The 2010 Chianti Rufina Castello di Nipozzano Vigneto Montesodi Riserva shows a soft and sophisticated style with bold fruit and savory touches of toasted espresso bean, chocolate, exotic spice lavished over a solid core of dark fruit. The wine is exceeding plush and supple on the close and shows that touch of modernity and chewy sweetness that characterize so many of Frescobaldi's best wines. Black cherry rides long on the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2022. Importer: Folio Fine Wine Partners; www.foliowine.com

The 2009 Chianti Rufina Riserva Vigneto Montesodi is frankly a bit less interesting and complete than the Nipozzano. It doesn’t have the mid-palate pliancy and generosity of that wine. Instead it is built on persistence and minerality, both admirable qualities, but in this vintage a little more generosity would have been nice. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017. Importer: Folio Fine Wine Partners, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 256-2700

The 2008 Chianti Rufina Riserva Vigneto Montesodi (Sangiovese) is another beautiful wine from Frescobaldi. Layers of dark red cherries, flowers, tobacco and minerals are woven together in this harmonious, classy Montesodi. The French oak is present but very nicely balanced in this vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020. Importer: Folio Fine Wine Partners, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 256-2700

The 2007 Chianti Rufina Riserva Vigneto Montesodi is a decidedly brooding red for this part of Tuscany. Smoke, grilled herbs and dark cherries meld into a palate of intense, richly concentrated fruit as this dense, powerful wine opens up in the glass. This is one of the few 2007 Tuscan reds that definitely needs bottle age. Today the tannins are rather imposing, particularly within the context of the vintage, but they should soften over the next few years. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022. This is a strong set of new releases from the Frescobaldi family, yet as is often the case, I am left thinking these properties have yet to maximize their full potential. The underlying material in all of the wines is first-rate but winemaking gets in the way too often. Importer: Folio Fine Wine Partners, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 256-2700