SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS: Brilliant garnet-red color, with warmer tinges developing over time. Unmistakeable bouquet, very pleasant, intense yet ethereal, very persistent, at times spiced, with aromas of truffles, liquorice and dried flowers. Dry taste,...
Tasting Scale Aroma Intensity: 7/10(Rich and aromatic with layers of red cherry, blackberry, plum, spices, and leather.) Flavor Complexity: 9/10(Full-bodied with a balance of fruit, spice, and oak, revealing red berries, dark chocolate, cedar,...
The thing that all fans of this ultra-important La Morra cantina agree upon is that anything made with an Oddero label on it is going to be some serious juice! ‘Fun, easy-to-drink quaffer’ is rarely a description one finds in any review of an Oddero wine...
Grillo is a cross created in Sicily in 1873. Originally meant to combine the distinctive florals and prettiness of the Zibbibo variation of Moscato with the sturdier heat-resistance and fleshiness of Cataratto, it has been, ever since, the backbone of...
Quintarelli’s rendition of the ‘basic’ Valpolicella-styled wine is where to start when diving into the depths of this totally unique property. It’s ‘basic’ only in the sense that this is the one Quintarelli wine...
Vinous Media: The 2019 Aglianico del Vulture Titolo is stunning. It opens with a bit of an exotic flair, mixing smoky plum and lavender with animal musk, crushed ashen stone and a whiff of sour citrus that lights up the senses. Then it enters the palate...
2020 Edi Keber Collio Bianco It’s a rare occasion indeed when I can send out an offer on Edi Keber’s totally unique Friulian white. There is very little made, and with the cult-like following this one-wine, two-man cantina...
2021 Gini Soave Classico People of a certain age still cringe at the word ‘Soave’ as it conjures up the virtual ocean full of really bad wine once grown in the flats along the autostrada near Soave castle between Verona and Venice...
Wine Country: Italy Wine Subregion: Piemonte Wine Sub-subregion: Barolo Massimo Martinelli was, for over 50 years, the winemaking force behind Renato Ratti and his Bricco Mollea wines are a retirement gift to himself (and us). So elegant! ...
2016 Capanna Brunello di Montalcino James Suckling: Gorgeous aromas of black cherry, cedar, leather and dried flowers follow through to a full body with firm, creamy tannins that are long and caressing. Tight and focused. Pretty clarity to...
It's a stylistic choice, that of trying to interpret the taste of the appellation’s namesake, which gives us a rich and virile wine, able to be enjoyed young or after its evolution, for the passionate. Critical Acclaim95 Robert Parker's Wine...
2016 Capanna Brunello di Montalcino 'Nicco' James Suckling: Very beautiful aromas of crushed cherries and flowers, such as violets. Some fresh mushroom and tile as well. Full-bodied with extremely polished tannins and an ultra-silky texture...
Coming on the heels of the Ciacci offer last week, comes the wonderful benchmarks from Altesino. While Ciacci rules the southern part of the appellation, Altesino’s Montosoli vineyard is the icon of the north. These are beautiful, elegant offerings. Both...
A blend of Malvasia Istriana, Friulano and Riesling Renano, the Friuli Isonzo Flors di Uis shows a slightly more streamlined and tonic in feel with bright aromas of white flower, peach, pear and crushed granite that waft elegantly from the bouquet. 2021...
PRIMA Notes: There is, of course, no shortage of great wine in Italy these days, but the list of true icons- your Rinaldis, Gajas, Ornellaias and the like- is still a short, rarified one. Somewhere very near the top of that list must be...
I wasn’t at all familiar with Elio Sandri’s Cascina Disa wines until, about six or seven years ago, a bottle of his 2004 Perno Riserva Barolo was opened for me by a winemaker friend in the Langhe who called Elio one of the best Old School...
The sibling duo of Camilla and Francesco Scavino founded this small winery in 2014 at the foot of the medieval castle that towers over the village of Grinzane Cavour. The name “Bricco Carlina” is a reference to the...
Large and in charge, Matteo Ascheri is one of those people you meet in Barolo who are just Piemontese to their very core and he’s revered enough locally to be serve as the president of the Barolo-Barbaresco Consorzio. They’ve been in the...
Unfortunately for us, Ca’ del Baio is no longer the best-kept secret in Barbaresco it once was. The news, thanks to their reviews, the annual visits of the PRIMA gang and the profiling of the Grasso sisters in Suzanne Hoffman’s...
Winery Notes: Pinot Grigio, is one of the noblest varieties of the Burgundy family of wine grapes. It prefers the lightly clayey soils of the mid and lower Valle Isarco that give it unique strength and expression.
2020 Matteo Correggia Roero Arneis We considers ourselves Arneis snobs, if there really is such a thing. But we get to taste so many, and there are so many that are so, well, meh out there. It’s wonderful to taste the best,...
With Romitorio’s transcendent, silky and elegant 2019 Brunello di Montalcino ($71.99) already in the house, let’s turn our attention instead to a different side of this seminal southern Tuscan property- this ultra-tasty no-wood, no frills Sangiovese from...
G. D. Vajra is a family-owned winery known for its dedication to producing wines that respect tradition while embracing innovation. Located in the heart of Barolo, the estate is renowned for its attention to detail and sustainable practices, focusing on...
The 2023 Calafuria is a delicate pale pink color. Captivating on the nose with fruity and citrusy notes of pink grapefruits and white peaches accompanied by pleasant hints of marine breezes and delicate aromas of jasmine and irises. The palate is...
I’ve been bumping up against the wines of Enzo Boglietti for many years- the first time being, I think, back around 2001 or ‘02 when several appeared in a blind tasting of nearly 300 Barolos and Barbarescos done over three days in Alba. ...
Vinous: 97 Points Outer quote mark Conterno’s 2016 Barolo Francia is effusive, with a real sense of expansiveness that gives the wine breadth. Sage, mint, cedar, tobacco and strong mineral accents complement a core of dark fruit in a...
Wine Country: Italy Wine Subregion: Piemonte Wine Sub-subregion: Barolo Whether I’m travelling in Piemonte speaking with actual people or lurking on various social media sites where the local wine cognoscenti gather, I always have my radar engaged...
This is, in many ways, the most representative wine in the cellar and always one of the best. The vineyard is so steep, standing in it, you feel like you’re about fall off! An elegant, ultra-refined vintage here with amazing lift and polish. This...
2019 Istine Chianti Classico Casanova dell'Aia Wine Enthusiast: Radiant and delicious, this gorgeous red is for Sangiovese purists and fans of terroir-driven finesse. It opens with enticing scents of woodland berries, violet and camphor, and the elegant,...
PRIMA Notes: Man, I am loving these 2019 Tuscan reds. The best are just, well, thoroughly charming, and yet they have a sense of gravitas that goes along with their elegance too. What I like best is their textbook Sangiovese aromatics that, thanks...
Importer's Notes: Cultivated organically, a blend of 90% Prugnolo Gentile, 5% Canaiolo Nero, and 5% Merlot from 5 to 40 year old vines in the sandy tuffaceous soils of the Martiena cru. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts in...
let’s also consider Barbera 2.0 !The Odderos have been producing a Barbera d’Asti DOC for many decades but, because they made so little, and because the family was always worried that American consumers would confuse their two Barberas,...
Tasting Notes: Brovia’s Arneis is as good as it gets for this white grape from Piedmont. The wine offers mineral tones, citrus zest, and crisp and lightly exotic notes. This is absolutely delicious stuff with great vibrancy and soft-textured fruit...
Wine Country: Italy Wine Subregion: Piemonte Thank goodness there are people like Christoph Kunzli in the world; people who value time-honored winemaking traditions while, at the same time, have the energy, passion and vision to bring great wines to the...
100% Ribolla Gialla While tourists still flock in incredible numbers to Venice, Verona and Milan in northern Italy, they still seem reluctant to explore much further east, even though those who do will discover one of the most unique, historic and...
You can practically hear the sea gulls swirling overhead when you pull the cork on this…..Giorgio Rivetti’s foray into western Tuscany has been the source of several stunning wines starting with, of course, his impressive and top-value...
It’s not hard to find Pinot Grigio out there. There’s a virtual ocean of it made from the flatlands of Trentino and the Veneto available for your easy-drinking pleasure. But those inexpensive but often character-deficient PGs give...
Enzo and Carlo Revello take over their father’s estate in 1990: their vineyards, once belonging to the local parish, boast parcels in the crus of Giachini, Rocche dell’Annunziata, Conca dell’Annunziata and Gattera.Starting in 2016 the...
Rich red wine characteristics meet the light effervescence of a champagne-style sparkler. Ripe strawberry and cherry, blood orange, baking spice, and tangerine pith all culminate in a lip smacking finish. Refreshing, yet with a depth of flavor that...
We seem to spend a lot of time talking about cellaring Brunello but not enough time actually drinking it. That’s a problem I sometimes face when looking in the cellar for something to drink as the grill gets hot and the steak sits ready to go on...
Brovia’s parcel is all of a half-hectare of vines planted back in 1975. The spot faces dead south and farmed organically by winemaker Alex Sanchez, by marriage, the fourth generation Brovia to farm the site. While his cru Barolos get lots and...
There are many who think this has become the top wine in the cellar as it shows all of the hallmark elegance and balance of this cellar. To me it is always the wine I’d most want to use to show off the many attributes of Barolo in general...
A young winery that’s very much on the lips of everyone in the Langhe, the young brother-sister combo Alberto and Caterina Burzi’s cellar is in an innocuous-looking building off the Santa Maria parking lot, just across the street from...
Walter Fissore at Cogno has done an incredible job with Nascetta, taking this relatively unknown grape of Novello and bringing out its richness, texture and lovely character. In a blind tasting you might think it was a very fine Vouvray!...
Nowhere else, I think, does the unique soil of a region so inform the style of the wine as it does in the Soave Classico appellation. Located on a sweep of hills that roll eastward as far as the Venice lagoon, this area is not to be confused with...
James Suckling 91 Points: A tangy array of wild herbs and spices colors the bright berry fruit. Hints of minerals and tangerines, too. Medium-bodied and quite elegant and fluid, with silky, refined tannins. A juicy and very well-made Rosso, to enjoy now.
Known around La Morra as ‘Barologirl’ Giulia Negri is making quite a name for herself, not only thanks to a turn around her vineyards on TV with Stanley Tucci but with wines like this pretty, easy-to-love Nebbiolo. 2021 Giulia...
The name of this obscure, off-the-beaten path appellation is actually bigger than the actual land it covers but, trust me, once you’ve had a glass or two, ‘Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle’ will just roll off your tongue. The wine comes from the adjoining...