Wines (24 View)

Brilliant straw yellow color; perlage extremely fine and lively. Intense and fresh nose of citrus fruits and saline sensations. Fruit-forward, refreshing

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.

100 points James Suckling
This is the second 100-point Vigna Le Rocche, following the 2015. What the former had in intensity of fruit and transparency, this has in structure and power. The purity of fruit is sensational in this young Barolo, offering blackberries, black truffle and iron. Rust too. This is so tannic and powerful with incredible structure. This may be the most structured Barolo from Bruno Giacosa I have ever tasted as a young wine. Speechless. Full-bodied and so intense, yet it remains fresh and agile. Traditional in every sense of the word, but this is clear and clean. A classic in the making. It will be in the market January 2022. Leave this for at least six to eight years. Try in 2027.

98 points Wine Advocate
The Bruno Giacosa 2016 Barolo Falletto Vigna Le Rocche sees its fruit sourced from the oldest vines in the Falletto cru. This wine boasts all the signature touches of Serralunga d'Alba with the massive structure, density and the long aging potential that comes with Nebbiolo grown in this village. The wine spreads evenly over the palate, imparting its considerable fruit weight and generally leaving a big impact. This Barolo is really quite lovely and beautiful. The bouquet is fluid and ever-shifting, showing new sides with firm fruit, blackberry, smoke, rusty nail and mineral with every swirl of the glass. I visited this vineyard site shortly before tasting this wine and marveled at the beautiful peacocks that roam free between the rows of vines.

98 points Wine Spectator
This red bursts with juicy cherry, blackberry, floral and mineral aromas and flavors fused to a firm structure, with dense tannins gaining the upper hand on the finish for now. Nevertheless, there is a beam of pure cherry throughout and this finishes long, with fruit and wild herbs gracing the aftertaste. Best from 2026.

Organic

91 points Vinous
The NV Rosso Cala Cala is dusty and floral with a dark mix of dried black cherries, rose petals and spice. This is a juicy and pure effort with medium-bodied weight and citrus-infused wild berry fruits. It finishes with a surprising grip, maintaining freshness as hints of tart blackberry slowly fade. This rendition of Cala Cala is intense and has the balance to evolve positively over the next three to four years.

95% Nerello Mascalese and 5% Nerello Cappuccio

Organic

Grab your red and white checkered tablecloth, your spaghetti marinara, and your date for Friday night. This is the ideal red-sauce joint rosso from Sicily. When we were coming up in the biz, those old-school Chiantis used to be the go-to wines for our Billy Joel "Italian Restaurant" wine, but today this suits the bill perfectly for your inexpensive red for red sauce. - PJ

Winemaker Notes:
"Intense ruby red color with violet nuances; intense, characteristic bouquet of the primary grape aromas; fruity component, fullbodied and robust, well-balanced with tannin and oak features"

Organic / Biodynamic

#15. On The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines Of 2024!

96 points Wine Spectator
This red is all about finesse, delivering superb balance and complexity, with cherry, raspberry, earth and wild herb aromas and flavors. Succulent and charming, yet with a solid base of tannins and vivid acidity, this remains focused through the long aftertaste. Best from 2026 through 2042.

95 points Vinous
The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino is remarkably pretty, wafting up with a blend of violets and lavender before giving way to steeped plum lifted by mint. This is racy and sleek, with cooling acidity and mineral tones that excite the palate. Juicy acidity enlivens tart wild berry fruits. The 2019 finds its center through the finish, as fine tannins emerge and a crunchy sensation lingers. Licorice and bitter blackberry notes taper off slowly. In a word, fantastic. The balance of complexity, structure and energy places the 2019 very high in my book

Organic

Traditional Sardinian producer with large cavernous cement tanks under house; old vine Cannonau (avg. 50 yr. old). Decomposed granitic soils gives wines acidic zing. Practicing organic.

Organic

93 points Vinous
The 2020 Chianti Classico is a dark, voluptuous red. Black cherry, plum, licorice and spice are all amplified in this potent, racy wine. Readers will find a super-classic Panzano Chianti Classico built on texture and volume. Expressive floral and spice notes resonate on the rich, potent finish. A dollop of 10% Merlot works well in exalting richness. This is beautifully done.

97 points Wine Advocate
In my mind, this is the wine that best represents the Casanova di Neri house style. With 30 months of aging in tonneaux, it shows enormous richness and texture, and the stellar fruit quality appears with more primary elegance compared to the more expensive Cerretalto that is released with an extra year of aging. That dynamic is especially pronounced in a comparison of the 2019 and 2018 vintages. The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova has a dark vein of toasted spice, black fruit, ink, blackberry compote, licorice and star anise. Dark as night, it is exceptionally well crafted with a robust delivery of concentrated fruit and solid tannic structure. You can count on excellent cellar potential, or at a minimum, serve it with a classic steak.

Organic

Organic

94 points Vinous
The 2019 Chianti Classico has changed dramatically since I last tasted it, either because of more time in bottle, or because this is a later bottling. In any event, the 2019 is dense, ample and resonant in feel. Readers will find a serious, texturally intense Chianti Classico that delivers the goods, big time.

Iconic Montalcino producer Castello Banfi leases 42 acres in the Chianti Classico commune of Castellina in Chianti for its Fonte alla Selva label. The estate also has long-term contracts to purchase wines from three to four producers for this Chianti Classico. A selection is made between the lots for the Chianti Classico and the riserva before blending, aging and bottling in Banfi’s cellars in Montalcino. The wine is aged for a total of 12 months, seven to eight in stainless-steel tanks before racking into 6,000- to 9,000-liter oak casks. Banfi has permission to age and bottle its Chianti Classico outside the zone because former winemaker Ezio Rivella grew grapes in Chianti Classico beginning in the early 1980s

Organic

92 points Wine Spectator
Rich yet succulent and open-knit, this red delivers strawberry, cherry, earth, tobacco and licorice flavors allied to a fine structure. Shows excellent balance and length. Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2028.

91 points James Suckling
This has aromas of cherries, blackberries, mushrooms, cloves, tar and tobacco. It’s medium-bodied with firm tannins. Savory and spicy with a flavorful finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

97 points James Suckling
Very perfumed with flowers and sandalwood. Medium- to full-bodied with very fine tannins that are so long and intense. This will compete with top Brunellos. Linear and driven at the end. From organically grown grapes. Best after 2026.

92 points Wine Advocate
Opening to medium-dark concentration, the organic Castello di Bossi 2020 Chianti Classico Riserva Berardo offers a velvet-like texture with substantial aromas of dark plum and sweet cherry and moderate tones of earth and spice that are expertly woven within the wine's fine texture. This Riserva offers good tannic structure with fine, powdery sensations to close.

Organic

90 points Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of strawberries and dried cranberries make for an unusually, pleasantly bright nose on this Primitivo. The palate is similarly fresh and crunchy with tannic red fruit, further animated by acid.

90 points James Suckling
A fruity and fresh red with chocolate, cherry and berry character. Some citrus undertones. Medium body, light tannins and a fruity finish.

Organic

Ruby red with violet notes, along with a nose of intense red fruit notes, with light hints of spices and chocolate. On the palate, it is medium bodied with mature tannins and notes of spices and chocolate.

This is a beautiful rose from Veneto, Italy, comprised of 60% Corvina, 35% Rondinella, and 5% Molinara. The color is extremely delicate but don’t let that fool you as this wine has quite the presence on the palate. Very well-balanced and structured with much more character to offer than the color suggests. The grapes are harvested about a week earlier than for the straight Bardolino to preserve freshness. The skin contact pre-fermentation is overnight. Varieties are all fermented together in stainless steel and malolactic fermentation is blocked. Aged on its lees until bottling in February.

Cavicchioli Prosecco should be enjoyed as an aperitif; particularly suitable for appetizers, delicate first courses and fish-based dishes. Serving temperature: chilled to 40°F.

This medium-bodied table red from the Veneto region of Italy was $11.99 a bottle!

Organic

This complex and truly unique sparkling wine is crafted from 100% organically grown Fiano from Campania, Italy. This high elevation estate has both limestone and volcanic soil which provides amazing complexity to their wines. It is medium-bodied, bright with a salty minerality that is captivating. The grapes are pressed slowly, then fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless tanks. Then aged for three years in bottle on lees before disgorgement.

Organic

94 points Vinous
The 2019 Barolo Ginestra Vigna del Gris is another terrific wine from Conterno-Fantino. Crushed flowers, cedar, pipe tobacco, mint, dried flowersand worn in leather give the 2019 striking aromatic presence. Here, too, Fabio Conterno has done a terrific jobin taming the Monforte tannins. The Gris never has the completeness of the other Crus, but in 2019 it is positively striking. I would drink this ahead of the other 2019s. Drinking Window 2024-2034

I was blown away by the wines I tasted at Conterno-Fantino. The 2019s are nuanced transparent and wonderfully expressive of place. In other words everything Barolo should be. Everything starts in the vineyard which has always been evident here. In recent years Fabio Fantino has refined that approach giving the wines a level of precision that is impossible to miss. The 2019s spent 15-18 days on the skins far longer than a decade ago and were aged in a combination of barrique and 25hL casks. The 2019s are simply stellar.