2013 Prima Pietra Toscana IGT

A Top 100 New Super Tuscan Favorite

In 2012, Prima Pietra landed on James Suckling’s Top 100 New Super Tuscans list, and he pointed out that the Prima is one of his personal favorites. Taking a cue from Suckling—if you’ve ever seen him at a wine tasting he is literally revered as a god among Italians—we set about securing our own allocation. This 2013 Tenuta Prima Pietra Tuscan red lives up to all the hype. It’s a hypnotizing, silken beauty bracketed by dusty tannins from the highest vineyard on the Tuscan Coast. Since Massimo Ferragamo founded the estate in 2002, the winery has been on a roll, with eight 93-96 scores from Suckling, while Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate has raved over the “great potential” of the site that is “quickly coming into its own.” If you love Tuscan reds with dark chewy tannins and luscious concentration, nab this stunner. 93 points from Wine Spectator. A mere 100 cases are brought to U.S. shores and we have half. 50 cases. $60 per bottle—best price in the USA.

Tuscany’s 2013 harvest was instantly recognized as sensational, with critics like James Suckling calling it “unquestionably Italy’s best wine region of 2013.” The top wines would come from the most patient winegrowers from Chianti Classico to Montalcino, those who kept their cool through a long, wet spring in time to see a divinely scripted August and September bask the vines in dry, sunny heat.  

The Tuscan masters waited until ripening hit its peak towards the end of September, picking under turquoise skies at the end of the month. Then they crafted some of the richest, most sleekly focused Super Tuscans of the decade — none more so than the 2013 Prima Pietra.

The winery is operated by the Ferragamo family of shoemaking renown, who also own Castiglion del Bosco, one of Montalcino’s top estates. Spying the hilly property lush with cypress and olive trees on a jaunt through Riparbella, Massimo Ferragamo realized he was in the presence of a vinicultural goldmine. Nearing 1,500 feet above sea level, it is the highest vineyard on the Tuscan Coast, its elevation and orientation facing the glittering coast guaranteeing ideal sun exposure. Ocean breezes waft in off the Atlantic, taking the sting out of the Tuscan sun and breathing a briny freshness into the grapes. The deep soil allows vines to replenish thirst during dry months, while the blend of ferrous rock, fossils, and coarse gabbro lends mineral complexity to the wine and a stunning aromatic bouquet.

James Suckling, an Italian wine expert, was one of the first to recognize the incredible value of the Prima Pietra blend. He included the winery on his Top 100 New Super Tuscans list in 2012, naming the Prima one of his personal favorites.

Wine Spectator was similarly smitten with the 2013, holding nothing back with a 93-point score, calling the red “dense and packed full of plum and black cherry flavors.” Kudos to our importer friend for staving off the score-hungry wholesalers, carving out 50 cases for Wine Access — irresistible at this price.

– Wine Access Wine Team

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Acidity
• Tannin

• ABV 13.50%
• Enjoy right away
• Now – 2035
• % Cabernet Franc% Cabernet Sauvignon% Merlot% Petit Verdot
• Serving temperature – 60°
• Cork