Giusti Umberto I Montello Rosso Superiore 2022

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a few super-plush showpiece bottles created by one of Italy’s most celebrated winemakers? And wouldn’t it be extremely nice if they were accessibly priced? Yes! Go nab this 96 point Cabernet–Merlot blend by THE Graziana Grassini. 

Take it away, Decanter… “Crafted by Graziana Grassini – the esteemed winemaker behind Sassicaia – this bold, plush, juicy and inviting flagship red is the freshest and most electric to date.” 

Their 96-point rave review of the 2022 Umberto I Montello Rosso Superiore continues, but let’s get to what makes it special. It comes from Giusti Wine, whose owner is Ermenegildo Giusti – a.k.a. Joe – a larger-than-life wine and vine enthusiast (we’ve tasted with him at the estate a couple times). When it came time to hire a consulting winemaker, Joe decided he had to have the best, so he sought out Graziana. This is the first consultancy the 100 point virtuoso has accepted in the Treviso area. 

The fruit grows on the Montello hill, a lone glacial ridge rising from the Venetian plain. Its iron-rich clay and gravel soils were deposited by Ice Age glaciers. Regarding the blend, Joe says, “This masterpiece of ours uses the finest Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes from the gentle slopes surrounding the Abbey of Sant'Eustachio. It's our finest Bordeaux blend, the most important in our family.” There’s great footage of the ancient abbey, vineyards, and land around it here.

This is one of the most joyous, extroverted, action-packed wines in our collection. If you love big, bold reds bursting with style, this is for you. It tastes like violets, blackberries, and red cherries all freshly pressed into a river of cacao, baked plums, smoked meats and spices, with incense slinking across the surface and a drizzling of balsamic pulling it all together. 96 points, totally delicious, very impressive now – but also ready to age, if you order six and squirrel a few away.