Piedmont: New Releases

A charming, elegant wine from a brilliant producer in Valtellina, this is a wonderful wine. There are notes of wild thyme and plenty of strawberry fruit, and a long, defined finish. A charming bottling.

A curiosity of this corner of Northern Italy, this is the best Sforzato we’ve tried. It’s made like Amarone in Valpolicella: here, Nebbiolo grapes are dried on mats before being fermented dry, bringing an intensity and power, with notes of dried cranberries, and dried herbs. This is so perfectly balanced: it’s a really fascinating wine.

There’s a lot of excitement about Lara and Luisa, and tasting this, we can see why. There’s a purity and fragrance to this that would not look out of place at the greatest estate. Fine-boned tannins, and then a remarkable sense of energy on the finish. A real charmer.

A really charming expression of Barbera, this shows black fruits and then spice, and there’s just a hint of dried herbs, too. The tannins are fine, and there’s a juiciness here, too. Very nice indeed.

Mineral, fine, and remarkably complex, this 2018 is a really lovely wine. The palate has cherry fruit with some rose petals, and then lifted notes of seville oranges, and just a hint of spice. There’s a quinine-like minerality that comes through on the finish, making the finish of the wine very long, and making you reach for another glass.

As with all of the wines at Giacosa, this is a lovely expression of the grape variety. Lots of cherry yoghurt here, with plenty of spice, too. Serve slightly chilled for a delicious red for summer.

Silky, supple, and charming, the 2018 Barbaresco from Giacosa is a wonderful example of what makes Barbaresco so alluring. Rose petals and some citrus fruit, too, and there’s also a real energy on the palate. This is very fine-boned, and there’s an almost Pinot-Noir like clarity to the finish.

Asili is a great vineyard in Barbaresco, and 2019 is a brilliant vintage. The result is a wine that dazzles with its intensity and finesse, and also with its nobility. The tannins are grippy but fine-boned, and the fruit is perfectly ripe. This lasts an age.

Bottled in July 2020. Beautiful pale colour. Lovely nose, with impressive depth and purity. This has powdery tannins, slightly dark fruit, with excellent tannic structure and purity. Very finely judged, and lots of energy here. Really lovely, classically styled, and so delicious already. With a year or two in the bottle it will be even better.

4ha in the higher part of the cru. More floral, with a lovely fruit character. More sandy soil, south facing, and first to ripen. There’s almost an amphitheatre here that creates a microclimate. The fruit is slightly darker. It’s almost opulent on the nose, but there’s such energy and vibrancy on the palate. This feels like a step up, with lovely salinity and depth.

Much more backward in style, quite dark but also slightly reduced. Quite balsamic on the nose, with lots of darker fruit. There’s a sweetness and softness here. Nice tannins here, and this is very saline, too. Lovely depth and purity. Very well balanced.

Slightly darker in character. More deep fruit here, and then a balsamic note, too. Very different from the Albesani. A wildness here, a hedgerow character, with lots of tannins that build. The fruit character is almost Pinot Noir in character, it’s so elegant. The structure builds on the palate, and it’s incredibly fine on the long finish. Saline and long. Outstanding.

From Albesani, San Cristofono, Messoirano, Gallina. Very soft and silky, nice depth and purity here, and good perfume. It’s very nicely lifted and simple, but nice cool Neive style. Excellent length, from a great vintage.

From a historic vineyard for Dolcetto, but now lots of people have made it as a Barbaresco. Very pure and fine, juicy, lovely soft fruit: Italo’s father bought it in 1930, and he would go and pick grapes to eat. South, steep, windy, ideal for Dolcetto. Very pure this, lovely energy and good tannins. This is excellent.

Really nice fruit, almost citrus and red berries. Good concentration, nice hint of reduction, and there’s lots of tannic structure here. This is very finely judged and good length, Slightly herbal in character, quite mineral on the finish.

Selection of grapes, of barrels - quantity can change from year to year. Quite balsamic in character, really nice energy, this have coiled energy on the palate. Very nice texture, this is quite backward, but with time it will be outstanding. From a truly great vintage, don’t miss this.

The straight Rabaja is fermented in barrel, Rabaja Bas in stainless steel. Very pure and fine, this opens up in the glass. Very saline on the palate, and lots of texture and intensity. More powerful than Rabaja Bas, with lovely weight and energy here. Very good length, really mineral on the finish.

Quite deep and intense on the nose, with wonderful purity, too. This is very spicy, and there’s a floral element, too, with lovely texture. Powdery tannins, and intense, dark fruit. Sight negroni bitterness on the finish, but there’s a lot of saline length here. Has maintained freshness despite the vintage. The vines had enough water. Vines from the 1970s.

All vineyards in Verduno. Boscatto - next to La Morra, more clay. Campasso, near Monvigliero, and Rodasca, and some from Monvigliero. Lovely delicate colour. Very floral and silky, lovely texture here. Needs some coaxing, but there’s a very pure strawberry fruit character, plenty of tension and nice length. This is very elegant: very Verduno in style.

A historical grape variety of Piedmont, a few producers are bringing back the indigenous grape variety, Pelaverga. This is peppery, fresh, and delicious: serve slightly chilled to see the best of it.

Smallest single vineyard in Barbaresco - almost a monopole. Very old vines: planted in 1942 one parcel. Very small production. This is aromatic on the nose, with orange peel and plenty of juiciness, and there’s nice elegant tannins, and plenty of salinity on the finish.

2019 is a great Barbaresco vintage, and this has cool fruit and plenty of acidity. There’s a tension here, and lots of rippling energy, with flavours that develop on the palate. Very impressive indeed.

From a vineyard planted in 1978. Wow. What a nose. So detailed and floral, and there’s notes of clove and liquorice, and a balsamic character, too. The palate is silky and mineral, with lots of salinity, and powdery, fine-grained tannins that grow. Really nice texture here, with plenty of focus. Very long indeed. This is intense and powerful, yet such a baby. Outstanding. And there’s a hint of nice bitterness on the finish, which keeps the mouth watering.

The 2018 Barolo Bricco Boschis is really elegant, detailed, complex and fine on the nose. This has delicate, ripe fruit and lots of floral lift: it opens up into a fine-boned palate with amazing complexity and length. This is a Nebbiolo for lovers of elegant, ethereal wines: the truest expression of the grape. It’s incredibly well balanced: this is a stunning Bricco Boschis, that’s so ethereal and pure.