Piedmont: New Releases

Now Almondo just use the free run juice for the Vigne Sparse: they sell all the wine that comes from the press, and that's lifted the quality even further. This smells excellent. Lovely green pineapple character, and then lots of bright acidity, too. Very fresh and focussed. Lovely energy here, and there’s really salinity and purity on the long, vibrant finish. This is delicious: a great vintage for this wine.

A lovely, elegant nose here. Very finely judged, lots of rose petal and sweet fruit, and then there’s a pomegranate lift, too. This is very impressively balanced: the palate is cool and fresh, but with volume. Incredible length, powdery tannins that grow, and a mineral finish. Outstanding.

Lovely creamy fruit here: this has lovely purity to the dark berry fruit, blackberries and cherries. And there’s refinement of tannins, lovely acidity, and just a hint of ripe beef tomatoes. Lovely perfume here, too. This is a very good Barbera.