This is an entry-level blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Sangiovese (although this last grape has been considerably reduced). The Tua Rita 2021 Rosso dei Notri shows nice freshness, dark cherry and light spice. So-called "legno tecnico" (or staves) are used. Instead of putting the wine in oak, oak staves are put into the wine to round out its easygoing flavor profile. Some neutral barrique is used, and in challenging vintages, declassified wine ends up in the Rosso dei Notri.

The 2020 Rosso dei Notri is Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. Sangiovese usually features in the blend, but it was removed in this scorching hot vintage. Indeed, the results are almost too ripe, with dried strawberry and raspberry confit. An ample 110,000 bottles were made for easy drinking.

The youthful, flashy exuberance of this wine is impossible to miss. The Tua Rita 2019 Rosso dei Notri offers pronounced primary fruit that bursts out of the glass with immediate directness and frankness. This is a blend of 30% Sangiovese, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah and 20% Merlot. Although it's not declared, there's a tiny touch of Cabernet Franc in there as well that grounds the wine with an extra point of darkness and richness. Most of the blending components do not see oak, but those that do (like the Merlot) go through a brief three months in declassified barrique (hand-downs from Tua Rita's top wines). This estate practices a clever pre-harvest harvest. Some of the fruit from across the various parcels is harvested about 10 days earlier. That fruit, with its extra freshness and acidic brightness, goes into this wine. Indeed, some 150,000 bottles are produced, so this is the bread-and-butter bottle from the estate. The best clusters are left on the vines to mature fully before the second harvest, and that fruit goes into Tua Rita's benchmarks. Doing two harvests in this manner preserves the character of the best fruit on the one hand and creates this entry-level offering on the other. This easy red is a great match to a platter of Italian salumi and cheeses. This wine will be released in June 2020, and it offers terrific value.

The 2018 Rosso dei Notri (a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Sangiovese, with only 30% of the total seeing a brief four months in barrique) is a very fresh and tonic red that surprisingly comes from fruit harvested two weeks later than normal. And Merlot is not always happy to stay on the vines for longer than it has to. It's a fruit-forward wine that was aimed more at freshness instead of concentration, making it a good pair for a simple margherita pizza. You get terrific value here.