Italy

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. 

Rating

(91 - 92)

Release Price

$150

Drink Date

2003 - 2016

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

30th Oct 2001

Source

137, The Wine Advocate

Dense, masculine, and muscular, the 1998 Barolo Brunate displays abundant quantities of blackberry and cherry liqueur aromas intertwined with vanilla, licorice, tobacco, and rose petals. The new oak is brilliantly absorbed by this medium to full-bodied, sweet, expansively-flavored Barolo. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2016.   

Rating

99

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

30th Oct 2001

Source

137, The Wine Advocate

The 250-case cuvee of 100% Merlot, the 1999 Redigaffi has an astonishing 36 grams per liter of dry extract, which exceeds most top Pomerols in a great vintage! Unfined and unfiltered, it is as close to perfection as a wine can get. The color is a deep saturated blue/purple. The powerful, pure nose offers smoke, licorice, black cherry, and blackberries. It boasts awesome concentration, a fabulously dense, viscous mid-section, and a finish that lasts for nearly a minute. This is riveting juice. 

The 1999 Sorì Tildìn is a pretty wine, even if many of the site-specific notes aren't quite as evident in this vintage. This decidedly mid-weight Sorì Tildìn is notable for its balance and harmony, but otherwise today it is a bit flat and lacking the excitement of the very best vintages. I have seen Sorì Tildìn blossom in bottle though, so I am inclined to think I found the 1999 at a particularly closed stage of its life. (Magnum tasted Drink 2014-2024)

Score: 93+ Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, August 2012

The 1999 Sori Tildin, is notably more powerful on the nose and more complex as well, with balsamic and resin sensations to accompany the mocha and vanilla. Rounder and ampler than Costa Russi, it is concentrated, sumptuous, and sensual as well as long and fresh on the development and finish. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2018.

Score: 93 Daniel Thomases, Wine Advocate (149), October 2003

Rating

94

Release Price

$142

Drink Date

2009 - 2021

Reviewed by

Antonio Galloni

Issue Date

26th Dec 2006

Source

168, The Wine Advocate

The 2001 Brunellos show the pedigree of the superior vintage. Gaja’s 2001 Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille is the more potent of the Brunellos. It displays a darker color along with notes of tar, smoke, spices, toasted oak and dark fruit on a full-bodied frame with terrific expansiveness and length on the palate. A lingering note of licorice frames the finish of this beautiful, deeply expressive Brunello. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2021.  

The 2001 vintage in Piedmont has long been a favorite of mine. Bruno Giacosa’s 2001 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto is explosive and decadently rich from the very first taste. The 2001 is arguably the last truly classic vintage for the Rocche Red Label. To be sure, the 2004, 2005 and 2007 are all compelling, but the 2001 has more in common stylistically with vintages like 1996 and 1999. Dense, perfumed and wonderfully intense, the 2001 is phenomenally great. Wow.

Score: 98 Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, March 2018

The 2001 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto is unbelievably reticent, which is hardly surprising considering how massive the wine was when it was relased. Readers will have to be especially patient here. The 2001 is best forgotten about for a number of years. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026.

Score: 97 Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate (200), April 2012

Darker and more backward than the Falletto in both its aromas and flavors, Giacosa’s staggering 2001 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto offers an explosive nose of spices, menthol, minerals, smoke and scorched earth followed by waves of sweet fruit that coat the palate in a potent mix of finesse and sheer power, with fine tannins, and a lingering balsamic note on the finish. This complex, multi-dimensional wine will require considerable patience and will age gracefully for several decades. Made from the oldest vines at Falletto, the 2001 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto is another towering achievement from Bruno Giacosa. An Azienda Agricola Falletto di Bruno Giacosa bottling. To be released in 2007.

Score: 97 Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate (167), October 2006

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.

The 2006 Barbaresco Crichët Pajé is one of the most open, accessible vintages of this wine I can remember tasting. But it's still Roagna, which means the wine is powerful and structured, but less so than is typically the case. Iron, smoke, incense, tobacco, autumn leaves and a host of ferrous, savory notes are some of the signatures. As is sometimes the case here, extended time in barrel has dried out the fruit a bit. This is a style that personally gives me less pleasure, although, as the saying goes, your mileage may vary.

-- Antonio Galloni

The estate's 2007 Lodovico is maturing at a faster pace than I had originally envisioned. White truffles, dark red stone fruits, spices leather and the first signs of tertiary complexity all flesh out in the glass. There is plenty of detail and nuance, but I don't see things improving too much from here.

-- Antonio Galloni 92 Antonio Galloni 2014 - 2022 $280.00 Sep 2014

Wine Advocate

90

Tenuta San Guido’s 2008 Guidalberto is a very pretty wine laced with mineral-infused dark fruit. This is a decidedly smaller scaled, lithe Guidalberto that impresses for its overall balance and finesse. The structure of the 2006 and the exuberance of the 2007 are missing, but the 2008 offers superb drinkability and pleasure today and over the next few years. Dried flowers, licorice and new leather add the final nuances of complexity on the finish. The 2008 Guidalberto is Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Most of the fruit comes from vineyards that are separate from those used for Sassicaia, although Guidalberto always includes some barrels that don’t make it into the top wine. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2015. (Antonio Galloni)

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 96

Drink Date 2019 - 2040

Reviewed by Monica Larner

Issue Date 19th Sep 2019

Source September 2019 Week 3, The Wine Advocate

Production was skipped over in 2007 due to extreme hail damage. The fruit that would normally be destined to Amarone went to the lower tier Valpolicella Superiore instead. The 2008 Amarone della Valpolicella Monte Lodoletta marks a return to a slightly cooler vintage with a longer growing season slowed down during the summer's moderate temperatures. Indeed, harvest was wrapped up during the first days of November. The blend is mostly Corvina, at about 60%, with smaller parts Corvinone, Rondinella, Croatina and Oseleta. The new Dal Forno winery was finished in 2008, complete with the unique vacuum-sealed fermentation tasks that help to avoid any intrusive oxygen during winemaking. Indeed, this wine is balanced and elegant with fruit that is still crunchy and very much alive. The tannins are firm and nicely integrated into the wine's thick, fleshy consistency. This vintage is characterized by a very elegant and graceful approach, which must be taken into context given the enormity of a wine of this caliber. Happily, there is no doubt that this vintage should still evolve steadily over time.

Mascarello's 2010 Barolo Monprivato shows good depth and volume in the glass, but the flavors are also a touch forward, which is a bit unusual for the year. Sweet red cherry, raspberry, mint, white pepper and orange peel linger on the delicate finish, all supported by silky, polished tannins. The 2010 is a bit more fully formed than it was a few months ago, but I don't find the pedigree of the best years, and I say that after having had the 1989, 2004 and 2008 in the days leading up to this visit.

96+

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2018 - 2040

Reviewed by

Monica Larner

Issue Date

28th Jun 2013

Source

207, The Wine Advocate

Gaia Gaja uses the word “salty” to describe this next wine, and I see her point. The 2010 Sori Tildin shows a dry, firmly structured quality that enhances those extraordinary, breezy overtones of lead pencil and brimstone that so fittingly frame the Nebbiolo grape. The lingering end-notes of rose petal, ginger and cedar are striking. You immediately feel the tannic structure and power of the wine. The jump is very sharp next to the Costa Russi, and that’s why this is one of Gaja’s best cellar-agers. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2040.  

Rating

95

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2018 - 2035

Reviewed by

 Monica Larner

Issue Date

19th Sep 2019

Source

September 2019 Week 3, The Wine Advocate

This was an excellent vintage in much of Italy, but unfortunately the weather was not as pleasant in this specific area of the Valpolicella. The season saw a lot of rain, and a good amount of fruit was cut and left on the ground because it could not be used. Considering these difficulties, Michele Dal Forno tells me he is "more than happy with the results." I tasted the 2010 Amarone della Valpolicella Monte Lodoletta next to the 2009 vintage, and having these two wines side by side reinforces just how different they are. The 2010 vintages is sharper, more pointed and direct in comparison, and there is a tiny point of sourness on the close. This wine does not reach the same threshold for fullness, density or richness. It does come close. The wine's residual sugar measures between 5 and 6 grams per liter, which is normal for this wine, and the bouquet is redolent of familiar black fruit, raisin and spice. However, the wine feels a bit stuck in its tracks at the moment and is evidently experiencing a shy phase in its evolution. It has retreated.

Rating 94

Release Price NA

Drink Date 2019 - 2029

Reviewed by  Monica Larner

Issue Date 29th Mar 2018

Source Interim End of March 2018, The Wine Advocate

The 2011 Le Pergole Torte was born in a hot vintage, borderline too hot. On the one hand, you could deduce that the wine's performance is less nuanced and profound as a result. You might also want to consider a shorter drinking window. On the other hand, however, this warm-vintage expression of Sangiovese, from the cooler Radda in Chianti subzone, possesses gorgeous intensity and a super attractive, fruit-driven flavor profile. You get so much more exuberance and texture here. The bouquet offers dark fruit aromas backed by scorched earth, cured tobacco and a touch of savory black truffle. It's simply delicious right now.

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.

Rating 89

Drink Date 2015 - 2022

Reviewed by Monica Larner

Issue Date 30th Oct 2015

Source 221, The Wine Advocate

The 2012 Chardonnay Collezione Privata was slightly reduced when I first tasted it, so I asked Paolo De Marchi if I could take the open bottle back to my hotel to taste it a few hours later. When I did, I found that the wine had opened considerably and those flinty, volcanic tones had blown off. The bouquet shows apricot, cantaloupe melon and white almond paste. There is a natural creaminess to the wine that makes it very attractive once it gets revved up. Make sure you give this wine ample time to breathe.

There is no way not to be totally overwhelmed by the stunning beauty of the tiny twin hamlets of Isole and Olena that straddle either side of this historic property. Paolo De Marchi's enthusiastic and engaging personality defines the landmark set of wines before you.

Rating

95

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2019 - 2035

Reviewed by

 Monica Larner

Issue Date

30th Jun 2017

Source

231, The Wine Advocate

The 2013 Barolo Conteisa is now officially a DOCG wine following years as a Langhe Nebbiolo or IGT wine. The first vintage was 1996 and fruit is sourced from the Cerequio cru in La Morra. This is a classic and coherent expression that is characterized by crunchy fruit flavors and sweet tannins. Fruit came into the winery at very low temperatures and saw slow fermentations. Generally speaking, the 2013 vintage is characterized by slow ripening and a long growing season (unlike 2012 that saw more concentrated heat). This is a balanced and homogenous wine with a softly caressing nature. It offers aromas of citrus, summer fruit and even a touch of watermelon pulp. This wine is usually considered the more immediate of Gaja's two new Barolo wines, yet this vintage surely needs extra time to evolve.

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 95

Drink Date 2020 - 2030

Reviewed by Monica Larner

Issue Date 30th Jun 2017

Source 231, The Wine Advocate

The recent evolution of this wine is a bit confusing. After the 2009 Barolo le Rocche del Falletto was released, the wine was not made in 2010 or 2011. The following year, we got the 2012 Barolo Falletto that I scored last year. We now return to the series with the 2013 Barolo Falleto Vigna Le Rocche—which is, of course, the white label wine. The wine shows extremely elegant and fine characteristics with a dry and streamlined approach. Fruit tones on offer are delicate and nuanced. White truffle, balsam herb, violet and licorice are folded within. The wine was a little reticent when I tasted it and it definitely needs more time to flesh out in the bottle.

Rating

95

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2019 - 2035

Reviewed by

 Monica Larner

Issue Date

30th Jun 2017

Source

231, The Wine Advocate

The 2013 Barolo Conteisa is now officially a DOCG wine following years as a Langhe Nebbiolo or IGT wine. The first vintage was 1996 and fruit is sourced from the Cerequio cru in La Morra. This is a classic and coherent expression that is characterized by crunchy fruit flavors and sweet tannins. Fruit came into the winery at very low temperatures and saw slow fermentations. Generally speaking, the 2013 vintage is characterized by slow ripening and a long growing season (unlike 2012 that saw more concentrated heat). This is a balanced and homogenous wine with a softly caressing nature. It offers aromas of citrus, summer fruit and even a touch of watermelon pulp. This wine is usually considered the more immediate of Gaja's two new Barolo wines, yet this vintage surely needs extra time to evolve.

Rating

95

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2022 - 2045

Reviewed by

 Monica Larner

Issue Date

29th Jun 2018

Source

237, The Wine Advocate

The 2014 Barolo Conteisa is an impressive wine that defies the odds of the vintage. Although the Cerequio vineyard did not suffer hail in 2014 (it did in 2016), grape production was reduced by half anyway. The remaining grapes delivered their best with intense flavors and crisp contours. Gaia Gaja tells me that the clusters harvested were perfect in appearance. This is a perfumed wine that offers defined aromas of wild cherry that rise to the top with intensity. The wine's tonality is dark and thick, and the tannins are full and structured.

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.

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.

Superb aromas of ripe fruit such as plums and berries with peaches and tar. Very intense. Full body, great depth and density. Incredible richness and power with superb length and persistence. One of the most dense and vertical Falletos I have tasted. Try in 2025.

Score: 98James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, January 2019

Rating

97

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2020 - 2045

Reviewed by

 Monica Larner

Issue Date

31st Aug 2018

Source

238, The Wine Advocate

This wine will be released in 2019. The spectacular 2015 Lodovico is shaping up to be wine of stratospheric intensity, depth and succulence. Lodovico is a six-hectare parcel found within the greater Bellaria vineyard (that makes the Biserno wine) at this important estate in Bibbona, Coastal Tuscany. The entire site is planted to Bordeaux grapes Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. This vintage delivers power and momentum that drives this wine smoothly over the palate. The bouquet is seamless with dark fruit tones that segue to spice, tar, smoke and cured leather. This is the sixth vintage to be produced. All the previous editions (2007, 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2013) are included in this report.

Rating 95

Release Price NA

Drink Date 2022 - 2045

Reviewed by  Monica Larner

Issue Date

29th Jun 2018

Source

237, The Wine Advocate

This celebrated vineyard site has more magnesium in its soils and that may be why you get such a strong mineral note. The 2015 Barbaresco Sorì San Lorenzo offers a complex bouquet with dark fruit, crushed mineral and grilled herb. This wine is very robust in terms of structure and therefore needs extra time in the bottle before it finds its proverbial sweet spot. You need patience to reap those excellent benefits. Drink after 2022.