James Suckling (90)- "Intensely aromatic, with floral aromas of roses, violets, geraniums and red fruit. Slightly leafy. A soft palate that’s peppery and crisp, with a light body and silky tannins. Dry finish."
Mundus Vini Award ()- "GOLD AWARD"
Jancis Robinson (!)- "WINE OF THE WEEK -Master of Wine Richard Hemming: “Superiore is the operative word for this Italian stallion. Finding a benchmark example of a wine isn’t always straightforward. Most Valpolicella, for example, is made by large producers, including enormous co-operatives, who are mostly responsible for the region’s output doubling since 1997. As a result, the most statistically commonplace Valpolicella is often a weedy and insipid red – ‘mere supermarket fodder’, according to The Oxford Companion to Wine – and that makes the one made by Santa Maria entirely atypical for all the right reasons. All three of the vintages that I tasted – 2020, 2021 and 2022 – show Valpolicella’s true potential. They are rich with meaty aromas; the black fruit is pure cherry, both sour at sweet at the same time, with slight desiccation on the 2021 and a more mulchy undergrowth tone on the 2020. Fourteen months of maturation in oak barrels gives all three of them a well-judged spicy seasoning. With high alcohol (14.5% in the 2021 and 2022, 14% in the 2020), they are concentrated and weighty on the palate, yet with fine tannins and juicy acid working together to give immediate drinkability. The complexity of flavour they display at a relatively young age means there’s no need to keep the bottles any longer, and while the 2021 and 2022 will hold for a few years more, the 2020 should probably be drunk in the next six months. All three are prime examples of what Valpolicella could and should be at its best: complex and concentrated, ready to drink, supremely gastronomic and excellent value."
