It’s great to be home.

Great, in particular, to be back on my own pillow. Italian pillows fall into one of two camps – a) stunted lumps or b) shapeless fluff balls. I then end up typically putting one of each of these pillows together to form an overly big compromise pile.

But enough bedtime stories, let’s talk about wine. It always shocks me to see the prices we pay for Italy’s top vino locally, with a combination of heavy-handed taxation (39% as a starting point) and the tyranny of distance ensuring that wines typically sell for more than double what the converted price is (so a €20 wine, which should be $30AUD ends up selling for $60AUD in Australia). As a result, I feel like I have to buy as much as I can drink/carry because it feels too good to be true. Produttori del Barbaresco for €20? I’ll have another bottle. Even the Roman restaurant prices look reasonable when you do the conversion…

On my last night in Rome (Saturday) then I went for the top shelf, with this half bottle of 2013 Tignanello beckoning. Sure, it was €50 on the list at La Campana (worth a visit), but it was beckoning. Last year I thought the ’13 looked a little light and overly oaky in the Tignanello context, and the oak is still too dominant. But underneath this is looking more settled, the lovely cherry fruits and silky tannins awfully attractive. It’s still a more medium Tignanello (a step behind the 2010) but the form here is graceful and rather delicious. Less obvious oak would be better, but bottle age will only help the wood integrate further. Otherwise, this is classic modern Sangio blend with depth and lovely weight. 18.5/20, 94/100.