James Suckling’s team unveils its “Top 100 Wines of Italy 2026” list, narrowed down from roughly 7,000 Italian wines tasted over the past year out of more than 30,000 total wines the outlet has rated, and four of our producers make the cut, with two landing in the top 25: Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 2023 at #16, Tenuta Luce Brunello di Montalcino 2021 at #22, Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne Sibi et Paucis 2016 at #44, and Frescobaldi Toscana Gorgona 2025 at #94.
The list singles out Brunello di Montalcino 2021 as the vintage of the year, with Suckling’s team writing, “For us, 2021 is one of the best Brunello vintages of the past two decades, producing wines with impressive structure, freshness and balance.” Tenuta Luce’s entry backs that up directly, earning a 99-point score and landing at #22 overall. Suckling describes a wine with sweet berry, orange peel, nutmeg, and cinnamon aromas, medium-bodied with fine, precise tannins and a finish he says “caresses every inch of your palate,” calling it extremely long and structured yet refined and sophisticated.
Check out the full Top 100 list HERE.
