Italy
Elio Grasso Barbera d’Alba Vigna Martina 2021
"Raised half in new oak and half in used barrique, the 2021 Barbera D'Alba Vigna Martina is a brooding and dark beast with an opaque dark purple color and forward oak spice notes of bourbon, baked plum, black cherries, menthol, and dark earth. It feels hot on the nose and is full-bodied on the palate, with ripe tannins and tangy acidity. Its ripe, oaky profile demands more time in bottle to show at its best. This is a robust, nearly full-bodied red to cellar for another couple of years and drink over the following 6-8. It's quite powerful, but it’s going to appeal to a lot of New World drinkers." - Jeb Dunnuck
Elio Grasso Langhe Nebbiolo “Gavarini” 2022
"Raised and fermented entirely in stainless steel, the 2022 Langhe Nebbiolo Gavarini is a bright red concentrated hue and delivers expressive aromas of ripe orange peel, delicate clove spice, roses, and fresh raspberries. Medium-bodied, it’s fresh, energetic, and easygoing in nature, with fine tannins, good ripeness, and evenly balanced freshness. Approachable and youthful now, it’s is going to show its best over the next few years." - Jeb Dunnuck
Elio Grasso Barolo Ginestra Casa Maté 2019
"Very different from the Gavarini Chiniera, the 2019 Barolo Ginestra Casa Maté shows more bite, structure and a bigger tannic impact. Fruit was harvested a bit earlier, but healthy grape skins allowed for 52 days of maceration. This wine shows beautiful intensity and fullness with dark fruit, earth, hazelnut and dark plum. Surrounded by forests, the greenery gives balance to this wine by moderating temperatures. In fact, this site saw up to 10 degrees Celsius drops in diurnal temperatures, leading to thick skins and ideal phenolic ripeness." - Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate
Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Chiniera 2019
"With vines adjacent to forests on white chalky soils, the Elio Grasso 2019 Barolo Gavarini Chiniera is a luminous and very beautiful wine. Vintner Gianluca Grasso called this "the helicopter vintage" because he actually rented a helicopter to fly over the vines for 45 minutes to dry them from rain right before harvest. As he tells it, this was a costly but good decision because 15 minutes after he finished harvesting on October 26, heavy rain came and lasted an entire week. Thanks to these dramatic measures, the grape skins were excellent, and maceration with submerged cap lasted 55 days. That's how perfect the skins were. This balanced wine shows extreme precision and elegance." - Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate
Prosecco San Leo Brut Non-Vintage
Colour, bright pale straw-yellow; a fine, clear mousse with a very delicate perlage. Bouquet, Attractively intense, very fruity and aromatic, with hints of wisteria flowers and Rennet apples. Flavor, very well-balanced and appealing, with the extremely delicate almond note that is typical of Glera grapes. - Winemakers notes
Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino 2018
"Poggio di Sotto hits it out the ballpark once again with an extremely elegant interpretation that shows the incredible depth and nuance Sangiovese can achieve, even in an uneven vintage such as this. The certified organic 2018 Brunello di Montalcino reveals a dark ruby hue and mid-weight concentration. Indeed, the wine is lighter and brighter than most, despite Brunello's mandatory five years of aging before its commercial release. The tannins are silky and melt over the palate. Along the way, the wine offers high notes of red cherry, cassis and blue flower. This 38,000-bottle release carries a very high price tag, but your high expectations will be met." - Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate
Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino 2017
"Made with certified-organic fruit, the 2017 Brunello di Montalcino is an impossibly graceful wine from a challenging vintage. This bottle defies the odds—and the dry heat of the growing season—to reveal soft layers of cherry, cassis and more vibrant fruit. It glides clear over the palate with silky momentum, and you only notice the tannins at the very end. Even those should soften and integrate as this collectible wine continues it bottle evolution. Production is 19,000 bottles." - Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate
Fèlsina Fontalloro IGT Toscana 2019
Luciano Sandrone Barbera d’Alba 2021
"Starting with thick concentration and inky darkness, the Luciano Sandrone 2021 Barbera d'Alba has cooked fruit aromas and some savory tones too, such as leather, spice and a hint of dusty licorice root. The style is big, and this wine is conventional with big juicy sensations. It's all very elaborate for a Barbera d'Alba, but we are talking about a vintage that naturally delivers extra concentration. Production is 25,000 bottles." - Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate
Ronco del Gnemiz Friulano “Buri Bellaria” 2021
"The 2021 Friulano Buri Bellaria is smoky and mineral in the glass, with pretty herbal tones and green apples giving way to dashes of candied ginger. This is silky, nearly oily in texture, with an opulent mix of ripe melon and candied citrus. The acidity saves the day, perfectly crisp and cleansing, bringing a hint of tropical kiwi and florals into the mix, as the 2021 finishes with outstanding length. The Bellaria is more sensual than the San Zuan, yet both are equally enjoyable." - Eric Guido, Vinous
Ronco del Gnemiz Sauvignon “Lozeta” 2021
"The 2021 Sauvignon Blanc Lozeta is pungently spicy and intense, with ginger and Sour Patch lime complicated by sage and cut grass. This is opulent and sexy on the palate, with stimulating acidity to balance its note of ripe melon and candied lime. It leaves behind a staining of lemony concentration, finishing spicy and with dramatic length. The younger vines and mix of clones that fill the Lozeta vineyard created a force de tour Sauvignon Blanc in 2021, yet the balance here is gorgeous." - Eric Guido, Vinous
Ronco del Gnemiz Sauvignon Blanc “Péri” 2021
"The 2021 Sauvignon Blanc Peri whisps up from the glass with a nuanced bouquet, blending savory spices with dusty florals and pear. It's supremely silky and supple, yet lifted as well, placing minerality before fruit but then closes with a pretty inner sweetness. Zests of lemon and lime mingle with savory spice and sage as the 2021 leaves the palate buzzing with residual tension." - Eric Guido, Vinous
Ronco-Gnemiz Chardonnay Sol 2021
"The 2021 Chardonnay Sol is quite restrained and delicate in the glass with floral nuances, crushed stones and lime. It's much more expressive on the palate, with brisk acidity giving life to its mineral-inflected orchard fruits. This tapers off with a pretty inner sweetness offsetting its youthful concentration, leaving hints of floral-laced apple and pear. The 2021 will take some time to come fully into focus." - Eric Guido, Vinous
Ronco-Gnemiz Chardonnay Ronco Basso 2021
"An attractive blend of crushed stone, white flowers, apple and vanilla custards make the 2021 Chardonnay Ronco Basso a total pleasure on the nose. This is pure hedonistic pleasure on the palate, with soothingly silky textures and ultra-ripe orchard fruits offset by a burst of candied lime. For all of its intensity, the 2021 cleans up beautifully though the finish, leaving hints of hazelnut and dried apricot that resonate. While a bit ripe in style, the 2021 overdelivers." - Eric Guido, Vinous
Ronco del Gnemiz Friulano ‘San Zuan’ 2021
"The 2021 Friulano San Zuan opens with a honeyed sweetness as white flowers, crisp green melon and confectionary spices fill the senses. This is round and supple on the palate, with vividly ripe orchard fruits nicely offset by bright acidity. It finishes with a lingering sweetness offset by spicy citrus tones. Beautifully ripe and concentrated, yet with stunning acidity, the 2021 San Zuan is a real head-turner." - Eric Guido, Vinous
Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino 2018 Magnum
"Impressing from the first tilt of the glass, the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino makes itself known, with a heady burst of exotic spice and crushed ashen stone giving way to dried black cherries and grilled herbs. This combines the energy of the vintage with the dark balsamic-tinged fruits of Montalcino’s southern reaches, as zesty acidity maintains balance throughout, and flinty minerals saturate toward the close. It finishes long, savory and structured, yet its tannins are more rounded than anticipated, creating both a classic feel, but also leaving a mouthwatering sensation that tricks the taster back to the glass for more. Easily one of the top wines of the vintage, the 2018 is not to be missed." - Eric Guido
Bruno Rocca Barbaresco Riserva Currà 2015
"A release of 3,824 numbered bottles (including various collectors' larger formats), the 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Currà draws its fruit from the nearby village of Neive. This wine is just terrific, showing beautiful intensity and elegance. The warm and sunny 2015 growing season is easy to recognize in the broad, rich aromas and the open-knit texture of the mouthfeel. The wine opens to a dark garnet color with some brick red too. There is a point of evolution with licorice and earthy truffle, but the wine maintains its freshness and very fine tannins." - Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate
Bruno Rocca Dolcetto d’Alba Trifole 2022
"Color: intense, black and deep, with purple reflections
Nose: net and clean scent of ripe fruits (plum, blackberry, cherry). Elegant and profound
Flavour: round and warm, with great softness and good grapes tannins. Dense and embracing, it has average persistence at first taste; lingering aftertaste with hint of almond" - Winemakers notes
