Piemonte
2013 Prunotto - Barolo Bussia
Lots of dried mushroom, berry and citrus character. Hints of cedar and rose petal. Medium to full body, tangy acidity and fruit. Flavorful finish. Needs a little time to open. Excellent potential. Better in 2019.
2017 Ratti, Renato - Barolo Conca
Very floral with lavender, violets and dark fruit. Medium-to full-bodied with tannins that build on the palate, particularly the middle palate. Very long and intense. Transparent fruit and evident terroir here
2017 Ratti, Renato - Barolo Rocche Annunziata
Such subtlety and refinement to this young Barolo with dried strawberries, fine tannins and a citrus undertone. Medium body. Extremely dusty and polished. Clean finish
2016 Ratti, Renato - Barolo Conca
The Renato Ratti 2016 Barolo Conca is another stunning beauty from this leading estate in La Morra. Conca is a prized vineyard, and you will immediately notice light mineral signatures of crushed limestone and chalk suspended delicately over the bouquet, ...
2019 Ratti, Renato - Barolo Rocche Annunziata
Pietro Ratti's 2019 Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata opens to a delineated bouquet with a mineral note or iodine that dovetails into purple berry fruit and lots of dried red rose and crushed flower. That evident floral imprint is something I often find in th...
2015 Revello - Barolo Cerretta
Aromas of leather and dark fruit with spices and berries follow through to a full body, rich and juicy fruit and a flavorful finish. Shows intensity and focus. Excellence.
2015 Revello - Barolo Giachini
A very ripe and alluring nose with plenty of sweet-smelling red-cherry and lightly spiced plum aromas on offer. The palate delivers a rich, plush and powerful feel with a bright and alluring middle palate that has fleshy fruit and fine, powdery tannins. A...
2017 Rinaldi, G. - Barolo Brunate Le Coste
The 2017 Barolo Brunate is a dark, powerful wine. A huge swath of tannins gives the Brunate its feeling of gravitas. Readers will have to be patient with the 2017, as it is going to need a number of years to come together. Dark cherry fruit, lavender, sag...
2017 Rinaldi, G. - Barolo Tre Tine
The 2017 Barolo Tre Tine is fabulous. A wine that marries classicism with the racy personality of the year, the 2017 hits all the right buttons. It's a wine that satisfies all the senses, with more than enough to please both the hedonistic and intellectua...
2017 Rivetti, G.(La Spinetta) - Barbaresco Starderi
This is dense and tight with layers of berry, dried orange-peel, meat and chocolate character, yet ever so refined and complex. Full-bodied with firm tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Give it three or four years to come around. Try in 2024.
2016 Rivetti, G.(La Spinetta) - Barolo Garretti
This entry-level Barolo is made with fruit from the younger vines from the Garretti cru in Grinzane Cavour, in the comune where La Spinetta has its ultra modern winery. The 2016 Barolo Vigneto Garretti offers a generous and accessible personality that mak...
2021 Rivetti, G.(La Spinetta) - Barbera d'Asti DOCG Ca' di Pian
2016 Roagna - Barolo La Pira
This drop-dead gorgeous red dazzles with an enticing fragrance of perfumed berry, fragrant blue flower, dark spice and camphor. Elegantly structured and focused, the taut, savory palate boasts remarkable finesse, vibrancy and a great depth of flavors incl...
2017 Roagna - Barolo La Pira
The 2017 Barolo Pira is a powerful, intensely savory wine. Dark cherry, herbs, leather incense and licorice all add to an impression. The Pira Barolo is one of the most reticent wines in this entire collection. It is hard to read today, despite its ob...
2017 Roagna - Barbaresco Paje
The 2017 Barbaresco Pajè offers up a compelling mélange of sweet redtoned fruit, cinnamon, blood orange, leather, cedar and tobacco. Deceptive in its mid-weight structure, the 2017 fleshes out nicely with a bit of time in the glass, showing its natural ...
2017 Roagna - Barbaresco Gallina
The 2017 Barbaresco Gallina is bright, translucent and bristling with energy. Crushed red berry fruit, blood orange, spice, anise, mint and chalk all run through this nervy, mid-weight Barbaresco. In 2017, the Gallina leans towards the more taut end of...
2020 Rocca, Albino - Langhe Nebbiolo DOC Rosso di Rocca
The 2020 Langhe Nebbiolo Rosso di Rocca is another pretty entry-level offering from Albino Rocca. This aromatic, light-bodied Nebbiolo is a tasty every-day drinker. Sweet red cherry, blood orange and spice linger
2015 Rocca, Albino - Barbaresco Montersino
The 2015 Barbaresco Montersino is silky, gracious and enveloping, all while retaining a very classic mid-weight sense of structure. Rose petal, mint, game, sweet red cherry, chalk and white pepper add an attractive aromatic register. All the elements are ...
2015 Rocca, Albino - Barbaresco Cotta
Here in its first release, 2015 Barbaresco Cottà, shows the natural breadth of this vineyard in Neive. There has a real sense of weight and gravitas that distinguishes the Cottà in this range. I would give the 2015 at least a few years in bottle to fu...
2015 Rocca, Albino - Barbaresco Ronchi
The 2015 Barbaresco Ronchi is gorgeous. The richness of the vintage marries very well with the personality of the site, which results in an ample, powerful wine of real character. Bright red cherry, mint, chalk and floral overtones abound. The tannins ...
2017 Rocca, Albino - Barbaresco Ovello
The 2017 Barbaresco Ovello is fine and sculpted, as wines from this cru are, but in 2017 it has an extra bit of weight that really balances some of the natural austerity that comes so easily in Ovello. Crushed red berries, chalk, mint, white pepper and ro...
2017 Rocca, Albino - Barbaresco Cotta
One of the highlights in this range, the 2017 Barbaresco Cotta possesses tremendous depth along with the sheer breadth that is the key signature of this Neive cru. Black cherry, plum, leather, licorice, mint and lavender soar out of the glass, all with th...
2017 Rocca, Albino - Barbaresco Montersino
The 2017 Barbaresco Montersino offers a striking mix of energy, power and depth. Crushed red berry fruit, mint, white flowers, chalk and pine are all laced together in a lithe Barbaresco that pulses with vibrancy. The Montersino impresses with its persist...
2018 Rocca, Bruno - Barbaresco Rabaja
The 2018 Barbaresco Rabaja is the most complete of the 2018s Barbarescos at Bruno Rocca. It offers gorgeous depth, naturally in the understated style of the year. Lavender, spice, menthol and pine accents lend aromatic nuance throughout. The Rabaja is on ...
2019 Rocca, Bruno - Barbaresco
The 2019 Barbaresco is a fabulous wine at its level. It offers striking depth and intensity. Layered and racy in the glass, the 2019 possesses tremendous depth and tons of pedigree. Bright red-toned fruit, blood orange, spice, mint and white pepper all...
2019 Rocca, Bruno - Barbaresco MAGNUM
Original sale price $115
2019 Rocca, Bruno - Barbaresco Rabaja MAGNUM
Original sale price $199
2015 Rocca, Giovanni - Barolo Bricco Ravera di Monforte
A mix of cherry, plum, rosemary and tar flavors mingle in this tough, dense red. Sanguine and iron notes enter midpalate and this ends in a dense wall of tannins
2017 Rosso, Giovanni - Barolo Serra
The 21017 Barolo Serra is bright, nervy and full of energy. Readers will find a Serralunga Barolo built more on persistence than heft, not a bad thing for a village where the wines can be quite big. Chalk, white pepper, orange zest and spice give the Serr...
2016 San Fereolo - Langhe Nebbiolo DOC Provinciale
A 3,000-bottle release, the San Fereolo 2016 Langhe Nebbiolo Il Provinciale evokes the personality of a deeply artisanal wine crafted with a combination of labor and love. I'd say, based on the bouquet, that this wine stands out from the crowd, thanks to ...
2018 Sandrone, L. - Barolo Aleste
Made with fruit from Cannubi Boschis, the Luciano Sandrone 2018 Barolo Aleste is plump and ripe, but this wine also shows a more delicate character that is its ace card. The aromas are filigreed and fine with dark fruit, spice and licorice. The effect is ...
2018 Sandrone, L. - Barolo Le Vigne
One of my personal favorites, the 2018 Barolo Le Vigne is savory in character and packed with dark fruit. Ripe cherry and redcurrant cedes to spice, licorice and fragrant rose. The oak is integrated, but there are added accents of spice and dark tar. Le V...
2020 Sandrone, L. - Nebbiolo d'Alba DOC Valmaggiore
The 2020 Nebbiolo d'Alba Valmaggiore is gorgeous. Crushed red berry, spice, leather, mint and rose petal all grace this exquisite, silky Valmaggiore. The aromatics alone are so beguiling, but all the elements are so nicely balanced. The 2020 is compell...
2017 Sandrone, L. - Barolo Aleste
The 2017 Barolo Aleste is a dark, ample wine. Dark cherry, plum, new leather, spice and licorice bring out darker tones of Nebbiolo. All the natural power of these parcels come through effortlessly. Best of all, the 2017 will drink well with minimal cella...
2019 Sandrone, L. - Nebbiolo d'Alba DOC Valmaggiore
The 2019 Nebbiolo d'Alba Valmaggiore is a bright, sculpted wine that is going to need a few years to come into its own. Bright acids and firm tannins are a bit present today, so a few years of cellaring are a must. The Sandrone Valmaggiore has a track rec...
2020 Sandrone, L. - Barbera d'Alba
The 2020 Barbera d'Alba is another wine that shows the greater refinement at Sandrone these days. Even so, there's plenty of richness in the ripe red cherry, plum, mocha and spice flavors. Soft, silky contours wrap it all together, with a gentle kiss o...
2016 Seghesio, Aldo&Riccardo - Barolo La Villa
On my impromptu visit I had the good fortune to visit and taste and tour with Sandro learning the Seghesio philosophy is " to craft wines that fully reflect the terroir and the grapes they are made from, producing the right mix between winemaking innovations and tradition, convinced as they are of the potential that in its simplicity – this land is capable of offering"
"These wines show old world complexity giving a sense of terroir without being too rustic and leaving you to ponder how this complexity will evolve in the glass and in the cellar!"
-Tim Adams, Italian Wine Buyer
2020 Sottimano - Barbaresco Basarin
The 2020 Barbaresco Basarin is a wine of pure and total sensuality. For a just bottled, young Barbaresco, the Basarin possesses magnificent balance. A burst of dark red fruit, spice, rose petal, mint and blood orange hits the palate, followed by a good...
2021 Sottimano - Barbera d'Alba Pairolero
- 100% Barbera from two different vineyards in Neive: Basarin and San Cristoforo
- Fermentation and maceration lasts 25 days
- No selected yeasts are used
- Malolactic fermentation in 15% new French oak barrels coopered expressly for Sottimano by Francois Frères in Burgundy
- Ages 15-16 months
- No filtering and no fining prior to bottling
- 1,000 cases produced annually
2022 Sottimano - Dolcetto d'Alba DOC Bric del Salto
- 100% Dolcetto sourced from 3 different vineyards (totaling 3.5 ha) in Neive: Cottá, Basarin, and San Cristoforo
- Fermentation and maceration on the skins for 20 days with indigenous yeasts
- Aged in stainless steel for six months
- No fining or filtration
- 1833 cases produced
2022 Sottimano - Vino Rosso Brachetto Mate
- 100% Brachetto
- The Mate’ vineyard is a little (1.1 hectare) plot of 40+ year old Brachetto vines planted to limestone and clay in the zone of Treiso
- Fermentation and maceration on the skins for 20 days with indigenous yeasts
- Malolactic fermentation in stainless steel for 8 months
- Never fined or filtered
- 416 cases produced annually
