2020 Nittardi "Nectar Dei" Maremma Toscana DOC

Winemaker notes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Petit Verdot. Deep red with hues of purple, aromas of ripe black fruit, vanilla, tobacco and hints of spices as pink pepper; concentrated and complex flavors on the palate with a full and persistent finish. Excellently suited to all variations of red meat and game.

Deep and complex on the nose with spiced plums and ripe blackberries as well as hints of sweet licorice, aged tangerine peel, chocolate and dark earth. Some tarry undertones, too. ~97 Luca Maroni, Yearbook of " The Best Italian Wines" Luca Maroni. 

Full and opulent with very fine, silky tannins that have a firm grip over the palate, framing the intense and succulent fruit. Lingering finish. From organically grown grapes. Better after 2025. ~94 James Suckling.  

The 2020 Nectar Dei is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Syrah from vineyards in Maremma. A plush, succulent wine, the 2020 races across the palate with copious dark fruit, mocha, leather, licorice, spice and espresso. Nectar Dei is not especially subtle, but I am not sure that matters. ~94 Points, Antonio Galloni - Vinous Media

Powerful and decidedly dark in spirit, this Super Tuscan has the makings of a champion. Notes of black plums, blackberries, black cherries, cloves and nutmeg describe the main sensory profile. Juniper berries and dark chocolate the secondary one. Full body, perfectly ripe tannins and a warm, spicy finish of a sunny, Mediterranean nature. Drink now. ~94 WinesCritic.com

Nittardi is a boutique winery situated in Castellina in Chianti, on the historic border between the provinces of Siena and Florence, with vineyards in both Chianti Classico and the coastal Maremma. The estate dates back to 1183, when it was first recorded as a fortified tower known as Nectar Dei—“The Nectar of the Gods.” Once serving as a defensive lookout, Nittardi’s history intertwines with art, philosophy, and wine across nearly a millennium.

In the 16th century, the property belonged to none other than Michelangelo Buonarroti. While finishing the Sistine Chapel in 1549, he famously wrote to his nephew Lionardo, “I’d prefer two casks of wine rather than eight shirts,” referring to his favorite Nittardi wines, which he would send to Rome as a “genuine gift to Pope Paolo III.” Today, in tribute to that legacy, the first bottles of Nectar Dei—Nittardi’s flagship Maremma wine—are still presented annually to the Pope.

Through the centuries, Nittardi changed hands many times until 1981, when Frankfurt publisher and art gallerist Peter Femfert and his wife Stefania Canali, a Venetian historian, purchased the estate. They restored the property with remarkable attention to detail, replanting vineyards, modernizing the cellar in 1992, and assembling a talented team led by consultant oenologist Carlo Ferrini and commercial director Giorgio Conte. Since 2013, their son Léon Femfert has guided the estate into its next generation, managing both winemaking and the business side with a modern and international outlook.