Fabio Motta Bolgheri Superiore Le Gonnare 2022 (750ml) *
Product price
$58.99
Description
Bolgheri sits on the Tuscan coast, where maritime warmth favors Bordeaux grapes over Sangiovese, and this Superiore bottling from Fabio Motta leans into that inheritance: a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2022 vintage. The fruit was fermented in cement and aged in small oak barrels, a combination that lends both freshness and polish. Merlot's plumpness sets the frame here, with Cabernet supplying the spine.
Expect a bright ruby wine with a cool, minty lift over ripe red and black berries, threaded with clove, cedar, and a whiff of menthol. The palate is generous and broad, shaped by a warm growing season, yet the winemaking keeps it from tipping into heaviness. There's a refreshing line of acidity, a lightly savory, faintly gamey undertone, and chalky tannins that firm up the finish. Some of that fruit is still tucked behind the oak, so a little patience rewards, but the sweet, exuberant core is already appealing and will hold well over the medium term.
Expert Reviews
Intense menthol and dark fruit aromas segue to a tight and drying palate, showing both sapidity and salinity. There's freshness of acidity and purity of cool black and blue fruits in the background – but at present it remains veiled behind the wood. This needs time but will come good. Since last year, Fabio Motta has been under majority control of Agricole Gussalli Beretta, the historic arms manufacturers who already own several other wineries in Italy. (Decanter, June 2025)
The Fabio Motta 2022 Bolgheri Superiore Le Gonnare is a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, fermented in cement and aged in small oak barrels. Shaped by the hot conditions of the vintage, the wine reveals generous fruit and broad volume that wraps thickly across the palate. While the 2022 delivers notable richness and softness, the estate’s restrained handling keeps the profile balanced rather than heavy. Produced in 10,000 bottles, this exuberant expression is best enjoyed in the near to medium term, when its sweet fruit character is at its most appealing. (Wine Advocate, February 2026)
The 2022 La Gonnare is a bright ruby/red color and is minty and fresh with aromas of ripe red berries, fresh menthol, clove spice, and cedar. Medium to full-bodied, it’s linear and refreshing upfront, with a lightly gamey underlying richness, chalky tannins, and a rounded finish. I enjoy the freshness that frames the wine, and it will show likely its best over the next 10-12 years. (Jeb Dunnuck, March 2025)