Italy

Rating

(94 - 96)

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

NA

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

30th Apr 1994

Source

92, The Wine Advocate

The super-concentrated 1990 Barolo Vigna Cicala Bussia is an outstanding wine. When I tasted it, it appeared more structured, tannic, and backward than the 1989. Perhaps it is just the one year difference in age, but the advantage the 1989 enjoys over the 1990 at present is that its fruit is sweeter and more evolved. Every Italian wine authority, from the late Sheldon Wasserman, to Burton Anderson, to Victor Hazan, to Roberto Parkero, considers Aldo Conterno to be one of the great masters of his craft. The staggering display of wines he produced in 1989 and 1990 confirmed that no one in Piedmont is making greater Barolo than Aldo Conterno and his sons. If you love great wine, these are must purchases; if you love Barolo, a pilgrimage to your favorite Italian wine shop is in order! It is virtually impossible to pick a favorite among Conterno's 1989s and 1990s. However, the 1990s, which are not yet bottled, appear even more massive, structured, and tannic than the flamboyant, super-concentrated, flashy 1989s. Readers should keep in mind that the Barolo-Riserva Gran Bussia is released a year later than the other Barolos, so the 1989 will not appear in the marketplace until spring, 1995, and the 1990 a year later. Wine enthusiasts throughout the world should be beating a path to their retailers to buy the 1989s and to reserve the 1990s when they arrive next year. By the way, Aldo Conterno is one of Piedmont's sweetest people, proving that sometimes nice guys do finish first!

Rating

94

Release Price

$75

Drink Date

2014

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

31st Oct 1994

Source

95, The Wine Advocate

The 1990 Solaia is slightly more concentrated than the 1990 Tignanello, with a saturated purple color, and a classic, international nose of cassis, lead pencil, vanillin, and smoke. It is gorgeously rich, with a fat, unctuous texture, and a long, highly extracted finish. Well-balanced and already delicious, it remains unevolved and is potentially a 12-20 year wine. In the context of recent Solaias, I would rate it a worthy competitor to the other-worldly 1985. It is certainly much more opulent, with sweeter, jammier, richer fruit than the 1988 (most recently rated 88 points).  

Rating

(90 - 91)

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2008 - 2025

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

27th Aug 1999

Source

124, The Wine Advocate

The outstanding 1996 Darmaggi Cabernet Sauvignon is a structured, dense, black/purple-colored wine with excellent cassis fruit, and an unevolved, but promising personality. There are copious quantities of tannin, a massive mid-palate, and a sweet, long finish. However, it will require considerable patience. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2025. 

A well-structured, big red. Lots of spice, cinnamon and ripe fruit. Full-bodied and very silky, with lots of raisin, spice and berry character and toasted oak. Needs time to mellow. Best after 2003. 1,000 cases made.

Score: 93 James Suckling, Wine Spectator, June 2002

Mature ruby with brickstone rim. Cough-syrup herb liqueur, fine dried-fruit notes and quite balsamic oak notes. Fully open on the nose. Quite sweet fruit with a good dollop of tannin but not without depth. Very intense and sweet on the finish and perhaps could be a little fresher. 2005 - 2022

Score: 16.5 Walter Speller, JancisRobinson.com, April 2013

The 1999 Ornellaia (magnum) does not disappoint. This vivid, energetic wine emerges from the glass with a myriad of graphite, menthol, licorice, leather and dark fruit wrapped around a powerful core. The bouquet alone is worth the price of admission. Though not as opulent as the 1997, the 1999 offers exceptional length and a finessed, regal close. The 1999 Ornellaia is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The wine spent 18 months in French oak (60% new) prior to being bottled. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2021.

95
Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate, January 2010

I was blown away by the 1999 Ornellaia. Still fresh and youthful, it reveals a powerful, authoritative personality in its layers of primary fruit, with its opulence beautifully balanced by its big yet polished tannins. Another year or two of bottle age is probably called for but readers will have a hard time keeping their hands off this gorgeous wine. Given its considerable structure it should have no problem aging for another dozen years. In 1999 the blend consisted of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. 95/Anticipated maturity: 2009-2019. Tenuta dell’Ornellaia is without question one of Italy’s blue-chip properties. The gorgeous, sprawling estate is located in Bolgheri in Tuscany’s Maremma. On a recent visit I had the opportunity to taste a number of the estate’s wines with General Manager/Agronomist Leonardo Raspini and Oenologist Axel Heinz, including verticals of the estate’s top bottlings Ornellaia and Masseto. Ornellaia is a Bordeaux-inspired blend consisting principally of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. In 2003 a small percentage of Petit Verdot was introduced. The use of several varietals gives the winemaking team the luxury of being able to tailor the exact proportion of the blend to the specific strengths of a given vintage. Because the blend tends to vary from year to year in a vertical tasting Ornellaia shows many different facets of its personality. After harvest the varietals are vinified separately. Fermentation and maceration lasts between 25-30 days after which the wines are moved into French oak barrels where they age for 12 months. The wines are then racked and assembled into the final blend, which spends an additional six months in barrel prior to being bottled. The percentage of new oak has risen from 50%, which was used for vintages 1997 and 1998, to 60% used in 1999, to the 70% the estate has employed since 2000.

94
Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate, April 2007

Rating 93

Reviewed by Daniel Thomases

Issue Date 26th Apr 2004

Source 152, The Wine Advocate

The 2001 Testamatta, a blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and Colorino, is a very full and firm ruby, and its expansive nose of red currant and plum fruit, underbrush, Mediterranean herbs, and sweet oak, is matched by rich, round flavors of ripe red fruit, vanilla, and seared oak. Already quite approachable, it has the stuffing to last for another decade and a half. 

The 2004 Ornellaia (magnum) has always been a beautiful wine, but stylistically it stands out quite a bit from other vintages of this era, something that is particularly evident in this tasting. The 2004 is perhaps the most delicate, feminine Ornellaia ever made. Silky tannins frame a perfumed core of ripe fruit all the way through to the sublime finish. The wine's inner fragrance, sweetness and balance are all impeccable. The 2004 remains one of my all-time favorite Ornellaias, and it is firing on all cylinders on this night. In 2004 the growing season was long and even, with a cool early summer and warmer late summer. Yields were on the high side, as the vines released the stored energy they had held in reserve from the previous year, which required the estate to aggressively green harvest in order to keep the plants in balance. The 2004 Ornellaia is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. The relatively high percentage of Cabernet Franc may explain the 2004's gorgeous, vivid bouquet. The wine spent a total of 18 months in oak (70% new) prior to being bottled. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024.

95
Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate, January 2010

The gorgeous 2004 Ornellaia is a great way to start this tasting. A lively dark ruby, it is a vibrant effort bursting with expressive aromatics and layered, well-delineated fruit, showing much purity on the palate and closing with a long, finessed finish. Readers hoping to catch this wine’s full array of nuances will have to wait at least another few years as the wine remains quite primary today. This exquisite effort is not to be missed. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. 95/Anticipated maturity: 2011-2019. Tenuta dell’Ornellaia is without question one of Italy’s blue-chip properties. The gorgeous, sprawling estate is located in Bolgheri in Tuscany’s Maremma. On a recent visit I had the opportunity to taste a number of the estate’s wines with General Manager/Agronomist Leonardo Raspini and Oenologist Axel Heinz, including verticals of the estate’s top bottlings Ornellaia and Masseto. Ornellaia is a Bordeaux-inspired blend consisting principally of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. In 2003 a small percentage of Petit Verdot was introduced. The use of several varietals gives the winemaking team the luxury of being able to tailor the exact proportion of the blend to the specific strengths of a given vintage. Because the blend tends to vary from year to year in a vertical tasting Ornellaia shows many different facets of its personality. After harvest the varietals are vinified separately. Fermentation and maceration lasts between 25-30 days after which the wines are moved into French oak barrels where they age for 12 months. The wines are then racked and assembled into the final blend, which spends an additional six months in barrel prior to being bottled. The percentage of new oak has risen from 50%, which was used for vintages 1997 and 1998, to 60% used in 1999, to the 70% the estate has employed since 2000

95
Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate, April 2007

Dark ruby-purple in color, with complex aromas of dark chocolate, cola, vanilla, cedar and currant. Full-bodied yet ultrarefined, with dense, seamless, caressing tannins. Everything is in the right proportion. Superb. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best after 2009.

97
James Suckling, Wine Spectator, October 2007

Dark crimson with purple notes. Very ripe but with lively, savoury topnotes and lifted freshness. Great balance and approachability already. Funny to think of how even the finest 2013 red bordeaux would taste alongside this luscious wine. Scented and savoury. Pure hedonism. Not sure 'elegant' is the word I'd choose in a global context, but maybe it is appropriate in an Ornellaia context. Drink 2016-2026.

18.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, July 2016

I was blown away by the 2006 Syrah. This fresh, vibrant wine possesses endless layers of perfumed dark fruit, mint, minerals and sweet toasted oak. Despite its extroverted personality, the wine reveals superb clarity and detail in a rich, massive style. The tannins build mightily on the finish, suggesting a minimum of a few years of cellaring is warranted. It is impossible not to admire this wine's exceptional pedigree.

This fourth flight brings us into what I consider a real Golden Era for Solaia that started with the 2004. A young, potent wine, the 2006 Solaia out of magnum still needs quite a bit of time. Even so, its towering stature is evident. A rush of blackberry jam, grilled herbs, espresso, licorice and spice builds as the 2006 shows off its explosive energy and drive.

96
Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, September 2020

Inserted blind between the 2005 Margaux and Mouton, Antinori's 2006 Solaia performed admirably well, especially considering these were not the best bottles of the 2006 I have come across. In that context, the fact that the 2006 Solaia held up well in this flight is notable. I chose the 2006, because 2005 was not as strong in Tuscany as it was in Bordeaux, so the wine would have been at a distinct disadvantage in this setting.

94
Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, November 2015

The estate's 2006 Solaia is a big, powerful offering loaded with ripe blackberry jam, herbs, minerals and French oak. Like all of the 2006s from Antinori, the Solaia remains extraordinarily dense and primary. Readers will have to be patient with this wine and give it plenty of bottle age before the full range of its aromas and nuances blossom fully. Solaia is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese and 5% Cabernet Franc. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2026.

94
Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate (184), August 2009

Displays loads of mint, eucalyptus, currant and meat on the nose. Full-bodied, with masses of fruit, yet reserved and structured. Mouthpuckering now from all the tannins, but this will give incredible pleasure in years to come. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc. Best after 2014. 6,250 cases made.

97
James Suckling, WineSpectator.com, October 2009

The 2007 Ornellaia is remarkably open and accessible, very much in keeping with the personality of the vintage. Clean, minerally notes frame a core of silky, perfumed dark fruit, mocha, spices, licorice, grilled herbs and leather that impresses for its exceptional length. Tasted next to the 2007 Le Serre Nuove, the 2007 Ornellaia shows more muscle (from the higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon), but in terms of pure quality the wines are very close. The 2007 is not a big, massive Ornellaia, but rather a wine built on elegance and finesse, both of which are on full display. The 2007 should drink well with a minimum of cellaring, but whether it will make old bones remains a question mark at this point. The 2007 Ornellaia is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot.

The 2007 Chianti Classico Riserva emerges with hints of smoke, underbrush, licorice, leather and wild cherries. The wine gains volume and depth in the glass as its sheer pedigree emerges over time. There is plenty of muscle to back up the delicate aromatics in a striking balance of elegance and power, all in an essentially classic, mid-weight style. The round, deeply satisfying finish makes it hard to put the glass down.

Rating

92

Release Price

$74

Drink Date

2012 - 2018

Reviewed by

Antonio Galloni

Issue Date

28th Feb 2011

Source

193, The Wine Advocate

The 2008 Vintage Tunina is terrific. The wine’s trademark expansive bouquet and generous fruit are beautifully balanced by a vein of minerality that is the hallmark of this cool year. All of the elements come together beautifully in the glass as the 2008 Vintage Tunina shows off layers of succulent peaches, pears, apricots, flowers and mint, along with hints of sweetness from the late-harvested fruit that is such a big component of the wine’s signature style. Vintage Tunina is Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Istriana and Picolit. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018. These new releases from Silvio Jermann include a number of fabulous bottles. In particular, I was impressed with the top 2008s, a vintage where the cool minerality of the year prevails over the house’s typically lush style, an approach I tend to find less interesting. Jermann has a new red on the horizon, the Pignolo Vigna Truss, from recently purchased hillside vineyards in Dolegna, the home of his massive, new cellar. Previously, Jermann’s Pignolo had mostly come from the flats of Villanova, a far less prestigious village in Isonzo, rather than the Collio. I tasted all of the 2009 entry-level whites from screwcaps. Readers should be aware that Jermann is owned by my wife’s uncle. I have always viewed education as an important component of wine criticism. An article on Friuli without these wines would have been incomplete and ultimately the consumer would have been poorer for their exclusion. For those reasons I have chosen to include the wines in this report. Neither my wife nor I have any financial or other interest, direct or indirect, in this property.

Gaja's 2008 Sori San Lorenzo is impeccable from start to finish. The 2008 is a round, seamless San Lorenzo with seemingly no hard edges and terrific overall balance. The signature aromas and flavors are there, as is the wine's typical gravitas, yet the 2008 has an extra level of sweetness, its size notwithstanding. The wine possesses striking inner perfume and fabulous overall balance. The sheer excitement of the very finest years isn't quite there, but this is a fine bottle just the same. An explosive, juicy finish rounds things out in style. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2033.

Score: 95

Rating

100

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2018 - 2045

Reviewed by

 Monica Larner

Issue Date

4th Mar 2016

Source

223, The Wine Advocate

The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Bassolino di Sopra is the equivalent of the estate's Riserva. Only 3,000 bottles were made and the wine was not produced in 2009 or 2008. Nor will it be made in 2011 or 2013. Future editions are 2012 and 2015. Bassolino di Sopra is silky and smooth, but it also has a fine textural fabric that gives the wine an enormous sense of tactile intensity in terms of mouthfeel. This is a magnificent achievement with an extreme sense of purity and freshness that is elegant and streamlined. The bouquet reveals slight and miniature shifts in its evolution that keep your curiosity as you contemplate the wine in the glass. Wild berry is followed by a steady stream of balsam herb, cola, crushed oyster shell and delicate floral tones. The vineyards are located between 330 and 370 meters above sea level with limestone deposits and red soils. Farming is biodynamic.

The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is fabulous. Dark cherry, lavender, mint, hard candy and a host of balsamic-inflected notes soar from the glass as this towering, structured Rivera shows off its personality. This is one of the more tannic, backward Riserva of the vintage. As such, demands patience. Just as extraordinary as it was last year, the Riserva once again shows just how magical this vintage was for Andrea Costanti.

-- Antonio Galloni 98 Antonio Galloni 2022 - 2040 $230.00 Feb 2016

Rating

96+

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2017 - 2038

Reviewed by

 Monica Larner

Issue Date

26th Jun 2014

Source

213, The Wine Advocate

The 2010 Barolo is a singularly elegant expression that benefits from extremely long maceration time (up to 54 days) and a non-interventionists’ winemaking philosophy. The wine is superb in its elegance and finesse that caresses the palate in the most delicate and ethereal manner imaginable. Small fruit tones are enhanced by ash, crushed mineral, licorice and dried mint. Because of changes in how Barolo can be labeled, the wine no longer carries the names of the four single-vineyards that make up the traditional blend for this wine (Canubbi, San Lorenzo, Rue and Rocche di La Morra). Instead, this historic wine is now labeled straightforward “Barolo.” Drink: 2017-2038.

Rating

94

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2017 - 2035

Reviewed by

Monica Larner

Issue Date

29th Jun 2015

Source

219, The Wine Advocate

The 2011 Barolo Falletto is a beautifully balanced and determined wine. It spends 30 months in oak and this warm vintage is already showing a quick bottle evolution. This was an early vintage: Fruit was harvested on September 23, which is ten days before average. It shows soft, luscious lines and ripe fruit favors that are both generous and opulent. Yet, there is a healthy crunchiness and crackle in the mouth that makes for a long aging future ahead. Barolo Falletto closes with pretty aromas of dark fruit, spice and shaved truffle.

The 2012 Cepparello is just as compelling as it has always been. Sweet, ample and generous from the outset, the 2012 shows all of its pedigree, even at this early stage. Radiant fruit and exquisite aromatics make a strong opening statement as the wine fleshes out in the glass. Ample, creamy and super-expressive, the 2012 is shaping up to be a superb Cepparello. The only thing the 2012 needs is time. An up and down year with hot temperatures in July and early August, followed by rain in September forced DeMarchi to be especially selective and bottle only the best lots. Production is down to 30,000 bottles from 36,000 in 2013 and 32,400 in 2011.

Cerbaiona's 2012 Brunello di Montalcino is a nuanced and delicate wine that offers ample power, intensity and length. What the wine does best is paint a portrait of the grape in its most pure and naked state. It offers crisp outlines with loads of wild berry, blue flower and moist earth on the inside. That balanced ensemble of flavors adds to the long and polished persistence you feel in the mouth. Give this wine another 10 years of aging to best appreciate its slow evolution and budding complexity.

Score: 95Monica Larner, Wine Advocate (235), February 2018

Rating 99 - There's a lot to say here, so let me start at the beginning. The 2013 Redigaffi 7 Magnum is a special-release wine, produced only in magnum to celebrate the 20th anniversary (which was in 2013) of this iconic expression of Tuscan Merlot. A precious few 420 magnums were produced, and the price tag is nothing to sneeze at. I will also say that I struggled to score this wine, and I nursed my magnum, my single sample, for as long as I could, tasting the wine blind, in a flight of peers, in different glasses and at various intervals after the bottle was open. I spent a lot of time contemplating my thoughts and impressions, and ultimately, that in itself is what convinced me to give it a two-digit score rather than a three-digit one. Awarding the perfect score is often an illumination that requires very little thought at all and if you think about it too long, you nurture a doubt, the original sin of wine tasting. However, if the next critic went with a 100-point score for this wine, I would be in absolute agreement on every intellectual level. I also want to address the hefty price tag here, because in my almost 20 years covering Italian wine, I have never seen a new release hit the market at such an ambitious price point. To this, I say congratulations to Stefano Frascolla and his family. Very few Italian icon wines know their own worth, and I am often shocked by the value you can get from an Italian benchmark compared to one from Bordeaux or Napa. I find myself in agreement with these politics, even though it sadly means only a handful of people will have access to a wine of this magnitude. This special Redigaffi comes from a single plot (that measures under one hectare) planted in 1988. This was Tua Rita's original Merlot vineyard and is where fruit was sourced to make the most successful editions of the wine (including the 100-point 2000 vintage). This wine ages in oak for three years (longer than the 750-milliliter Redigaffi), and the wood sees a higher level of toast. That extra spice and oak astringency is noted. The first commercial vintage of this wine was 1994, but Tua Rita is celebrating the 20th anniversary now because an experimental wine was also produced more than 20 years ago in 1993. My tasting notes are obviously very similar to my review of the 2013 regular Redigaffi, and I am impressed by the wine's generosity and its infinite complexity. The bouquet is packed tight with black fruit, spice, tar and grilled herb. There is also an imperfect point of greenness or tightness buried deep within that adds to the firmness of the tannins, both the fruit and the oak tannins. However, this magnum bottling has a long, long way to go in terms of its evolution, and I am quite sure that its aging trajectory will take it through untold waves of ups and downs. If there is one lesson I came away with as I tasted this wine over and over again, it is this: There is a lifeline here. This is a living, breathing, evolving wine of beauty and potential.

This is a year of birthdays for Tua Rita. The iconic Redigaffi is celebrating its 20th anniversary (1993-2013) with a special magnum release, the 2013 Redigaffi 7 Magnum. A mere 420 magnums were produced, and the wine is hitting the market at an ambitious $1,600 retail. The 2017 Guisto di Notri is also distinguished by a special label to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Auguri, or congratulations, Tua Rita. 

Source Issue 244 End of August 2019, The Wine Advocate

Rating

94

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2020 - 2045

Reviewed by

 Monica Larner

Issue Date

29th Dec 2017

Source

234, The Wine Advocate

This is a wine of profound elegance and grace. The 2014 Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn is fine and deeply finessed, with long and polished berry notes that are enhanced by mild spice and smoky mineral notes. The wine starts off slowly and subtly. You can follow its evident progression as it opens and evolves quickly in the glass. In fact, of Gaja's three single-vineyard expressions, this wine is the most fluid and changing. The tannins are fine and nicely integrated to give the wine power, grace and staying power.

The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina is dark and powerful in the glass, slowly opening with a display of crushed stone, cedar, mint, and a dusting of cumin, as its dark red fruits begin to unfurl in a captivating display. On the palate, silky textures offset tart cherry and blackberry fruits, balanced by a core of rounded tannins and lifting acidity, a hints of licorice and sweet herbal tones develope. The finish is medium in length and poised, showing fine-grain tannins beneath a sheen of polished red and black fruits, with hints of lavender lingering on. The 2015 Rennina is a classy wine that’s just begging for a few years in the cellar to fully blossom.

Eric Guido, Vinous April 2020

Rating 93

Drink Date 2020 - 2040

Reviewed by  Monica Larner

Issue Date 29th Jun 2018

Source 237, The Wine Advocate

The 2015 Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn is dense and compact with smoky layers of black fruit, crushed mineral and black truffle. This growing site always produces robust and opulent wines, but these characteristics are hammered home even more so in the hot 2015 vintage. The wine graciously offers enough acidity to achieve balance and remind you of its pedigree. Barbaresco usually opens and evolves faster than Barolo. I think you can count on this wine to reach the start of its drinking window within the next decade.

The 2018 Le Volte dell’Ornellaia is fresh, fruity and an absolute delight to taste. Crushed red berry fruit, spice and floral notes abound, giving the 2018 an effusive character that is impossible to miss. Silky and gracious, the 2018 will drink well upon release. The purity of the flavors here is really quite lovely.

-- Antonio Galloni 91 Antonio Galloni 2020 - 2028 $30.00 Jan 2021