A terrific blend of 80% Merlot, 10% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, this is an organic red blend from the forested hills of Tuscany. The 2019 Il Blu is recognized by its modern blue label (and fun orange capsule) and its contemporary winemaking style. It offers seamless richness, elegant intensity and dark fruit weight. Italians might use the word "ruffiano" to describe it. The translation falls somewhere between "pleaser" and "panderer" but with a positive spin. Perhaps the most agreeable part of this barrique-aged wine is its availability, with an ample 42,000 bottles made.

Packaged in its distinctive blue label, the Brancaia 2017 Il Blu is a blend of mostly Merlot, Sangiovese and a smaller percent of Cabernet Sauvignon. It offers power, structure and firmness spread out over a medium to full-bodied frame. The wine exhibits a dark and concentrated color and opens to rich aromas of dried cherry, blackberry, tilled earth, candied orange and iron ore. Indeed, the wine's friendly complexity far exceeds any basic expectations here despite the challenges of the vintage.

This blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Sangiovese and a smaller percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon has one of the most impressive track records of a modern Tuscan blend that I can think of. The 2016 Il Blu is a beautifully balanced and precise blend that pits the freshness and authenticity of Sangiovese against the softness and fruitiness of the Merlot. Although the Sangiovese plays a supporting role in the blend, its influence and signature go far to creating the overall identity of this special wine. It's a very nice effort to celebrate with a grilled T-bone. Some 35,000 bottles were made.

This is the wine that put Brancaia on the map of Tuscany's most celebrated estates. A blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Sangiovese and a smaller percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (fermented with indigenous yeasts in conical steel vats and aged in new and neutral barrique for 20 months), the 2015 Il Blu is a wine that enthusiastically embraces the energy, heat and sunshine of the vintage. The fruit is dark and slightly sweet with aromas of black cherries and dried blackberries. Those flavors deliver rich, soft intensity. The wine is not quite full-bodied, because the mouthfeel is elegant and finessed, but it does deliver lasting power, freshness and polished tannins. Some 40,000 bottles were made.

A firm red with plenty of tannins that are polished and silky textured. Medium body, fresh and taut. Chocolate and cedar combines nicely with the ripe fruit. Impressive blend of merlot, sangiovese and cabernet sauvignon. One of best ever from here. Drinkable but better in 2021.