Italy |
NV |
Follador Prosecco |
5 |
Bottle |
|
150cl |
£15 |
|
|
|
Italy |
1975 |
Biondi Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva |
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£4,800 |
Rating
94
Release Price
NA
Drink Date
2019 - 2030
Reviewed by
Monica Larner
Issue Date
31st Jul 2019
Source
End of July 2019, The Wine Advocate
Tancredi Biondi Santi passed away in 1970, so the 1975 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva would have been one of the first riservas made entirely by his son, Franco Biondi Santi. Showing its age and maturity, the wine presents delicate aromas of balsam herb, coffee, caramel, licorice and candied orange peel. The primary fruit has faded, and the wine has shifted gears, exhibiting smoky and ethereal perfumes instead. In the mouth, this wine shows more volume and fiber than I might have expected, and there is even a subtle touch of roundness and volume on the finish. This is a beautiful snapshot of a bygone era in Tuscan wine.
Tasting Notes |
|
94 |
Italy |
1985 |
Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio Barbaresco Marcarini |
1 |
Bottle |
|
75cl |
£385£330 |
|
|
|
Italy |
1995 |
Umani Ronchi Cumaro |
1 |
Bottle |
|
150cl |
£100 |
|
|
|
Italy |
1996 |
Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato |
3 |
Bottle |
|
75cl |
£280 |
Rating
(87 - 89)
Release Price
NA
Drink Date
2003 - 2012
Reviewed by
Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Issue Date
27th Aug 1999
Source
124, The Wine Advocate
The 1996 Barolo Monprivato is structured and muscular, but not as concentrated or powerful as I expected given this producer's track record. It exhibits a dark plum color with amber at the edge. The smoky, dried herb, cedary, tobacco leaf elements compete with cherries, leather, and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, with a soft attack, and moderate tannin in the finish, this is a very good to excellent Barolo that falls short of being outstanding. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2012. Importer Fred Ek, Ex Cellars Wine Agencies, Solvang, CA; tel. (805) 686-9153
Tasting Notes |
|
89 |
Italy |
1997 |
Pieve Santa Restituta (Gaja) Sugarille |
4 |
Bottle |
|
75cl |
£100 |
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
Tasting Notes |
|
93 |
Italy |
1997 |
Biondi Santi, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva |
2 |
Bottle |
|
75cl |
£420 |
Rating
96+
Release Price
NA
Drink Date
2018 - 2030
Reviewed by
Monica Larner
Issue Date
28th Feb 2018
Source
235, The Wine Advocate
This older release is paired with the 2011 Riserva in a special packaging effort now proposed by the new management team at Tenuta Greppo. The Biondi-Santi 1997 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva was never previously reviewed; therefore, I am very excited to add an official record of this stunning wine to our database. This vintage delivers structure and age-worthy intensity that should carry it forward successfully for more years ahead. However, if you decide to pop the cork now, rest assured that this excellent Brunello has now entered its prime drinking window. The bouquet is polished and fine, with wild fruit aromas that segue to balsam herb and licorice. The finish is long and extremely polished. This is a real beauty.
Tasting Notes |
|
96 |
Italy |
1997 |
Pieve Santa Restituta (Gaja) Sugarille |
1 |
Case |
12 |
75cl |
£1,200 |
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
Tasting Notes |
|
93 |
Italy |
1998 |
Roberto Voerzio Brunate, Barolo |
6 |
Bottle |
|
75cl |
£145 |
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.
Tasting Notes |
|
92 |
Italy |
1998 |
Dal Forno Romano Amarone della Valpolicella |
1 |
Bottle |
|
75cl |
£325 |
|
|
|
Italy |
1998 |
Gaja Sori San Lorenzo |
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£1,680 |
Rating
96
Release Price
$250
Drink Date
2001 - 2026
Reviewed by
Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Issue Date
30th Oct 2001
Source
137, The Wine Advocate
The multi-faceted 1998 Sori San Lorenzo offers up notes of lead pencil, smoke, tobacco, tar, rose petals, black fruits, and espresso. Already incredibly expressive, soft, sexy, and voluptuous, jammy fruits infused with toasty oak cascade over the palate. This easily understood, seamless, pure, classic 1998 should drink well for 20-25 years.
Tasting Notes |
|
96 |
Italy |
2001 |
Bibi Graetz Testamatta |
2 |
Bottle |
|
300cl |
£480 |
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.
Tasting Notes |
|
93 |
Italy |
2003 |
Pira & Figli Barolo Cannubi Chiara Boschis - |
5 |
Bottle |
|
75cl |
£60 |
|
|
93 |
Italy |
2005 |
Quintarelli Valpolicella Classico Superiore |
2 |
Bottle |
|
150cl |
£200 |
|
|
|
Italy |
2006 |
Romano Dal Forno Amarone Monte Lodoletta |
1 |
Bottle |
|
150cl |
£540 |
Rating
97+
Release Price
NA
Drink Date
2019 - 2040
Reviewed by
Monica Larner
Issue Date
19th Sep 2019
Source
September 2019 Week 3, The Wine Advocate
Back in 2006, this estate farmed approximately 25 hectares of vines, and the Valpolicella was just beginning to feel its new celebrity status, thanks to a new generation of vintners (to come after Quintarelli and Dal Forno) showing impressive results. The 2006 Amarone della Valpolicella Monte Lodoletta was born in a vintage that was not easy: It saw hail and above-average rainfall for much of the growing season. This expression opens to an inky dark appearance and heavy aromas of dried fruit, pressed blackberries and sun-dried prunes. There is a slightly sweeter side to this vintage (the residual sugar is up to ten grams per liter), and the mouthfeel offers enormous volume and richness. You get some jammy and raisiny fruit at the back. Like the 1990 vintage also tastes in this retrospective, this bottle from the 2006 vintage was slow to open and felt a bit closed initially. In fact, I gave it 94 points at that time. However, I recently opened a bottle of this same wine that I had in my cellar, and it was just stunning. It showed none of the shyness that I described above. Inspired by that second magical bottle, I went back and adjusted the drinking window and my score to the one you see here.
Tasting Notes |
|
97 |
Italy |
2006 |
Tua Rita Syrah |
1 |
Case |
3 |
75cl |
£295 |
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.
Tasting Notes |
|
97 |
Italy |
2006 |
Gaja Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo |
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£1,800 |
Good deep red. Captivating aromas of red fruits and woodsy underbrush; a real essence of nebbiolo. Then silky and suave, combining compelling sweetness of raspberry and strawberry fruit and an impression of sheer size and structure that reminds me of Barolo. Wonderfully fine-grained wine with a sweet, rising finish that perfumes the mouth. Incidentally, Gaja indicated a slight preference for the Sori Tildin in 2006.
-- Stephen Tanzer 95 Stephen Tanzer Not Available Nov 2009
Tasting Notes |
|
95 |
Italy |
2006 |
Roagna Barbaresco Crichet Paje |
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£3,600 |
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
Tasting Notes |
|
93 |
Italy |
2007 |
Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia |
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£200 |
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.
Tasting Notes |
|
91 |
Italy |
2008 |
Jermann, Vintage Tunina |
1 |
Bottle |
|
150cl |
£60 |
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.
Tasting Notes |
|
92 |
Italy |
2008 |
Gaja Barbaresco Costa Russi |
1 |
Bottle |
|
150cl |
£395 |
Rating
94
Release Price
$440
Drink Date
2016 - 2028
Reviewed by
Antonio Galloni
Issue Date
31st Oct 2011
Source
197, The Wine Advocate
The 2008 Costa Russi is absolutely gorgeous. Sweet dark cherries, tar, licorice and new leather are some of the aromas and flavors that take shape in the glass. The 2008 is a firm Costa Russi, with less of the seductiveness of most years, but equally fine balance. Ideally it needs a few more years in bottle, but it is striking. The finish shows terrific intensity. The typical juiciness of the site is framed by the firm tannins of the year. Everything that makes Costa Russi such an engaging wine is here, but in a slightly smaller-scaled package than in the very finest years. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2028. This is a stunning set of wines from Angelo Gaja and his team in Barbaresco. Those who think 2008 is a truly great year for Nebbiolo must have tasted these wines. In a vintage that is inconsistent across the villages of Barbaresco, Gaja has produced not one but four stellar wines. As fabulous as these wines are, they aren’t especially true to type, as I explain in these notes. The 2008s I tasted in the US showed far better than the bottles I tasted in Barbaresco during the summer. Perhaps the onset of the cool fall weather gave these wines a little more spine than they had during the sweltering heat of August. Readers who want to learn more about the 2011 harvest at Gaja may want to take a look at my video interview with Gaia Gaja and vineyard manager Giorgio Culasso.
Tasting Notes |
|
94 |
Italy |
2008 |
Gaja Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo |
1 |
Bottle |
|
150cl |
£395 |
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
Tasting Notes |
|
95 |
Italy |
2008 |
Gaja Barbaresco Sori Tildin |
1 |
Bottle |
|
150cl |
£420 |
The 2008 Sori Tildin is impressive. I confess I wasn't quite prepared for the assault of fruit and tannins here. Sori Tildin is so often a graceful, elegant wine, but that is not the case in 2008. That's not to say elegance is missing, but this is a big, big wine with tons of intensity and richness, all woven together beautifully. It's tough to find a comparison with a previous vintage, as this is a singular Tildin. The flavors are familiar if a touch on the dark side, but the structure is closer than that of Sori San Lorenzo. Flowers, tar, leather and licorice wrap around the palate. This is a fabulous showing and a great wine in the making. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2033.
Score: 96
Tasting Notes |
|
96 |
Italy |
2008 |
Isole e Olena, Cabernet Sauvignon, Collezione |
2 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£240 |
|
|
|
Italy |
2009 |
Montevertine Le Pergole Torte |
2 |
Bottle |
|
75cl |
£190 |
Rating
95
Release Price
NA
Drink Date
2018 - 2035
Reviewed by
Monica Larner
Issue Date
29th Mar 2018
Source
Interim End of March 2018, The Wine Advocate
This vintage is very similar to the 2007 edition in terms of intensity, fullness and suppleness. The 2009 Le Pergole Torte shows velvety rich and dark extraction with softly intense aromas of black cherry, spice and grilled rosemary. There's a piquant touch of cheese rind or creamy white chocolate hidden deep somewhere at the back. All of these aromatic elements build in momentum and power to bring the wine a big notch forward in terms of complexity and personality. This is one of the most distinctive wines made in Tuscany, and those singular Montevertine attributes are proudly on display here.
Tasting Notes |
|
95 |
Italy |
2009 |
Cerbaiona di Diego Molinari Brunello di Montalcino |
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£580 |
Rating
93
Release Price
NA
Drink Date
2016 - 2024
Reviewed by
Monica Larner
Issue Date
27th Feb 2014
Source
211, The Wine Advocate
The 2009 Brunello di Montalcino shows the signature sophistication this iconic estate is celebrated for. Sadly, Diego and Nora Molinari have announced their intention to sell Cerbaiona and we may soon be looking at new ownership. A dark appearance segues to brooding aromas of licorice, tar, cherry and spice that wrap around the long, polished finish. Drink: 2016-2024.
Tasting Notes |
|
93 |
Italy |
2010 |
Valdicava Madonna del Piano Brunello Riserva |
2 |
Bottle |
|
150cl |
£315 |
The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano is shaping up to be a real beauty. Powerful and dramatic, but also remarkably polished for such a big wine, the 2010 has a lot going on. Raspberry jam, wild flowers, spices, new leather, smoke and tobacco are laced into the powerful intense finish. The 2010 is an especially finessed Madonna del Piano with a bright future.
Tasting Notes |
|
96 |
Italy |
2010 |
Gaja Barbaresco Sori Tildin |
1 |
Bottle |
|
300cl |
£1,150 |
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.
Tasting Notes |
|
96 |
Italy |
2010 |
Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato Riserva |
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£3,150 |
Rating
98
Release Price
NA
Drink Date
2022 - 2050
Reviewed by
Monica Larner
Issue Date
29th Jun 2018
Source
237, The Wine Advocate
The 2010 Barolo Riserva Monprivato Cà d'Morissio is one of the defining wines of this iconic vintage. This important wine was not made in 2009 or 2011. There will be releases in 2012 and 2013. However, the Mascarello family is not yet sure about 2014. If they do release the wine in that vintage, bottle production will be very small. Generally speaking, 4,000 bottles is the normal production target. This wine should be released more or less as this report is published in late spring 2018. There is a lot to say here, starting with the bouquet that is precisely defined and layered. You get tones of forest fruit, crushed mineral, wild sage and balsam herb. There are renderings of iodine, anise seed and licorice as well. What stands out most is the wine's seamless integration. The tannins are firm and dry, with just enough latitude to offer future development. This wine ages in bottle for two and a half years before its commercial release. It should not be touched for at least 5 more years, or preferably more.
Tasting Notes |
|
98 |
Italy |
2011 |
Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto |
1 |
Case |
3 |
150cl |
£600 |
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.
Tasting Notes |
|
94 |
Italy |
2012 |
Isole e Olena Cepparello |
2 |
Bottle |
|
150cl |
£115 |
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.
Tasting Notes |
|
97 |
Italy |
2012 |
Isole e Olena Cepparello |
2 |
Bottle |
|
300cl |
£250 |
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.
Tasting Notes |
|
97 |
Italy |
2012 |
Cerbaiona di Diego Molinari Brunello di Montalcino |
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£585 |
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
Tasting Notes |
|
95 |
Italy |
2013 |
Castello dei Rampolla Sammarco |
2 |
Bottle |
|
150cl |
£105 |
Rating
95
Release Price
NA
Drink Date
2018 - 2035
Reviewed by
Monica Larner
Issue Date
31st Oct 2017
Source
233, The Wine Advocate
Wines from the Castello dei Rampolla property show an impressive and especially chiseled quality that gives them a very direct and immediate quality. These are frank and honest wines that stay true to the identity set forth years ago at this historic estate. They stay the course, so to speak. The 2013 Sammarco is Cabernet Sauvignon with Sangiovese and Merlot that tastes nothing like the many blended Bordeaux-inspired reds you find in this part of Italy. Instead, the wine is all-Tuscan in its appeal, with sun-drenched cherry, Mediterranean herb and a pretty balsam note that recalls the thick underbrush and woods of the Chianti Classico countryside. This vintage soars in intensity and beauty.
Tasting Notes |
|
95 |
Italy |
2013 |
Cerbaiona di Diego Molinari Brunello di Montalcino |
1 |
Bottle |
|
150cl |
£220 |
Cask sample 1: Lustrous mid ruby with orange tinges. Still a little progress, but finer on the nose than the 2012. Subtle cherry and a hint of tea leaves. Proper Burgundian in style, think Marroneto but with added ripeness. Spectacular balance and ends on austere tannins. This just needs more time but is already exciting.
Cask sample 2: A shade deeper. More slumbering and with a little more concentration on the nose than cask sample 1. Intense, ripe raspberry and oatmeal notes. Juicy and almost a little racy, and with firmer tannins than sample 1, and a touch bitter at this stage. Shares breed and elegance with no 1, even if the tannins are more upfront. Yet the length and elegance are impressive.
Score: 17.5+ Walter Speller, JancisRobinson.com, March 2016
Tasting Notes |
|
17 |
Italy |
2013 |
Solaia |
1 |
Bottle |
|
150cl |
£400 |
Wow. This is a stylish young red with currant, light herb, spice and bark aromas and flavors. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins and a fresh finish. Balanced and attractive now but better in 2020. A classic as always.
Score: 97 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, July 2016
The best vintages of Solaia are 1990, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010 and now 2013. Marchesi Antinori's 2013 Solaia is a profound and meaningful wine that is based mostly on Cabernet Sauvignon with Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc in supporting roles. It sports a dark and thick texture with plump fruit and spice, grilled herb and black pepper. The bouquet is intense and layered with the kind of complexity that is best admired as the wine shifts and evolves in the glass. The textual impact is also impressive—you feel the inherent power and the structure, but these elements are never overdone. The best is yet to come; this Solaia is built for long cellar aging.
Score: 97+ Monica Larner, Wine Advocate (227), December 2016
Tasting Notes |
|
97 |
Italy |
2013 |
Castello dei Rampolla Sammarco |
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£295 |
Rating
95
Release Price
NA
Drink Date
2018 - 2035
Reviewed by
Monica Larner
Issue Date
31st Oct 2017
Source
233, The Wine Advocate
Wines from the Castello dei Rampolla property show an impressive and especially chiseled quality that gives them a very direct and immediate quality. These are frank and honest wines that stay true to the identity set forth years ago at this historic estate. They stay the course, so to speak. The 2013 Sammarco is Cabernet Sauvignon with Sangiovese and Merlot that tastes nothing like the many blended Bordeaux-inspired reds you find in this part of Italy. Instead, the wine is all-Tuscan in its appeal, with sun-drenched cherry, Mediterranean herb and a pretty balsam note that recalls the thick underbrush and woods of the Chianti Classico countryside. This vintage soars in intensity and beauty.
Tasting Notes |
|
95 |
Italy |
2013 |
Querciabella 'Batar' (Chardonnay/Pinot Bianco) |
2 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£320 |
|
|
|
Italy |
2013 |
Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Rabaja |
1 |
Case |
3 |
150cl |
£760 |
Rating
94
Release Price
NA
Drink Date
2018 - 2035
Reviewed by
Monica Larner
Issue Date
30th Jun 2017
Source
231, The Wine Advocate
This is the exciting new wine being presented by the Bruno Giacosa estate this year. The 2013 Barbaresco Rabajà comes from a half-hectare parcel purchased by Bruna Giacosa (Bruno's daughter) in 2013. Past incarnations of this wine were made with fruit that has now become part of the Asili cru under the revised map of vineyard crus. In other words, the name of the wine is technically the same, but the grapes used to make it are sourced from a different place starting with this vintage. This is a darkly enriched expression with ample power and muscle. The bouquet pours forth a beautiful array of dark fruit aromas with spice, smoke, laurel leaf and balsam herb. There's even a touch of aged cheddar or pecorino cheese that adds a spicy or piquant touch to the finish.
Tasting Notes |
|
94 |
Italy |
2013 |
Vietti Barolo Ravera |
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£1,460 |
Rating
98
Release Price
NA
Drink Date
2020 - 2045
Reviewed by
Monica Larner
Issue Date
31st Aug 2017
Source
232, The Wine Advocate
This is a stunning wine. The 2013 Barolo Ravera is a jaw-dropping creation that boasts soaring intensity with absolute clarity and purity of its aromatic impact. The bouquet is layered and rich with dark fruit, soft spice and cured tobacco. The integration of its aromas is seamless, polished and silky. But the wine is also compact and tightly wound around itself, meaning it still needs time to peel back like the opening petals of a rose bud. Give it at least five more years of cellar aging. The wine imparts a perfect Nebbiolo mouthfeel, showing intensity and firmness with an incredibly long and smoky finish.
Tasting Notes |
|
98 |
Italy |
2014 |
Gaja Barbaresco Sori Tildin |
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£1,450 |
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.
Tasting Notes |
|
94 |
Italy |
2015 |
Gaja Barbaresco Costa Russi |
1 |
Bottle |
|
150cl |
£620 |
Rating
93
Release Price
NA
Drink Date
2022 - 2040
Reviewed by
Monica Larner
Issue Date
29th Jun 2018
Source
237, The Wine Advocate
The 2015 Barbaresco Costa Russi was about to be bottled before I tasted it. Like the other wines from this warm vintage, you are treated to extra plushness and roundness with dark berry fruit intensity. This wine also offers unexpected mineral tones that come off as crushed oyster shell and talc powder. These add to the drying, almost nervous, tension you feel in the mouth.
Tasting Notes |
|
93 |
Italy |
2015 |
Pieve Santa Restituta (Gaja) Rennina |
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£585 |
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
Tasting Notes |
|
95 |
Italy |
2015 |
Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Rabaja |
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£760 |
Rating
95+
Release Price
NA
Drink Date
2022 - 2045
Reviewed by
Monica Larner
Issue Date
28th Jun 2019
Source
Issue 243 End of June 2019, The Wine Advocate
This beautiful wine was released in January and is on the market now. The 2015 Barbaresco Rabajà benefits from one more year in the bottle (compared to its peers) to show expressive and exuberant intensity. The bouquet delivers a special floral note that resembles lady's perfume of fragrant rose potpourri, but these ethereal tones only last for the first minute or two. After that, you get a solid core of dark fruit with blackberry and dried cherry. The wine is nicely contoured by firm tannins and lasting acidity. The Rabajà vineyard site measures only half a hectare, and 3,600 bottles are made each year as a result.
Tasting Notes |
|
95 |
Italy |
2016 |
Pieve Santa Restituta (Gaja) Rennina |
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£625 |
Rating
95+
Release Price
NA
Drink Date
2024 - 2042
Reviewed by
Monica Larner
Issue Date
30th Nov 2020
Source
End of November 2020, The Wine Advocate
The Pieve Santa Restituta 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina (with 15,000 bottles produced) offers intensity and beautifully concentrated fruit. The bouquet reveals layers of wild cherry, rose, blue flower and candied orange peel. However, if you are expecting a more subdued Rennina, that's not what you get in this classic 2016 vintage. The wine is buzzing with energy and vitality, with a lifted and an especially brilliant set of aromas. You might also detect a hint of fresh peppercorn or coriander seed that gives the wine a veil of the exotic.
Tasting Notes |
|
95 |
Italy |
2018 |
Bruno Giacosa Barolo |
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£795 |
|
|
|
Italy |
2019 |
Bruno Giacosa Barbera d'Alba |
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£130 |
|
|
|
Italy |
2020 |
Bruno Giacosa Barbera |
2 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£135 |
|
|
|
Italy |
2021 |
Bruno Giacosa Arneis |
2 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£115 |
|
|
|