95 VM / 94 WA / 94 WS The 2016 Barbaresco is a knock-out. And it is, for lack of a better word, the entry-level wine in this range. Freshly cut flowers, mint, cinnamon, red berry fruit and orange zest are some of the notes...
96 WS / 95 WA / 94+ VM / 17.5 JR This red is rich and sumptuous, even in aroma. Cherry, raspberry, currant and rose flavors abound, shaded by iron, tobacco and hints of wild juniper and thyme. Balanced and firmly...
This is a charming and easy-drinking rosé made with Nebbiolo (90% of the blend) with a dollop of Barbera. The G.D. Vajra Rosabella is made in the saignée process in which a small part of the must is bled off...
– A tasty blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese grapes, harvested from a single vineyard Zaccagnini Rose has an attractive light coral color and possesses refreshing, mouth-watering acidity, and red berry flavors...
95 VM The 2016 Geremia is a total knock-out. An exotic mélange of sweet dark cherry, plum, chocolate, licorice, spice and menthol races out of the glass. The 2016 is deep, dense and full of character. It is also easy...
95 JS / 94+ WA / 93 WS So enticing with aromas of ripe strawberries, violets, lavender and raspberries that follow through to a full body and very chewy, powerful tannins. Firm and intense. Very spicy in the finish with...
97 WA / 97 JS / 17 JR The 2016 Barolo Brunate is the most Nebbiologgiante of these new releases from Marco Marengo. As you would expect of a wine from the Brunate cru, the wine opens to a dark, sultry and beautifully...
97 WA / 95+ VM Sadly, we are seeing the last vintages of this wine that is expected to be discontinued after the 2018 vintage. The Paolo Scavino 2016 Barolo Carobric represents a historic blend of fruit from Rocche di...
97 VM / 96 JS The 2018 Tignanello is a wine of breathtaking purity. Impossibly silky and persistent, the 2018 is all class, all the way. In many ways, the 2018 reminds me of the 2004 because of its finesse , but it has an...
98 WS / 95 VMThis intense red is saturated with macerated plum, black cherry, black currant, violet, iron and spice aromas and flavors, with a rich texture wrapping around the refined tannins. Distinctive...
96 JS / 95+ VM / 17 JR Lots of ripe fruit on the nose and palate with dried rose petals and cigar box adding complexity. Full-bodied and rich with depth of fruit and layers of ripe tannins. Smoky finish. Decadent and...
91 WA / 91 JS This wine was produced in 2012, but the Giacosa family decided to skip over the very difficult 2013 (especially difficult for Barbera) vintage. The 2014 Barbera d'Alba Falletto is made with estate fruit and...
96 WA / 94 VM The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva PS is absolutely impressive, but with only 4,500 bottles made, it may not prove easy to locate. This precious expression of Sangiovese exhibits a gorgeous level of...
96 JS / 95 WA / 17.5 JR Such lovely aromas of flowers and red fruit with some cedar and spice. Hot terra cotta. Full-bodied, very round and soft textured with beautiful fruit and balance. Fresh and vivid. Such balance and...
95 WA / 95 JS / 17+ JR Showing more oak definition, texture and overall fruity richness, the 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne benefits from the concentration and complexity you get with old vines. The wine wraps...
97 WS / 18.5 JR Alluring aromas of macerated cherry, strawberry and rose give way to a core of red fruit framed by iron, earth and tobacco in this elegant red, which is silky, but also well-structured, balanced and intense...
94 WS / 92 DE / 91 WA / 90 VM This red is all about finesse and elegance, with pretty red fruit flavors—strawberry, cherry and currant—matched to iron and hay accents and well-mannered tannins. Harmonious and...
99 WA / 97 VM / 17.5 JR This expression of Merlot is explosive and profound. The 2016 Messorio presents an absolute textbook rendition of Merlot that can be read and appreciated in terms of the layering and overlapping...
93 WA / 93 JS / 17 JR The 2016 Chianti Classico Riserva Brolio is a terrific wine that lives up to our expectations of a Riserva, while maintaining that playful informality that you don't get in the estate's more...
96 WE / 95 JS / 94 WA / 93 VM / 17.5 JR Rose, woodland berry and baking spice shape the nose along with crushed mint notes on this fragrant red. The savory, polished palate boasts succulent raspberry, ripe strawberry and...
97 WA Released seven years after the harvest, the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio al Vento is a stunning wine. It soars to the highest altitudes in terms of elegance and power. These opposite...
96 WA / 96 VM / 96 WE This is Col d'Orcia's top-shelf wine that was skipped over in the difficult 2014 vintage. The 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio al Vento sets this venerable Riserva program squarely back on...
95 WA From light, well-draining limestone soils, the 2010 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione is a beautiful expression with loads of finesse and intensity. This is my favorite of the flight thanks to the great sense of varietal...
98 WE / 97+ WA / 17 JR New leather, pressed rose, underbrush, dark spice and camphor are just some of the aromas you'll find on this extraordinary red. Full bodied, with depth and finesse, the elegant, structured palate...
97 WS / 97 JS / 97 JD / 97 WE / 96 WA / 96 VM / 17.5 JR Packed with sweet, ripe cherry, plum and raspberry fruit and framed by loamy earth and woodsy notes, this red is intense, lively and light on its feet. Balanced, with...
95+ WA / 95+ JD / 95 WS / 95 JS / 94 VM Bold cherry, dried raspberry and myrtle add to the intensity and the brightness of the bouquet. The Altesino 2016 Brunello di Montalcino displays a lively and fruit-forward ensemble...
98 JS / 94 WE / 94 WS There’s something ethereal in the nose with flowers, cherries, strawberries and shitake mushrooms. Full body. This grows on the palate with super tannin and fruit structure. So much berry flavor...
This special vertical collection is available with an OWC of 6 and includes 2 bottles each of 2015 (99 JS), 2016 (98 JS) and 2018 (100 DE) Testamatta. 2018 Testamatta: 100 DE / 97 JS#47 James...
95+ WA Compared to the Ovello cru, the 2015 Barbaresco Gallina (with only 2,000 bottles made) offers a bit more power and intensity. This wine is solid and dense at its core, with clearly recognizable black fruit, spice and...
98 WE / 95+ VM / 95 WA / 95 JS / 17.5 JR Camphor, pressed rose, new leather and forest-berry aromas shape the enticing nose on this firmly structured, focused red. The vibrant youthfully austere palate shows intensity,...
91 JS / 90 VM / 90 WA Shows wonderful clarity and intensity with dried lemons, apples, peaches, peach pit and stone character. Medium to full body. Crisp and bright in a rich year. Drink now. James Suckling Vivid straw...
93 JS / 92 VM A wine of wonderful clarity and intensity with dried lemons, apples, peaches, peach pit and stone. Medium to full body. Rich year; crisp and bright. Drink now. James Suckling Bright straw-yellow. White...
93 WA Drawing its fruit from Treiso, the Ada Nada 2016 Barbaresco Valeirano shows beautiful purity with many aromatic high tones. Red cherry is followed by blue flower, crushed stone, spice and grilled herb. I also notice a...
95 JS / 94+ VM / 93 WA / 18 JR Purity of fruit and balance here is very impressive. Firm and very silky tannins with a long, long finish that gives the wine amazing depth and intensity. Love the spicy and dense fruit...
93 WA / 93 VM / 17 JR This is the second year Aleste is produced instead of Cannubi Boschis, however the grapes are exactly the same. The 2014 Barolo Aleste is named after Luciano Sandrone's grandchildren Alessia and...
96 VM / 95 JS / 94 WA / 17 JR The 2014 Barolo Le Vigne once again shows the wisdom of blending fruit from different sites. If there is a vintage where blending has the potential to be the difference-maker, 2014 is it. So it...
94 WA / 94 VM The Montepeloso 2018 Eneo (a blend of 55% Sangiovese, 25% Montepulciano, 15% Alicante and 5% Malvasia Nera) is another unexpected blend from this very promising estate on the Tuscan Coast. With 34,000 bottles...
93 WA / 93 JS / 17 JR The Schiavenza 2016 Barolo Broglio is a generous and open-knit expression that unfolds to dark fruit, ripe cherry, spice, cola and aniseed. This expression makes room for warmer notes of smoked bacon...
95 WA / 94 JS The Schiavenza 2016 Barolo Prapò impresses just as much as the Cerretta. Both wines show amazing clarity and purity, and this one from the lowest-altitude vineyard (at 300 meters above sea level with...
95 WA / 95 JS This wine is a true beauty. In this release of 5,240 bottles, the 2016 Barolo Cerretta takes that Nebbiolo purity and intensity up a significant notch, especially when you compare this cru to Schiavenza's...
93 JS / 92 VM / 90 WA A racy, fine-tuned Chianti Classico with blackberry, black-cherry and wet-earth aromas. Medium-bodied with medium polished tannins and a long finish. Transparent. From organically grown grapes. Drink...
96 VM / 95+ WA The 2018 Gabbro (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) is quite possibly the most elegant wine I have ever tasted at Montepeloso. Inky black cherry, chocolate, grilled herb, licorice and menthol infuse the 2018 with...
93 WA / 93 JS / 93 WS The single-vineyard 2004 Brunello di Montalcino La Casa is a sweet, layered offering that blossoms on the palate with notable elegance and class. The wine continues to build, showing terrific volume...
97 JS / 95 WA / 94+ VM / 94 DE / 94 WS / 17 JR Beautiful combination here of balanced orange and lemon rind and riper glazed cherries, terracotta and scorched earth. Mushroom too. Tightly wound and elegant with a persistent...
96 WA / 95 WS / 95 VM / 95 WE / 17.5+ JR Of the four single-vineyard Baroli made by Massolino, the 2016 Barolo Parussi is the only one with fruit from Castiglione Falletto. This wine is elegant and tight, and it shows a...
96 WS / 96 WE / 95+ VM / 95 WA / 17.5 JR An enticing mix of fruit and savory, leather and cigar box aromas enhance the cherry and raspberry flavors in this taut, linear red. Eucalyptus and iron elements emerge on the long...
93 JS / 91 WS / 90 VM Attractive, fragrant roses, wild raspberries and red cherries here, with immediately appealing freshness. Leafy nuances. The palate arrives with good clarity of succulent red-cherry and raspberry...
97 WA / 97 JS From a warm and sunny vintage that produced darkly concentrated fruit, the Tenuta Guado al Tasso 2017 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso is a teaser and a super pleaser. This is one flashy wine. This carefully...
98 WE / 96 WA / 96 JD / 95 VM / 18 JR Perfumed, focused and loaded with energy, this radiant red boasts enticing scents of iris, rose, crushed mint and wild berry. Boasting ethereal elegance as well as intensity and...
94 VM / 17+ JR The 2017 Barbaresco shows just how appealing this vintage can be. In 2017, the warm, dry growing season gave the Barbaresco an extra kick of richness that fills out its frame and adds so much immediacy. Sweet...
98 JS / 95 VM / 94 WS An Amarone for the future with terrific richness and tannin power, offering dried fruit, figs, blackberries, bark, mushrooms and hints of wood. Full-bodied and very structured with a powerful finish...
97 JS / 96 WA / 95 VM / 17+ JR A reincarnation of Argiano’s IGT Suolo as a single-vineyard Brunello, without the heavy new-wood use, this is a sleek and exquisite wine. Lifted orange peel defines the nose, which also...
92 JS A fresh, vivid red with cherry and orange-peel character. Medium body, light tannins and just a hint of walnut. Alicante with some Carignano, Mourvedre, Sangiovese and Alicante Bouschet. From biodynamically grown...
93 WA / 92 JS This is a pure expression of organic Alicante Nero, otherwise known as Grenache. The Ampeleia 2018 Alicante opens to a lean appearance with light ruby and garnet highlights. This wine boasts a spectacular...
94+ WA / 93 JS The 2016 Ampeleia is an organic expression of Cabernet Franc made with 10% whole-cluster fruit and fermented in a combination of large oak casks and cement. Fruit is drawn from a high-altitude site with...
97 WE / 95+ VM / 95 WS Underbrush, wild herb, menthol and dark-spice aromas mingle with a whiff of fragrant purple flower on this gorgeous red. It boasts firm structure and finesse in equal measure, featuring juicy morello...
100 JS / 98+ WA / 97 WS / 95 VM#9 James Suckling's Top 100 Italian Wines of 2020 This is a momentous wine with incredible power and structure that has so much minerality and crushed-stone character to the black...
99 JS / 97+ WA / 96 VM / 95 WS / 18+ JR #17 James Suckling's Top 100 Italian Wines of 2020 Aromas of blackberries, cherries, violets and bark with mahogany. It’s full-bodied and chewy with intense tannins that...
95 WS / 95 JD / 94 WA / 94 VM / 93 JS / 17.5 JR Shows fine depth, with cherry, black currant and wild herb flavors, accented by iron, earth, leather and tobacco notes. Muscular, despite a slim frame, with a long, savory...
95-96 JS / 91 WA A dense and powerful young wine with ripe tannins. Full-bodied, juicy and rich. Striking structure and fruit. James Suckling The 2018 Bolgheri Rosso is an organic blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20%...
99 JS / 97 WA / 97 DE #22 James Suckling's Top 100 Italian Wines of 2020 What intense aromas of cherries and raspberries! Then it turns to flowers and orange peel. Roses, too. This is really full and powerful with...
100 DE / 97 JS #47 James Suckling's Top 100 Italian Wines of 2020 Finely textured, with a nuanced perfume that fills the glass and takes you to the intense underbrush of Tuscany. Succulent and yet savoury, this has a...
95 VM / 94 WS / 93 WA Dusty earth gives way to dried roses, incense, hints of cedar, sage, currants and black cherries in a display that makes the 2016 Col d'Orcia Brunello di Montalcino a very special experience...
96 WA / 96 JS / 95 VM This blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Sangiovese and a smaller percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon has one of the most impressive track records of a modern Tuscan blend that I can think of. The 2016 Il Blu is a...
97 WE / 96+ WA / 95 WS / 94+ VM Glossy, elegant and full bodied, this beauty opens with aromas of dark berry, menthol, wild rose and exotic spice. The delicious, finessed palate doles out mouthfuls of juicy red cherry,...
95 WA / 95 JS The Altesino 2015 Brunello di Montalcino shows beautiful depth and latitude, with broad fruit aromas of dark cherry and cassis that recall the warmth and golden sunlight of the vintage. The wine is...
96 WS / 95 WE / 17++ JR / 94 WA Perfumed, revealing rose, strawberry, cherry, hay and eucalyptus aromas and flavors, with a mineral underpinning and a lean, taut frame that keeps this red focused through the long aftertaste...
96 WA / 96 JS / 95 WS Speaking from the heart, this is probably my favorite wine from M. Marengo. The 2016 Barolo Bricco delle Viole is a wine that always stands out in my tastings thanks to its very special bouquet. I am...
98 WA / 98 JS This is one of my happy wines from Italy. You take three things—Syrah, sunshine and Tuscany—and fit them magically together to create the 2017 Syrah Per Sempre. If I am happy with this wine, so is...
100 WE / 97 WS#52 Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2020 This textbook, dream Barolo opens with quintessential aromas of underbrush, rose petal, dried herb and forest berry while the youthfully...
95+ VM The 2010 Geremia, Rocca di Montegrossi's Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon blend, is utterly magnificent. Lavender, plums, cloves and violets literally jump from the glass. The flavors are bright, focused and vibrant to the...
99 JS / 95 VM #2 James Suckling's Top 100 Italian Wines of 2020#40 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2020 The complexity and beauty to this is really something with cherry, walnut, tobacco and cigar-box character...
97 WE / 96 WA / 96 WS / 95 VM / 95 DE Fragrant and full bodied, this structured red has enticing aromas evoking woodland berry, balsamic aromas of pine, rose petal and exotic spice. The enveloping palate delivers crushed...
98 JS / 97+ VM / 97 DE / 97 WA / 96 JD / 95 WS / 18+ JR #41 James Suckling's Top 100 Italian Wines of 2020 The clarity of the ripe blackcurrants, black cherries and flowers in the nose is entrancing. Lavender, too...
Contains 2 bottles each: 2012 Dal Forno Romano Valpolicella Superiore Monte Lodoletta 94 JS A very rich and spicy nose of kirsch, sweet morello cherries, spice box, hazlenuts and vanilla beans with dried dark cherry...
95 WA / 95 VM / 17 JR One of three single-vineyard expressions, the Val di Suga 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Spuntali is the most representative of the estate philosophy and the Sangiovese grape. This classic Brunello...
99 WE / 98 DE / 97 VM / 97 WA Structured but extremely elegant, this opens with an intense fragrance of violet, rose, wild berry, leather, underbrush and balsamic notes. The delicious, focused palate delivers crushed black...
100 WA / 98+ VM / 97 JS / 95 WS / 18 JR I absolutely adore this wine on every emotional and intellectual level. I can still taste it today, weeks after my first sampling. The Luciano Sandrone 2016 Barolo Le Vigne is a...
The Ca’ del Laito Valpolicella is made in a bold, Ripasso style that highlights the quality of Tommaso’s raw materials. When Veneto legend Giuseppe Quintarelli was asked years ago to name the region’s next...
96 WA / 96 WE / 94 WS / 17+ JR I had tasted this wine from barrel last year, and the wine was already shaping up beautifully back then. Staying the course, the 2015 Barolo Bricco Boschis shows extreme elegance and finesse...
95+ WA The 2015 Valadorna (65% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot) is a dark and thickly endowed red wine that boasts a rich and lasting grip on the palate. The bouquet offers depth and...
92 WS / 92 JS / 91 WA / 17 JR Black currant, blackberry and mint aromas and flavors mark this firm, linear red. Fruity yet savory, ending with a dense, wide swath of dusty tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese...
99 WE / 97+ WA / 97 WS / 95 JS / 94 VM / 18+ JR From the estate that proved the extraordinary quality of the Ravera subzone, this compelling wine opens with heady scents of rose, iris, perfumed berry, new leather and...
97 JS / 95 WS This is a really dense red with intensity and beauty, showing dried fruit, such as strawberries, as well as chocolate, tar, hazelnuts and meat. Really complex and rich. Opulent, yet tense with dusty tannins...
97 VM / 95 + WA The 2017 Cepparello is another in a series of stunningly beautiful Cepparellos from Paolo de Marchi. Bright and beautifully focused in the glass, with tremendous depth, the 2017 is positively stellar from...
94 WA / 94 WS / 94 WE If you were to consider the entire portfolio of wines made in the Barolo appellation, this wine always stands in its own little corner. Albe is a brand on its own, and it represents one of the most...
95 WA / 95 JS Pietro Ratti's 2015 Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata is the most structured and firmly textured of the Barolos presented in this tasting of new releases. This wine is tight and compact at its core, but it needs a...
95 WS / 94 JS / 93 WA / 92 VM / 17 JR A burst of pure cherry marks the aromas and flavors of this vibrant, elegant red. Earth, iron and tobacco flavors add depth, and this is densely structured, finding an equilibrium among...
97 WA / 95 JS The 2013 Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata Riserva was released in January of 2019, and once again it looks to be a top prize. Licorice and flowers dominate the bouquet, and its beautiful red fruit is generous...
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