Acclaim

The 2015 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Sant’Urbano is flat-out stunning. It opens slowly with a beguiling display of sour cherries offset by sweet mint, lavender, hints of licorice, pine shavings and powdered sugar. It’s rich and deeply textural yet also full of energy, with masses of tart berries, exotic spices and dark chocolate saturating the senses, maintaining energy through vibrant acids that also work to balance the mounting tannins. A coating of fruit extract and hints of bitter coffee linger on the long, structured finish. The 2015 is intense, requiring some time to settle down, but once it does, watch out. Drinking window: 2021 – 2035 – Eric Guido

The 2017 Recioto della Valpolicella Classico La Roggia seduces with a rich and heady bouquet, as sweet white smoke gives way to cherry liquor, exotic spices, candied ginger and a soothing note of vanilla. It’s silky in texture yet much more lifted than expected, showing remarkable energy for a Recioto, but also decidedly sweet and monolithic. This finishes long, resonating on concentrated notes of blackberry, citrus peel and hints of bitter bakers’ chocolate. The 2017 La Roggia is front-loaded and all about unapologetic pleasure. Drinking window: 2021 – 2030 – Eric Guido

Sour cherries, crushed raspberries, orange peel and walnut oil. Smoke and ash, too. It’s medium-bodied with sleek yet chewy tannins and bright acidity. Drink or hold.” -James Suckling, Mar. 2021

The 2015 Vino da Uve Stramature Latinia opens with a kaleidoscopic display of candied lemon peel, grilled orange, pineapple, kiwi, coconut, golden raisins and hints of yellow curry. It’s deeply textural and creamy in feel yet somehow lifted, mixing salty and sweet through notes of dried nectarine, peach, baked apple and roasted almond. This finishes impossibly fresh considering the depth and density on the palate, seeming to recall all of the floral and tropical tones found within, and finally tapering off to a note of spiced ginger cookies. Fans of dessert wines take note: this is truly worth seeking out. The Latinia is produced using late-harvest Nasco grapes, a variety indigenous to Sardinia.  – Eric Guido, Vinous, Mar. 2021

The 2017 Cannonau di Sardegna Noras shows a rich display of crushed blackberries, plum, smoke and brown sugar lifted by minty herbal tones. This is velvety in texture, with a polished feel to its sapid red and black fruits, and a bitter twang of coffee and balsamic spices toward the close. A hint of tobacco and licorice lingers through the long, lightly structured finale. The Noras takes a little time to fully come together in the glass, but it is well worth the wait. – Eric Guido, Vinous, Mar. 2021

The 2018 Carignano del Sulcis Rocca Rubia impresses more for purity than power, presenting a display of sweet florals, crushed stone, bright cherry and hints of flowery undergrowth. It’s silky in texture, lifted by vibrant acidity, with tart wild berry fruits and saline-minerals giving way to violet tones toward the close. A subtle coating of tannin lingers, framing the experience nicely, as this tapers off with a bitter twang and hints of licorice. The Rocca Rubia is very pretty and lightly structured, showing the difficulties of the vintage while maintaining admirable balance.  – Eric Guido, Vinous, Mar. 2021

Made with organically grown grapes, this full-bodied, plush red has inviting aromas of baked plum, new leather, camphor and violet. Smooth and enveloping, the delicious palate doles out mouthfuls of fruit cake, baking spice, fleshy blackberry and licorice. Velvety tannins provide softness while fresh acidity keeps it balanced. Drink through 2031. ” — Kerin O’Keefe, Wine Enthusiast, Mar. 2021

The 2017 Barolo Castelletto Vigna Pressenda is a gorgeous, exotic wine. Rose petal, orange peel, cinnamon, cedar and red berry fruit all open in a beautifully layered, super-expressive Barolo from Conterno-Fantino. Beams of Castelletto tannin extend the finish while lending a real feeling of vibrancy throughout. The balance of purity and structure is compelling.  — Antonio Galloni                Drink 2025 – 2037.                       Feb 2021

The 2017 Barolo Ginestra Vigna del Gris is classic Gris. Bright, focused and taut in feel, 2017 offers up a whole range of floral and spice top notes that give the wine terrific freshness. On the palate, the Gris is a bit nervous, as it always is, yet with superb balance and class. The tannins can be a bit edgy here, but the 2017 keeps everything in check. This is such a pretty wine. — Antonio Galloni                Drink 2025 – 2035.        Feb 2021

The 2017 Barolo Ginestra Vigna Sorì Ginestra is another gorgeous, expressive wine in this range. Broad and ample, the 2017 captures all of the personality of this site. Dark-fleshed fruit, spice, menthol, licorice, espresso, dried flowers and pine infuse the 2017 with myriad layers of dimension. There is plenty of Ginestra energy and tannin, so a few years of cellaring is a must. — Antonio Galloni       Drink 2025 – 2037.                       Feb 2021