Wines (12 View)

Organic

91 points Vinous
The 2017 Boca is an attractive, easygoing wine. The presence of 20% Vespolina and 15% Uva Rara adds a very pretty savory dimension to a core of Nebbiolo fruit. Sweet tobacco, cedar, dried herbs, mint and earthy notes develop with a bit of aeration. The 2017 is not terribly complex or structured, but it offers a very fine drinking today. It is a perfect restaurant wine in that sense.

From only 2 ha in the Ravera cru of Monforte d'Alba planted in 1960.
Aged in second-passage barriques for one year, then in 10-year-old oak botti (40 hL, 20 hL, and 15 hL) for 15 months, aged 8-10 months in bottle before release. A Kermit Lynch Import.

100 pts James Suckling
This is really muscular and really powerful. It is amazing. Full-bodied, yet tight and super structured with incredible power and super toned tannins. It goes on for minutes. The greatest Barbaresco ever from here? I love the strength with fruit finesse. I don?????t remember tasting a young Asili like this. Give this a lot of time to come together. One for the cellar. Try after 2026.

97+ points Wine Advocate
Packaged in its distinctive red label, the 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Asili is a rich and profound wine with incredible depth and dimension. Bruna Giacosa skipped over the 2015 vintage because she felt that the fruit was not poised for long aging. From the 2014 vintage, we jump to this 2016 expression, a wine that Bruna says reminds her of the epic 2001 and 2004 vintages. She also loves the 2017 vintage, which I look forward to tasting next year. This wine is incredibly precise and sharp; however, the volume and generous fruit weight promises a long aging future. The aromas veer toward red berry, cherry and cassis, and the darker black fruit tones that you might expect are less prominent in the Asili. The wine majestically captures the elegance and the power of this iconic vintage.

97 points James Suckling
Sweet berries, smoke, cedar and olives on the nose. Floral. Full-bodied with firm, chewy tannins and a pretty background and ripe fruit. Flavorful finish. Hints of bitter citrus and smoke, too. Very complex. Powerful for Falletto. Drink after 2026.

Organic

95 points Wine Advocate
This estate is certainly the most prolific interpreter of the hilltop Bricco Boschis MGA in Castiglione Falletto. The Cavallotto 2019 Barolo Bricco Boschis (a certified organic wine) would benefit from more time in the bottle. I encountered many Barolos in 2019 that reveal a slightly reductive approach that bodes well for long cellaring. This wine is characterized by velvety black fruit that is framed by dusty nuances of crushed limestone. It builds focus and precision with more time in the glass. Some 18,800 bottles were released.

95 points Decanter
Alfio Cavallotto is one of the most traditional producers in Langhe. His winemaking is not only classic but old-fashioned: indigenous yeast, oak fermentation, almost no temperature control, and long maceration with submerged cap. His wines are dark and concentrated and this 2019 is no different. Earthy and smoky, it has dark cherry and blood orange aromas alongside plenty of dried fruits. There's firm acidity to the fore, as well as firm tannins, with great mid-palate extraction. There's ome stickiness on the gums now so it comes across as very austere at the moment, but it's very good on the finish. This deserves more time in bottle and consumers who appreciate the style.

93 points Vinous
The 2018 Donnas opens slowly in the glass with a pretty display of violets and rose, a whiff of exotic spice, wet stone and wild berries. It's silky and round in texture, with a dense and savory wave of red and black fruits that saturate the senses. Inner florals and anise linger over a twang of sour citrus, as this tapers off lightly structured yet long, leaving a hint of plum and a peppery flourish. Lovers of cool-climate Nebbiolo will love this Valle d'Aosta take on the variety.

Dark red. Knockout perfume of sour red cherry, iron, dried rose petals and sweet spices. At once creamy and juicy, with terrific lift and inner-mouth perfume to the fine-grained flavors of raspberry, strawberry and flowers. Energetic and focused on the long finish, featuring noble tannins and repeating spicy notes. Aged one year in used 25-hectoliter barrels.

Produced on the rocky shores of Donnas, Pont-Saint-Martin, Perloz and Bard by Picotendro Nebbiolo grapes (ie dall'acino small and tender) for the 90% and 10% Freisa and Neyret. And 'the classic product that distinguishes the production of the Caves. Known and appreciated for centuries with historic references dating back to 1200, it was the first DOC Valle d'Aosta (1971). Before marketing is aged for 12 months in casks of 25 hl oak; holds well aging.

The Ferrando family has produced and traded wine for five generations. Ferrando Vini was founded in 1890 by Giuseppe Ferrando, who moved to Ivrea from Acqui to introduce the wines of Piedmont into the neighbouring region of Valle d’Aosta. Giuseppe’s son Luigi then expanded and developed the winemaking business. In 1957, Giuseppe Ferrando junior, the founder’s grandson, began production of one of the rarest wines obtained from the Nebbiolo variety: Carema, named after a small town in northern Piedmont, on the border with Valle d’Aosta. Here, in 1964, the Ferrando family built cellars for the production and ageing of this unique "mountain Barolo" (D.O.C. since 1967). In the early Eighties, Giuseppe’s son Luigi took over the company, which is currently owned by his son Roberto. The company’s creativity and inventiveness have been faithfully passed on through the generations, along with a steady commitment to quality.

This is one of the great wines of Italy, Luigi Ferrando’s 100% Nebbiolo di Carema called Etichetta Bianca. This is the benchmark wine of the appellation Carema. Produced exclusively from the Nebbiolo grape planted in a series of vineyards that sit beneath Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) in a broad amphitheater with full southern exposure overlooking the river, Dora Baltea, that runs from the snow-capped mountains south through the Valle d’Aosta into the northwestern range of Piedmont slicing the city of Ivrea in half. The vines are trained in a special way on pergola (known as “tupin” in local dialect) to obtain maximum exposure to the sun in this high altitude district and are planted to soils that are dominated by slate. The appellation of Carema is extremely small: only 16 hectares (approximately 40 acres) are planted to the vine. The Ferrando family controls 2.5 hectares of the appellation. The Nebbiolo grapes are harvested normally during the second half of October; then, they undergo a cuvaison of approximately two weeks in stainless steel before being racked into a mixture of large and small barrels for an extended aging period of 30 to 36 months before being bottled (without filtration). By law, the Carema cannot be released before four years of aging. Production of the Carema “Etichetta Bianca” is approximately 7200 bottles per annum, two-thirds of which (4800 bottles) comes to the States. A small quantity of magnums is bottled each year at our request as well. The Carema of Ferrando reveals the most elegant and delicate and complex characteristics of the Nebbiolo grape with a surprising capacity to age.

91 points Vinous
The 2021 Rosso Canavese is a gorgeous, fresh red Nebbiol/Barbera blend to drink now and over the next few years. Rose petal, sweet red berry fruit, cedar, pipe tobacco and dried herbs are beautifully delineated. All the savory and mineral energy of this Alpine district comes alive in an accessible, entry-level offering that can be enjoyed with minimal fanfare. What a delight this is.

The Ferrando family has produced and traded wine for five generations. Ferrando Vini was founded in 1890 by Giuseppe Ferrando, who moved to Ivrea from Acqui to introduce the wines of Piedmont into the neighbouring region of Valle d’Aosta. Giuseppe’s son Luigi then expanded and developed the winemaking business. In 1957, Giuseppe Ferrando junior, the founder’s grandson, began production of one of the rarest wines obtained from the Nebbiolo variety: Carema, named after a small town in northern Piedmont, on the border with Valle d’Aosta. Here, in 1964, the Ferrando family built cellars for the production and ageing of this unique "mountain Barolo" (D.O.C. since 1967). In the early Eighties, Giuseppe’s son Luigi took over the company, which is currently owned by his son Roberto. The company’s creativity and inventiveness have been faithfully passed on through the generations, along with a steady commitment to quality.

Produced predominantly from Nebbiolo with roughly 30% Barbera and a touch of a local variety known as "Neretta" (the little black), this lovely red wine, vinified in stainless steel and bottled 12 to 15 months after harvest, is full of wild berries (notably strawberry and raspberry), spice and a touch of warm earthiness. The tannins are delicate and fine which enables this wine to be consumed with pleasure in its youth. As always with Nebbiolo-based wines, harvest occurs usually in the early to mid parts of October.

Organic

Organic

91 points Vinous
The 2019 Barolo is gorgeous. Dark, ample and super-expressive, the 2019 caresses the palate with generous fruit and fine balance. All the elements are so well put together. Succulent dark cherry, plum, leather, rose petal and spice are nicely amplified in this striking entry-level offering from the Rinaldi family. As is often the case, the straight Barolo punches above its weight.

The Francesco Rinaldi’s normale Barolo displays supple fruit with distant aromas of wild strawberries and cherries. The standard blending formula for this classic Barolo sees fruit from six vineyard parcels, including some from the celebrated Cannubi cru that is most strongly identified with this estate. This vintage awards some added softness and fruitiness that goes a long way to create a long and silky mouthfeel.

91 points Vinous
This is a nuanced, understated wine. Sweet floral and spice notes open first, leading to an attractive core of Nebbiolo fruit. Gentle and understated, with lovely percision, the 2019 Albe is a hushed wine that is more about energy than size.

Organic

#26 on The Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2023!

96 points Wine Spectator
A juicy Barolo, with vibrant acidity and a fluid profile that exudes cherry, raspberry, mown hay, mineral and eucalyptus aromas and flavors. Tight yet long, with excellent potential. Best from 2027 through 2048.

97 points Vinous
The 2019 Barolo Bricco delle Viole offers a beguiling combination of depth and energy. Dark and potent in the glass yet also quite reticent the 2019 is going to take a number of years to come around. Black cherry graphite crushed rocks mint sage and incense all open in the glass but only with quite a bit of reticence. I especially like the way the 2019 opens up on its resonant expansive finish but it remains a decidedly brooding Barolo whose best days are far off in the future. (Drink between 2029-2049)

97+ points Jeb Dunnuck
Jeweled in appearance the 2019 Barolo Bricco Delle Viole may be the best wine I have tried yet from Vajra. Its gorgeous and alluring perfume of fresh roses is followed by a Burgundian elegant red with incredible length and no harsh edges fine and present tannins and beautiful graceful concentration. It is drinking well now and I will be trying to get my hands on as much of this as possible. Drink 2025-2045. The G.D. Vajra estate is based within the commune of Barolo with the entire family contributing and Giuseppe and Aldo Vajra at the helm of the winemaking responsibilities. Giuseppe who took more of a leadership role in 2008 has been instrumental in continuing to develop the family estate while Isidoro Vajra leads in vineyard management. Most recently they have completed the expansion of their cellar space and offices. They are also now releasing their wines a touch later to allow for additional time in bottle to soften any harsh edges. As of the 2019 vintage both the G.D. Vajra and Luigi Baudana estates are certified organic.

97+ points Wine advocate
The last wine poured at my tasting at the winery is the G.D. Vajra 2019 Barolo Bricco delle Viole. With its high vantage point in the hills west of Barolo, Bricco delle Viole is a world apart in terms of soils (with Sant'Agata marl and fossils) and even harvest times. Slow and careful ripening like the kind that characterizes fruit in 2019 renders a very delicate and ethereal expression with floral tones, wild mint and licorice. This organic wine is solid in build and structure. Indeed, Isidoro Vaira remarks that Nebbiolo tannins have changed since the 1970s and 1980s. Because of climate change and stylistic preference, they are more polished and accessible today.