The big news about this year’s Top 100 Wines of Italy list is all the 2019 Brunello di Montalcinos. This should be a heads-up to everyone who loves what is arguably Italy’s most popular fine wine, especially for those of you in North America. The wines will be arriving on the market beginning in January.

It has been a couple of years since Brunello had a truly outstanding vintage like 2019. The vintage currently on the market, 2018, made some pretty wines, but most are lacking structure for aging due to an overproduction of fruit and a wet ending to the grape-growing season. 2017 made unbalanced wines on the whole because of an extremely hot and dry growing season. Some people may like the opulence of fruit, density and coarse tannins, but 2017 Brunellos need more bottle age to soften, and they won’t be what you expect if you love truly outstanding Brunello from classic years like 2016, 2015 and 2010.

“2019 was really easy,” said Federico Radi, the winemaker for Biondi Santi. “We want to have more vintages like that. There was nothing difficult. The grapes were crunchy with a beautiful textural progression in tannins with a very deep and long finish as well as just the right amount of bitterness at the end. It gave what sangiovese should be” in quality and character.

There are 13 Brunello 2019s among our Top 100 Italian wines as well as five in the Top 10, and you are going to be more than happy with any of them. I suggest you check pre-reservations for the wines from key wine merchants if you want some now.

Super Tuscan wines are also weighing in heavily here, with 17 in the top 100 – from Bibi Graetz’s pure sangiovese Testamatta 2021 at No. 8 to Petrolo’s barrel-fermented and aged trebbaino, the Boggina B 2021. There are also six merlot-based reds on the list, highlighting the continued success of the grape in the region.

Meanwhile, the majority of the other wines on the list are from Langhe’s Barolo and Barbaresco – 17 in total. The Barolos are mostly from the 2019 vintage, which is the current year on the market. I already have pointed out in articles that the vintage is much less consistent than reported, according to my tastings in the summer and discussions with winemakers.

“2019 is a really classic vintage,” said Oscar Arrivabene, the winemaker for Domenico Clerico winery. “You smell it and it smells of Barolo. It’s probably not the most pleasant vintage in the last decade but it screams Barolo. In 2019 we had to be careful because of so many tannins. It was a year that it was hard to handle, with harder tannins and less color.”

Nevertheless, the 14 Barolos from 2019 that made this list don’t suffer from slightly austere tannins or mature colors for young nebbiolos, which may have occurred in some 2019 Barolos because of shorter extractions during the winemaking process. They are beautiful, classic Barolos by all standards. Take a look at the Roberto Voerzio Barolo Brunate 2019 as an example.

By comparison, the four 2020 Barbarescos included here shine with the wonderfully bright fruit and polished tannins of the vintage. Wines such as the Bruno Giacosa Falletto Barbaresco Rabajà 2020 and Gaja Barbaresco Sorì Tildin 2020, at No. 4 and No. 21, respectively, both have incredible brightness, precision and freshness with a clarity and crunchy character that highlight the purity of fruit in this beautiful vintage.

“2020 is textbook nebbiolo,” said Giovanni Gaja. “I just love it. I particularly love the vintage. It is not only remembered for Covid but these wines as well. It’s an upgraded 2018. It has more structure. It’s a wonderful vintage. You can drink it young, but it will age.”

The best Barolo on this list, however, is a wine from the extraordinary 2016 vintage – perhaps the best in two decades. And it’s my Italian Wine of the Year for 2023: the Damilano Barolo Cannubi Riserva 1752 2016.

The 100-point red is a remarkable late release. With the Damilano family’ s extensive 11-hectare holding in this esteemed vineyard, they carefully selected the best grapes to produce this bottle. It's powerful and structured, with muscular tannins that span the length of the wine. Classic and full-bodied, it’s a masterpiece from the original vineyard parcel of arguably Barolo’s most famous single vineyard area.

“It is the greatest Barolo we have ever made,” admitted Paolo Damilano, who makes the wines with his family. “The growing conditions were perfect in 2016 and we selected the very best for the riserva.”

Whether any of the other wines are the greatest ever made is a matter of opinion, but lots of great wines are available on this list of Top 100 Italian wines of 2023.

– James Suckling, Editor/Chairman

Note: The list of wines below is comprised of bottles tasted and rated in 2023 by the tasters at JamesSuckling.com. You can sort the wines below by vintage, score and alphabetically by winery name. You can also search for specific wines in the search bar.