Italy

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

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.

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

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.  

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.

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

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

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.  

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.