Italy

Located in Prosecco’s Conegliano region of the Veneto lie the 60 hectares of Masottina’s vineyards. Owned by the Dal Bianco family since 1946, they switched from being a négociant to vineyard owner in the 1960s. They produce a classic expression of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco. With fine, persistent bubbles, this is pale straw yellow with greenish highlights. The nose is intense, fruity with the rich scent of apple, lemon and grapefruit. It has a pronounced aroma of wisteria in bloom and acacia flowers. The palate has a pleasant acidity and fresh flavour. Full-bodied, and lingering, a soft finish rounds off this crowd-pleasing Prosecco.

{***}{region}Veneto{region}
{color}White{color}                                                               {maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Drink now{maturity-text}
{vintage}NV{vintage}{***}

Gris, 100% Pinot Grigio grapes coming from a selected vineyard where all vines have reached their maturity in production. After starting the fermentation in stainless-steel, it is then left to proceed in 500-litre French oak barrels; maturation will last for 11 months on the fine lees, in the same barrels where fermentation was completed. During this period the wine gains a greater aromatic width, without modifying the original characteristics of the grape.

{***}{region}Fruili{region}
{color}White{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2015{vintage}{***}

Luminous straw-yellow. Tangy aromas of nectarine, pineapple, apple, minty herbs and lime, complicated by a bright mineral undertone. Very precise, vibrant and dense, offering floral, captivating flavors of white stone fruit, pineapple, crushed rock and spice. The compelling fruity acidity frames and carries the extremely lifted and complex flavors through the very long finish, which features lingering notes of lemon verbena, jasmine and minerals. Along with the great 2010, this is the best Trebbiano d’Abruzzo from Valentini since his also outstanding 2008. Drink now till 2033

{***}{region}Abruzzo{region}
{color}White{color}                                                                                                {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2014{vintage}
{ratings}         
 []Vinous:: 94/100                                                                                                        
{ratings}{***}

This Langhe Nebbiolo comes from Roberto’s south-facing slopes above the river, from vines over 60 years old. This is a great expression of Nebbiolo, filled with dried flowers, dark and red fruits, sweet spices, high-toned fragrance and lucid purity. After spending 12 months in large Slovenian oak, the palate is firm, but generous, typical of the warm vintage. Drink now to 2025.

{***}{region}Piedmont{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2015{vintage}{***}

The 2013 Barolo Via Nuova is a more accessible wine with ripe and round fruit flavors that lift gracefully from the glass. The bouquet is immediately open and articulate. Fruit is sourced from six vineyards spread across three townships: Barolo (Terlo and Liste), Monforte d'Alba (Ravera and Mosconi) and Serralunga d'Alba (Gabutti and Baudana). - The Wine Advocate

{***}{region}Italy{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2013{vintage}
{ratings}
 [] The Wine Advocate:: 93/100{ratings}        {***}

Complex, soft and seductive nose, with concentrated aromas of wild strawberry, crushed rose petal and eucalyptus. Very juicy and expansive on the palate, with a beautiful purity of fruit, great energy and precision, elegant tannins and a lingering saline finish. Outstanding.

{***}{region}Piedmont{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                                                                {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2013{vintage}
{ratings}          
[]Antonio Galloni:: 92/100
{ratings}  {***}

The colour of Villa Calcinaia’s Chianti Classico Riserva is rich-ruby, whilst the bouquet is mature in its fruit, well blended with the oak. The taste of the wine is soft, velvety. The structure is solid and the wood well integrated. The aftertaste is spicy and persistent

{***}
{region}Chianti{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               {maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Drink now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2014{vintage}{***}

The 2013 Brunello di Montalcino from Podere Scopetone opens to evolved notes of dried cherry, cured meat and grilled herb. This mid-weight wine presents a smooth and silky texture that covers the palate from start to finish. There is some primary fruit still on display that is reinforced by the wine's bright acidity and the tonic freshness it imparts to the palate. This is a perfect pairing partner to grilled veal. - The Wine Advocate

{***}{region}Tuscany{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                                                                {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2013{vintage}
{ratings}         
[]The Wine Advocate:: 92/100
{ratings}         {***}

The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino from Podere Scopetone delivers a robust and fleshy opening. At its core, the wine shows blackberry and dried cherry with tobacco, barbecue spice and cured meat. It articulates a hearty but evenly balanced interpretation of Sangiovese, especially with regards to the bouquet. Like many wines from this vintage, the mouthfeel is noticeably thinner and more compact in terms of length. - The Wine Advocate

{***}{region}Tuscany{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                                                                {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2012{vintage}
{ratings}         
[]The Wine Advocate:: 91/100
{ratings}         {***}

This Crianza spends 13 months gently maturing in barrel, then a further year in bottle prior to release. It displays ripe fruit notes while remaining remarkably fresh thanks to the region’s significant diurnal shift. Deep ruby in colour, the wine offers aromas of black cherry, blackcurrant, forest fruits and fresher raspberry notes alongside subtle hints of cedar and nutmeg. On the palate, it is fleshy but structured, with a finesse and silkiness that lingers on the finish. Ready to drink now.

{***}{region} Italy {region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2014{vintage}{***}

Smoky notes black cherry and graphite introduce a more brooding Barbaresco. The palate structure is incredible with taut tannins and vibrant acidity forming the foundation for the densely-packed fruit. A lesson in purity, balance and precision.

{***}
{region} Italy {region}
{color}Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2013{vintage}{***}

It offers up a lovely, perfumed bouquet that leads to crushed raspberries, flowers and spices. Medium in body, this delicious red reveals excellent length and an accessible personality.

{***}{region}Fruili{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2015{vintage}{***}

A blend of 55% corvina, 40% rondinella and a minority of molinara; grapes are harvested just prior to raisining (appassimento), fermentation is in stainless steel, with a second re-fermentation on amarone pomace, then aged part in stainless steel and part in tonneaux (900 litre wooden vats), before blending and bottling unfiltered; wax sealed coated natural cork closure, 15.5% abv.

{***}{region}Veneto{region}
{color} Red {color}                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2013{vintage}{***}

A complex, rich and impressive wine, this Amarone was bottled in 2016 – giving it time to relax and integrate. The bouquet is deep and concentrated, with notes of wild cherry, plum and balsamic herbs. The palate is smooth and full, with savoury notes of game, tobacco leaf and leather. As with all Zeno’s wines, however, there is incredible resolve and freshness despite the classical Amarone sweetness and alcohol – resulting in a superbly drinkable masterstroke that will also stand the test of time. Drink now to 2030.

{***}{region}Veneto{region}
{color} Red {color}                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2012{vintage}{***}

The "Poliphemo" by Luigi Tecce is a Taurasi of great structure and concentration, obtained from vines of 80 years of age, vinified with long macerations in open vats and aged for 24 months in medium-sized barrels. It has a wide and complex bouquet of red fruit, spices, incense, undergrowth, roots and aromatic herbs that invites a soft, material and powerful sip.

{***}{region} Campania{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               {maturity}drink-now{maturity} {maturity-text}Drink now{maturity-text}
{vintage}2013{vintage}{***}

Wallow in warm Umbrian summer brambly fruit, the nose pings with raspberries zip yet is also laid back, nonchalant. Similarly the palate’s a real charmer, with no tannins to speak of, so easy, lush, fairly medium/full bodied, yet bright and alive, mystical too as it ebbs this way and then that across the palate. A wonderful wine of the soil, of the place, of Montefalco. Drinking now with the likes of turkey or chook.

{***}{region}Umbria{region}
{color} Red {color}                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2010{vintage}{***}

The Cannonau grape (a.k.a. Grenache) finds a grandiose expression in Mamoiada, in the heart of Sardinia’s mountainous interior. With a mere two hectares of vines and a radically artisanal approach to his craft, Giovanni Montisci has earned a cult-like following for his powerful and distinctive wines from organically farmed old vines grown at 650 meters elevation. The chilly nights here preserve freshness while favoring a deep, complex expression of Cannonau that ranks among the world’s finest Grenaches. Naturally fermented, aged in large casks, and bottled unfiltered, Giovanni’s 2016 “Barrosu”—a local word for someone who is brazen or bold—is imposing as its name suggests, recalling wild strawberry, juniper, and Mediterranean scrubland.

{***}{region}Sardinia{region}
{color} Red {color}                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2016{vintage}{***}

The white varietals of Trebbiano and Malvasia, together with a portion of the red grape Canaiolo, are dried naturally after harvest in the Estate’s drying room to produce this traditional Tuscan wine. During the drying process the grapes are constantly controlled and mouldy berries are carefully cleaned off. By February the grapes, that have reached about 350/400 grams of sugar content, are pressed and racked to tiny Slavonian oak barrels of 55 liters, in Tuscany known as caratelli. Here the sweet must ferments on the spontaneous yeast population for approximately 8 years with only the occasional refilling before bottling. Villa Calcinaia’s Vin Santo has an amber colour with an intense, resinous aroma characterised by dry apricot. Lots of fruitiness which becomes fuller on the palate, whose feeling is smooth and velvety with a well balanced sweetness. Vin Santo is at its best served with well matured cheeses, foies gras or even better as an after dinner drink.

{***}{region}Tuscany{region}
{color}White{color}           {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2009{vintage}{***}

Ripeness and refinement define this Cannubi and its complexity is already evident – sour black cherry and ripe plum are interwoven with tar and more savoury, herbal notes. There is no denying the concentration and weight of phenolic matter across the palate: this is long and powerful.

{***}{region}Italy{region}
{color} Red{color}           {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2012{vintage}
{ratings}
 [] The Wine Advocate:: 91/100{ratings}        {***}

This thoroughbred shows the nuances of artful blending, as well as a deft mastery of the appassimento and ripasso techniques that are Quintarelli’s stylistic trademarks. Generously aromatic, layered with flavor; long, rich, and satisfying.

{***}{region}Italy{region}
{color} Red{color}           {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2011{vintage}
{ratings}
{ratings}        {***}

The 2012 d'Alceo is a Tuscan blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. This is a more challenging vintage. There is a heavy layer of ripe fruit with sweet strawberry and dried blackberry that is hard to dig past in order to reach more delicate and complex nuances. The 2012 summer heat and lack of rain makes for less dimension. The wine drinks nicely now, but I would suggest a near to medium-term drinking window.

{***}{region}Italy{region}
{color} Red{color}           {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2012{vintage}
{ratings}

 [] The Wine Advocate:: 91/100

{ratings} {***}

The 2011 Flaccianello della Pieve is 100% Sangiovese aged 24 months in new French oak and two months in large oak cask. I’m not sure how Fontodi does it, but this edition of Flaccianello is simply beautiful. It is a seamless expression with lingering tones of red cherry, coffee, spice, truffle and red rose that flow harmoniously into unison. In the mouth, the wine shows great opulence and textural richness that is pushed forward by the stylistic softness of the tannins and the wine’s inner freshness. Pretty menthol tones appear on the finish. Drink: 2015-2030.

Following the glorious performance of Fontodi in 2010, I had lowered my expectations with regard to 2011. The 2010 Flaccianello della Pieve was one of my favorite wines tasted last year. Although the 2011 vintage does indeed result in softer, plusher wines, the Fontodi magic is delivered in droves nonetheless. 

{***}{region}Tuscany{region}
{color}Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}2011{vintage}{***}

{ratings}
 [] The Wine Advocate:: 94/100{ratings}    {***}

Reflective of its warm 2011 growing year, Prunotto’s cuvée Barolo is an open-knit, velvety beauty. Succulent cherries and berries mingle with fresh-cut herbs, tar, pressed violets, licorice, warm cigar wrapper, and spice in a complex, ever-changing nose. Sprightly acidity and chewy tannins give this Barolo energy and balance, and a lingering, satisfying finish completes the drinking experience. You can enjoy this wine upon release, but it’ll drink beautifully over the medium term. Deriving from fossil-rich, clay-marl vineyards in Monforte, Castiglione Falletto, and Serralunga, grapes ferment for about two weeks in temperature-controlled vats; the wine ages for about eighteen months in casks of various sizes, followed by a year in bottle before release.

{***}{region}Italy{region}
{color} Red{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-improve{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will improve{maturity-text}
{vintage}2011{vintage}