premier Wine & Spirits, 3900 Maple Rd, Amherst, NY 14226
Ship to Home
Available
to select states
ships within 24 hours
Rates vary by location
Enter address at checkout for applicable rates.
Local Delivery
Available
near our store
within 24 hours
Rates vary by zip
Enter address at checkout for applicable rates.
Critical Acclaim
VN96 96 pts. / Vinous (Sep 2021)
SP95 95 pts. / Wine Spectator (Oct 15, 2021)
Where It's From
Region / Tuscany
There are few regions as picturesque as Italy's Tuscany. And there are few regions that produce finer wines, either. Tuscany is home to legendary wine regions Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti, among others, where the red wine grape Sangiovese is king. It's also home to "Super Tuscans," a category of Tuscan wines that don't officially fall within the Italian wine classification system.
Country / Italy
Italy is famous for its powerful, sleek, and elegant reds wines from ancient growing areas with legendary names such as Chianti, Barolo, Barbaresco, Montepulciano. Italian white wines are also gaining popularity: Orvieto, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon are excellent examples of Italian white wines.
Wines of Italy are complex and flavorful, much like the culture that is their source and the cuisine that is their match.
More Information
SKU | 98915 |
---|---|
Product Type | Wine |
Alternate Name | Volpaia Balifico |
Country | Italy |
Region | Tuscany |
Product Location - Location-Appellation | Toscana |
Package Size | 750 ml. |
Proof/Alcohol by Volume | 14.5% |
Wine/Spirit Brand | Volpaia |
Bottles per Case | 12 |
Vintage | 2018 |
Can it Be Shipped | Yes |
Premier Pick | No |
Spec. Designation | Organic |
Organic Description | Made with organic grapes |
Wine Type | Table Wine |
Wine - Color | Red |
Grape(s) | Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon |
Primary Grape | Sangiovese |
Dollar Sale (Y/N) | No |
The 2018 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Silineo takes some time to open up in the glass, dusty and floral, yet beneath, I’m finding musky blackberries and hints of cedary spice. Its textures are silky-smooth and pliant, contrasted by floral-tinged tart berries and a flourish of sour citrus that keeps the expressions lively. A hint of wild herbs and a gentle grip of tannin lingers. The Silineo is primarily Sangiovese, with a bit of Merlot and Corolino that spends seven months refining in tonneaux, followed by another eleven months in large Slavonian oak casks. (Eric Guido)
Primary Grape: Sangiovese
Limited Inventory We'll confirm your order by email.
7 items or less in stock.
Only $17.99 each when you buy a solid or mixed case
Add to Wishlist
Add to Compare
Primary Grape: Sangiovese
Only $13.49 each when you buy a solid or mixed case
Add to Wishlist
Add to Compare
The 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino is expressive with brooding aromas of dried cherry, polished leather, shitake, and menthol. Pure, with a lovely concentration of fruit, it is medium-bodied, with fine tannins and a gorgeous arch of fresh acidity balancing it the whole way through. Through the palate, it offers notes of pure raspberry liqueur, pressed roses, blood orange, and crushed saline earth. This is a beautiful wine, with a lot of complexity and elegance. Drink 2024–2034. (Audrey Frick)
A juicy Brunello with aromas of dried flowers, blueberries, cherries and hazelnuts. It’s medium- to full-bodied, with fine-grained tannins and a creamy, inviting palate. Succulent fruit throughout. Drink or hold.
There is a sweet side to the Fossacolle 2018 Brunello di Montalcino with candied cherry and cinnamon stick. This is a mid-weight Brunello that opens to a dark garnet color with crimson highlights that are typical of aged Sangiovese. The bouquet is rather subdued and advanced with dried cherry, redcurrant, licorice stick, pressed rose and caramel cola. The wine’s intensity is moderate, and it follows through to the palate with silky tannins and a thin, medium-long finish. Some 16,000 bottles are made. (Monica Larner)
Primary Grape: Sangiovese
You save:$12.00 (20%)
Add to Wishlist
Add to Compare
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
2018 / 750 ml.
Item #: 99055
Black-cherry and cola aromas with hints of toasted oak. Medium-bodied with firm tannins and a tight, linear finish. Hints of mushrooms and cedar. Drink or hold. (James Suckling)
Round and juicy, this red delivers black cherry, plum, tobacco and iron flavors, with a light smoky undertone. Fluid and harmonious, with solid tannins lining the long finish. Drink now through 2028. 20,800 cases made. (Bruce Sanderson)
Primary Grape: Sangiovese
Only $38.69 each when you buy a solid or mixed case
Add to Wishlist
Add to Compare
Cedar, dried flowers, cherries and spices on the nose. Medium-to full-bodied with very polished, refined tannins and excellent length. This has gorgeous structure. Needs two or three years to soften. Excellent potential. Try after 2023.
The 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva is a bold powerful wine. Black cherry, iron, tar, menthol and licorice give the 2018 a super-distinctive, wild profile. There is plenty of depth and volume. In 2018, the Riserva offers a decidedly wild, gamy expression of Sangiovese. Best of all, the Riserva remains a fabulous value. (Antonio Galloni)
A straightforward red, offering cherry, strawberry and light earth flavors on an open-knit profile, with moderate length. Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Colorino. Drink now. 26,000 cases made, 17,000 cases imported. (Bruce Sanderson)
Primary Grape: Sangiovese
Limited Inventory We'll confirm your order by email.
5 items or less in stock.
Only $29.69 each when you buy a solid or mixed case
Add to Wishlist
Add to Compare
You save:$3.00 (19%)
This has a nutty character with notes of walnuts, toasted almonds, dried apricots and figs as well as some bread crust and honeysuckle. Full-bodied with a dried fruit character. Vivid acidity balances the sweetness and brings a freshness to it. Polished and chalky with a clean and delicate finish. Drink now.
This moderately sweet white starts out soft and lush, firming up by the lingering finish. Delivers apricot, caramel and a hint of molasses. Trebbiano and Malvasia. Drink now through 2028. 250 cases imported. (Bruce Sanderson)
The 2016 Vin Santo del Chianti Classico is a light-bodied, aromatic sweet wine to drink now and over the next few years. Crushed flowers, tobacco, spice, mint, caramel, and dried cherry open nicely. I just wish there was a bit more depth. (Antonio Galloni)
Primary Grape: Trebbiano
Certified organic
Limited Inventory We'll confirm your order by email.
6 items or less in stock.
You save:$14.00 (20%)
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
2017 / 750 ml.
Item #: 92753
Transparent and linear with currant and cherry aromas and flavors. It’s beautifully fine and bright with crushed cherries and berries and hints of strawberries. Pine needles and fresh herbs, too. Very silky tannins and a palate that shows poise and polish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
A real beauty, the 2017 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Coltassala (made with organic fruit) shows medium-rich textural fiber with plenty of dark fruit, cherry, spice and leather. The important thing to mention here is how light and elegantly fragrant this wine remains despite the considerable heat and dryness of the growing season. In fact, all those fruit tones emerge with terrific purity and focus, backed by acidity and integrated structure, that invite an evening-long sampling with some medium-aged pecorino.
The 2017 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Coltassala is striking. Rich and ample, with tremendous depth, the 2017 shows all of the mystique that makes Sangiovese so alluring. Sweet dark cherry, dark plum, leather, licorice, menthol and tobacco build as the 2017 shows off its breadth and personality. The Coltassala has a bit more volume and oak influence than the other Volpaia wines, but it’s an approach that works so well here. (Antonio Galloni)
You save:$17.00 (20%)
A juicy, black cherry-laced red, displaying fine concentration, balance and freshness. Dusty tannins gather on the finish, as do accents of oak spice. Shows fine harmony and complexity overall, though will benefit from a year or two of bottle age. Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2023 through 2038. 1,500 cases made, 175 cases imported.
A polished red with plum, chocolate and walnut aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied with soft, integrated tannins and a pretty finish. Another year or two will give it a little more finesse. From organically grown grapes. Try after 2021.
You save:$25.00 (26%)
Black-cherry and orange-peel aromas and flavors. Some lead pencil and slate, too. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins and firm acidity, which adds verve and tension to the wine. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
The 2020 Chianti Classico is bright, elegant, and wonderfully translucent, with lovely red fruit character and all the elegance of Radda coming through nicely. Mint, blood orange, pipe tobacco, and spice linger on the brilliant, delineated finish. (Antonio Galloni)
You save:$5.00 (20%)
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
2018 / 750 ml.
Item #: 98917
Fresh and focused, delivering black cherry, blackberry and stone flavors, with a structure that borders on racy. This firms up nicely on the lingering finish, which bears tinges of iron and sanguine. Best from 2023 through 2035. 150 cases imported. (Bruce Sanderson)
Aromas of French oak, leather and espresso mingle with whiffs of spiced plum. The firm palate features dried cherry, licorice and tobacco framed in tightly woven, fine-grained tannins. It closes on a note of coffee bean. Drink 2024–2028. (Kerin O’Keefe)
Limited Inventory We'll confirm your order by email.
11 items or less in stock.
You save:$22.00 (20%)
A bright yet firmly structured Chianti Classico, with iron, leather, almond and floral accents surrounding a core of cherry fruit. Sleek and intense, with a lingering finish echoing cherry, red berry and mineral notes. Best from 2024 through 2040. 4,500 cases imported. (Bruce Sanderson)
Aromas of sweet berries, crushed stones and violets follow through beautifully to a medium-bodied with fine, integrated tannins and a pretty finish. Crisp and crunchy with structure. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
Here’s a wine I highly recommend. Packaged with a black label, the Volpaia 2019 Chianti Classico Riserva is certified organic Sangiovese from a site with sandstone soils that rises up to a cool 600 meters above sea level in Radda in Chianti. These well-priced results are perfumed and vibrant with black fruit, crushed stone and wild rose. I especially appreciate those drying mineral tones that match the wine’s elegant, mid-weight mouthfeel. Some 60,000 bottles were released. (Monica Larner)
Primary Grape: Sangiovese
Certified organic by Q Certificazioni
You save:$10.00 (20%)
A red with plenty of ripe fruit, such as berries and cherries with some fresh-herb and lemon undertones. It’s medium-to full-bodied with bright fruit and fine tannins. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
The 2017 Chianti Classico Riserva Castello di Volpaia is an immensely rewarding, inviting wine. Juicy and racy, with no hard edges, the Riserva captures the allure of this warm, dry year. There is plenty to like in the 2017, starting with its depth and volume, I won’t be surprised if the Riserva turns out to be even better than this note suggests. Sweet red fruit, cedar and blood orange give the 2017 striking aromatic intensity and lift.
Aromas of blue flower, spiced plum, new leather and sunbaked earth form the inviting nose on this pure Sangiovese. Made with organically farmed grapes, the smooth, savory palate doles out fleshy black cherry, baking spice and chopped mint alongside velvety tannins that give it a polished texture. Drink through 2025.
If you have a platter of fatty porchetta and are looking for a worthy Tuscan wine for that party, look no further. Packaged in a black label, the Volpaia 2017 Chianti Classico Riserva Castello di Volpaia (made with organic fruit) does a great job of showing purity and freshness in what was a challenging vintage for sure. This Riserva reveals delineated tones of cherry and dark berry with crushed limestone, blue flowers and some of the wild herbs and bramble that I often recognize in wines from this corner of Tuscany. I happily recommend it to all Sangiovese enthusiasts.
Black currant and blackberry fruit defines this juicy, saturated red, with earth, cedar and tobacco adding accents. Finishes with a firm edge of tannins. Best from 2024 through 2040. 5,000 cases made, 3,500 cases imported. (Bruce Sanderson)
Primary Grape: Sangiovese
Certified organic by Q Certificazioni
You save:$11.00 (28%)