The 2020 Gabbro (made with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon) is ripe, rich and supple. This wine pushes the boundaries in all directions (including a powerful 15% alcohol content). There is a hint of dried herb or rosemary essence behind black fruit and baked plum, but the wine's texture is what ultimately sets this hot vintage apart. Production is limited to 2,500 bottles.

Made with Cabernet Sauvignon, the Montepeloso 2019 Gabbro is the estate's top-end wine packaged with the black label. This is a gorgeous wine, so rich and textured yet elegant at the same time. The fruit ripeness is spot-on with lots of blackberry and no signs of the herbal notes that come from this grape in the less fortunate vintages. This 2019 vintage shows terrific ripeness (with a 15% alcohol content), supple texture and firm structure that will carry the bottle over long cellar aging. This vintage saw only 1,900 bottles produced. The vines are between 38 and 51 years old and are planted on clay soils with fossils at about 80 meters above sea level.

The 2018 Gabbro is a pure expression of Cabernet Sauvignon, with only 1,400 bottles made. There is a lot of coastal Tuscan sunshine here that smooths over the fruit, adding richness, integration, ripeness and ultimately a terrific sense of balance. Summery black tones of plum, prune, blackberry and dried cherry emerge from the bouquet, pulling forth background tones of spice, tobacco and campfire ash. The wine is full and rich throughout, showing generous layers on the mid-palate and on the very long and pleasurable finish. The tannins are soft and balanced (from both the fruit and the oak), but I'd still recommend a few more years of bottle age before you pop the cork.

Here is another excellent wine from the folks at Montepeloso. Indeed, the top wines from this estate are all so equally delicious it is hard to tell them apart. The 2015 Gabbro is all Cabernet Sauvignon, and it stands apart from the other blended reds for this reason. This is an inky dark and impenetrable expression with savory aromas of dark fruit and spice. The wine plays its best cards in the mouth, thanks to the richness and endurance of its texture.

Here is an impressive interpretation of Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2012 Gabbro is true to the variety but it also shows aromas that faithfully peg it to Coastal Tuscany. There is a layer of rosemary or oregano that reminds me of the Mediterranean wild shrubs that grow along the seafront. Beyond those brambly aromas is a thick core of impenetrable black fruit with cherry and blackberry. Exotic spice fills in the rear. The intensity is memorable. This is a bottle for your cellars.