Azienda Agricola La Magia

VINTAGE 2023
James Suckling – 92
Subtle notes of cherries, raspberries, tangerine peel and red flowers on the nose. Medium-bodied, dry and juicy, with a dusty texture to its tannins and vibrant acidity. The finish is tense with a zesty character. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

VINTAGE 2022

James Suckling – 91
Deep spiced character with ripe dark berries, cured meat, rosemary and thyme. Some earthy undertones, too. Medium- to full-bodied with sleek and polished texture and supple tannin structure. A bit fluid on the finish, but fruity and attractive. From organically grown grapes. Drink now.

VINTAGE 2020

James Suckling – 92
Fresh and delicious with a pleasant, dusty texture and delicious sweet-berry and dried-citrus character. It’s medium-bodied and clean at the finish. Rather delicate. From organically grown grapes. Drink now.

VINTAGE 2023

James Suckling – 91
A graceful, stylish, spicy wine. The nose shows cinnamon, dried flowers, raspberries and strawberries. The attack is supple, with a light to medium body and crisp acidity. Crunchy tannins and a juicy finish overall, with a savory blood orange aftertaste. From organically grown grapes. Drink now.

VINTAGE 2022

James Suckling – 91
Notes of cherries, currant bush, cedar and cardamom on the nose. Medium-bodied, focused and bright, with vibrant, crunchy tannins. Flavorful and nicely filled with fruit. From organically grown grapes. Drink now or hold.

VINTAGE 2021

James Suckling – 92
Aromas of ripe blueberries and mulberries with violets, sweet spices and tea leaf undertones. Medium-bodied, dry and a little chewy with crunchy acidity and fresh red and blue fruit character. Vivid finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink now.

Vinous – 91
The 2021 Rosso di Montalcino opens slowly with an earthy blend of crushed rocks, dried blueberries and chalk dust. It’s silky and supple yet full of energy, with ripe wild berry fruits and orange hints, all propelled by juicy acidity. It finishes long, staining and more structured than expected, leaving a tart raspberry tinge to fade slowly.

VINTAGE 2020

James Suckling – 91
Dried-raspberry and citrus aromas and flavors with a medium body, fine tannins and a fresh and bright finish. Minerally. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

Wine Enthusiast – 90
Made with organically farmed Sangiovese grapes, this opens with aromas of black-skinned berry, cedar and baking spice. The lithe, savory palate offers Marasca cherry, star anise and clove alongside fine-grained tannins. Enjoy through 2027.

Ian D’Agata’s 100 Top Italian Wines 2024

VINTAGE 2020

Decanter – 93

Falstaff – 93
Brilliant ruby red with a purple shimmer. Inviting nose, with lots of ripe plum and blackberry, followed by some marzipan and tobacco. Warm-hearted on the palate, builds up a lot of drive, with impressive tannins and well-integrated acidity. Savoury, persistent finish.

James Suckling – 96
Fine-textured, with integrated tannins that frame the wine nicely. It’s medium-bodied with juicy, dark fruit, as well as notes of bark, spice and walnut husk. Flavorful and intense, focused and polished. Drink in two or three years, but already impressive.

Kerin O’Keefe – 93

Vinous – 93
The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino is tightly coiled in its youthful state. Hints of mint, cedar and camphor complement notes of dried black cherries. It’s expressive, silken and round on the palate with vividly ripe red and blue fruits that drench the senses in primary concentration. Brisk acidity keeps the mouth watering for more, even as fine-grained tannins saturate the palate. The 2020 finishes with dramatic length, leaving a finge of slowly fading salted licorice and cocoa.

VINTAGE 2019

Decanter – 93

Falstaff – 93
Bright ruby red with cherry red reflections. Gentle aromas of cherries and cranberries on the nose, with a green tea aftertaste. Compact on the palate, with grippy tannins and firm drive, unfortunately dries somewhat in the finish.

James Suckling – 95
Expressive, lifted floral notes with lots of bright red fruit, followed by fresh rosemary and thyme. Medium-bodied with juicy, fine-grained tannins. Impressive purity and elegance. From organically grown grapes. Drink now or hold until 2026.

Kerin O’Keefe – 92

Vinous – 94
The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino bursts from the glass with an intense array of black raspberries, lavender, sage, wet stone and crushed rocks. This is elegant and velvety on the palate. A rich wave of ripe red and black fruits soothe, lifted by vibrant acidity and hints of mint. The 2019 finishes with a mentholated freshness, leaving a tarry concentration and a coating of fine-grained tannins that saturate. This is a dark and radiant beauty that will require extended cellaring.

Wine Advocate – 92
The organic La Magia 2019 Brunello di Montalcino has leather, spice and some of the sticky aromas of an old balsamic vinegar made in the traditional method. There is a second wave of candied cherry or throat lozenges that underline a medicinal quality found in this wine. It closes with dried autumnal leaf and forest floor. I came back to taste the wine a few hours later, and those cherry aromas really pop.

Wine Enthusiast – 96
The nose opens fresh and cool, with aromas of eucalyptus, wild mint and fennel, before the tang of raspberries and pomegranates arrives. The palate brings richer fruit notes of candied cherry and blood orange, but also more of those refreshing herbaceous elements, leaping on the back of athletic tannins and searing acidity.

VINTAGE 2018

James Suckling – 94
Lovely purity of fruit here with plums, cherries, licorice, tomato leaves and hibiscus. It’s full-bodied, all in balance, with a firm and fine tannin frame and seamless, creamy texture. Focused. More mineral and tight in the finish. From organically grown grapes. Better after 2025.

Vinous – 92
The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino is smoky in the glass, with a blend of crushed rocks and savory spice accentuating dried black cherries. It’s soft and round in feel, energized by juicy acidity that propels its mineral- tingled red fruits across the palate. A coating of fine tannins is left to reside, along with violet inner florals and sweet spice, through the long and dramatic finale. Finding a balance of potent fruit and structure is often one of the challenges of the 2018 vintage, yet La Magia pulled it off without a hitch.

Wine Advocate – 92
The organic La Magia 2018 Brunello di Montalcino is a subdued and elegant expression with a very genuine quality that is ultimately the wine’s biggest asset. You taste the skin and the pulp of the Sangiovese grape in this wine that remains very true to the variety. Wild cherry, cassis and crushed limestone give the wine plenty of linearity and freshness. Elements of the bouquet remind you of a natural wine. Production is 38,000 bottles.

Wine Enthusiast – 94
A sanguine, umami nose of black olives, soil, balsamic vinegar and pencil shavings gets some pop from astringent undertones of fennel and cranberries. On the warm, full palate, cherries and strawberries bring out the cranberries’ dormant sweetness, above an enduring flintiness highlighted by bergamot and salted dark chocolate.

VINTAGE 2020

James Suckling – 94
Lovely sweet berries with roses and other flowers on the nose. Medium-bodied with tight and slightly austere tannins, but they are polished and in reserve. Fresh and crunchy at the end. This needs time to soften. Best after 2027 and onwards.

Kerin O’Keefe – 95

Vinous – 94+
The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Ciliegio is wonderfully fresh and lifted with a bouquet of dried owers, stone dust, mint leaves and wild strawberries. This is a model of purity, silken and pliant, with depths of ripe red and hints of blue fruits underscored by tactile mineral tones as violet inner orals arch across the palate.

VINTAGE 2019

Decanter – 94

James Suckling – 96
Crunchy orange zest and vibrant red-fruit notes of raspberries and red cherries, followed by a mix of red and purple flowers. Medium-bodied with chewy yet relatively fine tannins and crisp acidity. Zesty and delightful. From organically grown grapes. Drink now or hold.

Kerin O’Keefe – 90

Vinous – 95
A dusting of cedary spice, dried roses, cloves and red currants wafts up from the darkly alluring 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Ciliegio. This is profoundly textural and bassy, with a core of mineral – laden red berry fruit and orange motivated by brisk acidity. It finishes long and structured, leaving a salty flourish lingering with traces of tart cranberry and edgy tannins. It’s simply stunning. The Ciliegio hails from a plot of vines planted in 1974 in sandy clay and galesto soils.

Wine Enthusiast – 96
This red is bright, warm and floral on the nose with cherry blossom, blood orange, hibiscus, dried cranberries and dried cherries. The palate turns to Luxardo cherries and macerated blackberries over a current of dark chocolate with the medicinal bite of anise stitched together with textured but ultrarefined tannins. this is an expertly integrated wine.

Wine Advocate – 93
A certified organic wine, the La Magia 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Ciliegio is exceptionally fresh and punchy with lifted fruit sensations of redcurrant, candied cherry, grenadine, rose hip and tart cranberry. The tannins are firm, but the wine relaxes to a glossy mid-weight feel. This is a versatile and accessible Brunello that could pair with a wide range of your favorite foods thanks to its balanced acidity.

VINTAGE 2018

James Suckling – 94
Rich and perfumed nose of blueberries, ripe cherries, violets, sandalwood and mocha. Evolves to peaches and cloves. Full body with ripe, broad tannins. Dense and compact while retaining a clarity and brightness to the fruit. From organically grown grapes. Better after 2025.

Wine Advocate – 93
A certified organic wine, the La Magia 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Ciliegio is a bright and punchy red wine with ripe cherry, raspberry, cassis, cola, white licorice and crushed limestone. The aromas are fine and delicate, but assembled as one, the wine reveals good intensity and a very clean, direct delivery. On the palate, it shows a mid-weight texture with fine tannins and fresh acidity. Ciliegio is a limited production of 1,566 bottles.

Wine Enthusiast – 94
The nose is metallic and stony, with a sleek undertone of fresh sage, before evolving into vanilla and cherries. On the palate, the balance between cherry and stony herbaceousness persists, but the ending is sweet, with a swirl of vanilla and milk chocolate creating an almost creamy texture.

VINTAGE 2019

Decanter – 95

Falstaff – 94
Light and bright ruby red. Inviting and fresh aromas of fruit and flowers, with subtle savoury nuances. Full-bodied, fresh and still fruity on the palate, with ripe and perfectly integrated tannins. A modern style.

James Suckling – 94
A spicy and smoky wine, showing deep graphite and black fruits such as prunes. Full of Mediterranean herbs as well as touches of bergamot and leather. Sour impact on the palate with medium to full body, firm and chalky tannins and a savory finish. Powerful with good aging potential. Try from 2026.

Kerin O’Keefe – 96

Vinous – 94
Moody and intense, the 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva opens in the glass with an earthy bouquet that blends medicinal cherries with cedar shavings and confectionary rose. It’s silken and pliant with a polished wave of ripe red and hints of blue fruit. A collection of fine tannins adds grip toward the close. The 2019 shuts down hard through the nish, structured and long, leaving a balsamic tinge of sour berries that add further tension.

VINTAGE 2016

James Suckling – 97
Extremely fresh and floral with clear blackberry and violet aromas that follow through to a full body with ultra-fine tannins and a long, linear finish. Purity, depth and structure to this. From organically grown grapes. Drinkable now, but give it three or four years to soften.

Vinous – 95
Dark and youthfully inward, the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva lifts up to show spiced plums and cherries in an air of crushed rocks, smoke, undergrowth and tar. The textures here are elegant to the extreme, velvety-smooth and weighty in feel, yet suspended by a core of brisk acidity. A densely packed wave of mineral-encased black fruits and spices saturates all that it touches, leaving a lasting layer of fine-grained tannins. The finale is dramatically long and structured, offering balsam herbs and hints of licorice and black currant. La Magia sources their Riserva from a parcel planted within their vineyards in 1974. It refines for 42 months in new 500-liter French tonneaux, which, in the case of the 2016, has integrated very well. The future is bright here, though patience is necessary.

Wine Advocate – 93
The La Magia 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (made with organic fruit) is a bold and powerful wine with a full-bodied approach and a strong 15% alcohol. The wine is redolent of cherry liqueur, baked fruit and blackcurrant. Beyond that, it offers plenty of toast and oak spice with cinnamon, tar and licorice. The clarity of the 2016 Sangiovese fruit does break through, and that’s what ultimately gives this wine its freshness and brightness.

VINTAGE 2015

James Suckling – 97 (Top 100 of 2020)
Very pretty blackberries and plums on the nose with floral and lavender undertones. Medium to full body and firm, fine tannins that have layers of beautiful textures. So hard not to drink now, but will age wonderfully. Drink or hold.

Decanter – 94

Vinous – 91