Red Wine

The 2016 Barolo Bussia is explosive, vibrant and full of energy. Bright saline notes give the Barolo Bussia great tension and sheer drive. Deceptively medium in body the Bussia is also incredibly distinctive. Its rich, vivid flavors are so finely sculpted. In this range, the Bussia is distinguished by its mid-palate sweetness and that creaminess that is so common in the best Bussia Barolos. I love the vibrancy here.

The 2016 Barolo Campè is superb. Dark, potent and powerful, the 2016 possesses tremendous intensity to match its dark, virile personality. More than anything else, in 2016 the Campè offers a captivating interplay of fruit and structure. The 2016 is not a shy wine; rather it is rich and hedonistic to the core, while maintaining a striking sense of translucence. Black cherry, chocolate, espresso, licorice and clove all build into the huge finish. In a word: Superb. In 2016 Giorgio Rivetti and his team made a Barolo with a sense of classicism I have never seen before to this degree in a La Spinetta wine.

The 2020 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso is a rich, resonant wine that captures the natural radiance of the Tuscan Coast. Blackberry jam, mocha, plum, chocolate, spice and espresso all build in a mid-weight yet succulent, inviting Bolgheri red. There's terrific richness and resonance here. This is a classic Guado al Tasso. In 2020, the estate did not make its top bottling, the 100% Cabernet Franc Matarocchio, opting to use that fruit for Guado al Tasso. "Late season rains were challenging for the Cabernet Sauvignon, so we chose to use all our best Franc in Guado al Tasso," CEO Renzo Cotarella explained.

The 2019 Guado al Tasso is a model of total refinement. Deeply pitched spice, mocha and leather nuances meld into a core of plush dark fruit as the 2019 reveals its considerable charms. The aromatics alone are mesmerizing, but the 2019 has so much more to offer. I admire the wine’s balance and allure, both of which it has in spades. Like so many 2019s, Guado al Tasso is a wine more of energy and persistence than volume. Clean, bracing mineral notes linger on the sublime finish. The 2019 spent 18 months in barrel, 90% new. (Originally Published in March 2022)

The 2016 Barolo Cannubi is a powerful, structured wine that is going to need time to come into its own. Cannubi Barolos are often seductive when young, but Altare's 2016 has quite a bit of tannin that needs time to soften. Even so, all the elements are wonderfully balanced. Kirsch, sweet tobacco, menthol, licorice and dried flowers infuse the 2016 with striking layers of nuance.

The 2019 Tignanello is one of the most reserved, understated young wines I can remember tasting here. In so many vintages Tignanello is quite showy, but in 2019 the nervous energy and brightness of Sangiovese takes center stage. That’s intriguing, because the 2019 blend has a bit more Cabernet Sauvignon than normal, a decision made to compensate for some of the lighter qualities in the Sangiovese. With air the 2019 shows gorgeous depth and captivating inner perfume, even if it is clearly still coming together. The 2019 spent about 14 months in oak, with 50% new wood. Things are always in constant evolution at Antinori. This is the first vintage to incorporate some larger 500L barrels, an approach I think will work brilliantly.

The 2016 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe is a powerhouse. Huge swaths of tannin wrap around a core of dark fruit in a brooding, almost somber Barolo that demands patience. Hints of licorice, spice, leather, menthol, incense and black cherry fruit begin to emerge with time in the glass. I won’t be surprised if the 2016 turns out even better than this note suggests. There is a ton of potential here. I find the combination of power and translucent energy both evocative and quite promising.

The 2017 Tignanello is dense, exotic and flamboyant. Red berry fruit, cherries in liqueur, blood orange, wild flowers and sweet spice are front and center in this sumptuous, racy Tignanello that is likely to drink beautifully right out of the gate. The Antinori team has done a terrific job with the 2017, a year in which heat and dry weather took with them 30% of the production.

It's such a pleasure to taste the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino from Poggio di Sotto; this is easily one of the wines of the vintage. Its bouquet is pure class, balsamic, exotic and spicy. A blend of dried orange and cloves gives way to sweet lavender and black cherries. Elegant and silky, yet with cooling acidity and depths of tart red berry fruits, the 2016 impresses further with a salty savoriness and a sense of sheer energy. It leaves a coating of dusty tannins and dark florals to resonate, displaying a youthful concentration slowly easing as traces of licorice fade through the incredibly long finish.

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is a dark stallion of a wine that showcases both the depth and radiance of the vintage. At first, its bouquet is dark and earthy, yet quickly blossoms into an enthralling mix of musky red currants, wild peppery herbs, dusty rose and worn leather. While satiny in feel, it’s also sleek and lively, with a vibrant burst of sweet and sour citrus that enlivens its notes of tart cranberry and pomegranate, all wound tightly in a web of saline-minerals. Violet and lavender tones arch across the palate over a core of silky tannins that nicely frame the experience, as a hint of balsamic spice slowly tapers off. The 2016 is one of the most deep and balanced Brunellos that I’ve ever experienced from Biondi Santi. If this is the Annata, then I can only imagine what the Riserva might bring to the table. Something of note is that in 2016, production was down by 15% following the abundant 2015 vintage and the dry conditions in the early part of the season.

The 2016 Tignanello is flat out stunning. Dark, dense and resonant, the 2016 is a wonderfully complete wine that will provide readers with decades of pure drinking pleasure. The 2016 is especially dark and brooding, and yet the tannins are incredibly polished to the point of being perceptible. In the glass, the 2016 is complete and regal, perhaps because of the super-classic blend of 80% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. The pedigree of the vintage comes through in the wine's extraordinary balance and total sense of finesse. I don't think there is another wine anywhere in the world made entirely from estate fruit that can match Tignanello for quality, consistency and value within its peer group of top-flight reds.

The 2016 Barolo Riserva Rocche dell’Annunziata is done in a much more nervy, taut style than Scavino fans have come to expect over the years. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but there is no question the 2016 represents a pretty significant stylistic shift from the past for this bottling. Whether that is unique to the 2016 or an approach that will carry through in coming vintages remains to be seen. Objectively the 2016 feels a bit clenched and lacking the inner sweetness the Riserva has shown in the past. Crushed flowers, mint, rose petal, sweet red cherry and orange zest lend nuance to this taut, classically austere young Barolo from Scavino.

The 2016 Barolo Unoperuno explodes from the glass with striking aromatic intensity, inner perfume and brilliant fruit. The 2016 is a blend of co-fermented fruit from Arborina, Cerretta, Cannubi and Liste, bringing together elements of traditional and modern schools in a gorgeous Barolo that hits all the right notes. In a word: stunning!

The 2017 Barolo is gracious, perfumed and very nicely lifted. An effusive, floral bouquet opens first, followed by a rush of red berry fruit. Nervous, a bit wiry at this stage, the 2017 is going to need at least a few years to fully open, but all the elements are in place to allow that to happen. Maria Teresa Mascarello's Barolo is one of the most elegant and restrained wines of the year. It's not an immediately impressive or captivating wine at this stage. The purity of the flavors is just striking, though. Give it a few years to blossom.

The 2019 Guado al Tasso is a model of total refinement. Deeply pitched spice, mocha and leather nuances meld into a core of plush dark fruit as the 2019 reveals its considerable charms. The aromatics alone are mesmerizing, but the 2019 has so much more to offer. I admire the wine’s balance and allure, both of which it has in spades. Like so many 2019s, Guado al Tasso is a wine more of energy and persistence than volume. Clean, bracing mineral notes linger on the sublime finish. The 2019 spent 18 months in barrel, 90% new. (Originally Published in March 2022)

The 2018 Barolo is a wine of extreme elegance and nuance. Dried red cherry, tobacco, dried flowers, mint and sweet spice are all nicely lifted in this sublime, delicate Barolo. All the elements fall into place so effortlessly. The 2018 naturally does not have the body of more important years, but it offers tons of persistence and fine balance. It has closed down quite a bit since I first tasted it a few months ago, which is probably a good sign. An opened bottle just got better and better over time.

The 2018 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico slowly evolves with a whimsical mix of dusty dried violets, cedar box, cardamom, stone dust and dried black cherries. It displays textures of pure silk, lifted and feminine in nature, as bright red berry fruits wash across the palate, leaving a tactile staining of minerals and sweet tannins. The 2018 shows incredible length and poise, leaving blue and purple inner florals over notes of licorice and clove through the lightly structured and completely harmonious finale. Bury this radiant beauty deep in the cellar.