Acclaim

Of these new releases from Poderi Luigi Einaudi, the 2017 Barolo Bussia is the wine that shows the most overt markings of the hot and dry growing season. This is something we saw this vintage across a good many of the Nebbiolo-based wines from Bussia, despite this being one of the larger and therefore less accurately summed up MGA crus in the wider Barolo appellation. The vines are south-facing to absorb long sun hours and planted in calcareous marl soils. The Barolo Bussia reveals some subtle over-ripeness with sweet aromas of wild strawberry, dried raspberry and cherry confit. That softness is wrapped up firmly by Nebbiolo’s lasting structure and elegant tannins. This 7,776-bottle release is poised for a slightly more immediate drinking window. -Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, Oct 2021

The Poderi Luigi Einaudi 2017 Barolo Cannubi draws its fruit from a very special site (as all Cannubi enthusiasts can attest to) with grayish Sant’Agata marls soils with a mix of sand, clay and calcareous material. These light, well-draining soils tend to produce high-pitched wines with plenty of lifted or vertical aromatic intensity. The wine boasts aromas of wild berry, purple rose, dry mint and crushed stone. The wine’s texture is lean and silky. There’s plenty of power to drive the wine’s future bottle evolution. Production is 12,000 bottles. -Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, Oct 2021

This is an accessible Barolo that delivers plenty of varietal and territorial typicity without breaking the bank. With 37,855 bottles released, the Poderi Luigi Einaudi 2017 Barolo Ludo draws its fruit from the younger vines across various vineyards, including Cannubi, Terlo and Bussia. The wine promises a fresh and snappy style, with wild fruit, tarry resin, blue flower and crushed limestone. Those pretty and faithfully characteristic Nebbiolo tones are drawn out nicely by the medium-rich texture of the wine. -Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, Oct 2021

With fruit from old, southeast-facing vines, the Poderi Luigi Einaudi 2017 Barolo Terlo Vigna Costa Grimaldi shows very nicely in this hot vintage. The positioning of the vines and the age of the deeply furrowed roots surely play a big role toward achieving the balance and pretty intensity offered here. The wine is streamlined and tight, with no loose ends, held firmly together by fresh Nebbiolo acidity and well-managed tannins. There is a lot of power built up in this Terlo fruit, but the wine also reveals austerity and sharp lines. This wine is more about structure than it is fruit, and with an ample 11,266 bottles made, you can put a few of those aside for extra cellar aging. -Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, Oct 2021

The complexity and beauty of this wine is something else on the nose, offering perfume, cedar, dried flower, black cherry, blueberry and crushed stone. Orange peel, too. Full-bodied with incredible layers of ultra-fine tannins that give this wine horizontal depth that almost seems endless. Extremely long and lightly chewy at the end. This is one for the cellar. Try after 2026. -James Suckling, Oct. 2021

Plenty of complexity to this, with cherry, plum, blackberry and hints of cedar and stone. Full-bodied with layered, velvety tannins and a flavorful finish. Punctuated and defined for the 2017 vintage. Drinkable now, but better after 2023. -James Suckling, Oct. 2021

Musky wild berries in an air of peppery herbs, florals, wet stone and undergrowth wafts up from the 2019 Rosso Pongelli. Its silky textures wash a pure display of ripe red berries and hints of sweet citrus across the palate. Bright acidity and minerals maintain a lovely energy and inner tension, as this tapers off with inner rose tones and a hint of vanilla bean. The Pongelli, an equal-parts blend of Sangiovese and Montepulciano, is very easy-drinking, but also quite likable. – Eric Guido, Vinous, Oct. 2021

EDITORS’ CHOICE    Aromas of white stone fruit, Mediterranean scrub, hazelnut and flint are just some of the aromas you’ll find on this impressive white. Showing the serious side of Vermentino and the superiority of the Gallura growing zone, it’s full-bodied, fresh and weightless. It delivers ripe apricot, pineapple, citrus and notes of honeyed almond before an almost salty close.  -Kerin O’Keefe, Wine Enthusiast, Oct. 2021