Wines

94 Points! A complex, dynamic wine, the 2021 Barbaresco Montersino is redolent of sweet, dried cherry, incense, blood orange, cinnamon, sage and mint. It offers striking translucence and mid-weight structure to round out a super-classic profile. Bright acids extend the clean, precise finish. What a gorgeous wine this is. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94 Points! A perfumed nose with cherries, wild strawberries, dried rose hips and pink peppercorns. Juicy and bright on the palate with crunchy tannins. Medium-bodied, tense and focused with a firm finish. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! The Poderi Aldo Conterno 2020 Barolo Bussia is a fine and silky wine with the elegant power that is characteristics of this special cru. The wine shows bright fruit flavors with cherry and blackcurrant followed by earthy iris root and licorice. There is a hint of perfume or church incense. That pretty intensity follows through to the palate with balanced freshness and lasting medium-plus richness. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

94 Points! The nose is attractive, with watermelon, leafy lightness, fresh violets and strawberry fruit. The palate is savory and graceful, with a full body, velvety tannins soaked in peach fruit, juicy acidity and a polished aftertaste. A bracing Barolo with at least 10 years of cellaring potential, yet enjoyable now. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! Complex nose of watermelon, cocoa, strawberry, peony and kiwi peel, the palate zesty with rustic yet malleable tannins. A magnetic sip. Grapes from young vineyards in Barolo, the must fermented in stainless steel with three to four days of post-fermentation maceration. After malolactic fermentation in wood, the wine matures for 12 months in second-fill barriques previously used for the Bussiador Chardonnay. - Decanter Magazine

94 Points! Spicy from the first tilt of the glass, the 2022 Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo is impossible to ignore as a pleasant smoky reduction blows off to reveal dried sage, wild strawberries, stone dust and violet pastille. This is pleasantly ripe in style, with a solid core of salty minerals to balance. Crisp wild berry fruits flow across the palate with ease. Blood orange notes combine with a tactile concentration as the 2022 tapers off with sweet tannins that frame the experience nicely. Without a doubt, the 2022 is one of the top Cerasuolos of the year, displaying remarkable complexity and refinement. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

94 Points! The 2020 Fara Barton, Boniperti’s top wine, is terrific. Dark and layered, the 2020 offers up tons of Nebbiolo character. Macerated dark cherry, menthol, licorice, spice and a host of balsamic inflections build in the glass. The 2020 spent 30 days on the skins and matured for 14 months in 22HL casks. It’s a gorgeous, classy, elegant wine that can be enjoyed with minimal cellaring. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94 Points! With certified organic fruit from one of the most celebrated sites in the appellation, the Brezza 2020 Barolo Cannubi shows pretty intensity and focus. It offers aromas of iris root, lilac and wild blueberry. Indeed, it is quite floral in character, with violets over a fine texture. You really get a very pretty and elegant wine in this bottle.- Monica Larner, robertparker.com

94 Points! The 2019 Barolo Castellero is a deep, beguiling wine. Deeply pitched spice, menthol, licorice and dried herbs meld into a core of dark-toned fruit. Virile and imposing, with notable inner sweetness, the Castellero is stunning. There's a bit of new oak influence, but it is not dominant. This is another superb Barolo from Brezza. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

95+ Points! Fruit selection for this wine casts a wider net in the celebrated Vorbeg vineyard that also fuels the exceptional Rarity bottling. This 52-hectare site has incredibly steep (70%) inclines at 450 to 650 meters above sea level with south and southwestern exposures. The 2022 Alto Adige Terlano Pinot Bianco Riserva Vorberg is a creamy, mid-weight expression from a warm and dry vintage. The wine offers pretty aromatic highlights of melon, Golden Delicious apple, pie crust and crushed oystershell. This is a beautiful and more accessible taste of the best of Alto Adige. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

94 Points! Fairly neutral with vibrant apricot fruit, aromatic herbs and a touch of almonds. Tight and tense acidity on the medium-bodied palate, tingling and electric. The citrusy finish is long and salty. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! Compared to the Le Coste di Monforte, this wine is immediately earthier and more savory, with salty mineral notes backed by dark berry and plum. The Amalia Cascina in Langa 2016 Barolo Bussia offers a classic interpretation of Monforte, and there's a lot of depth and complexity to be found in this expression from the Bussia vineyard, one of the largest in the appellation. Specifically, fruit for this wine comes from the Fantini site located at a high 450 meters above sea level. It is characterized by Diano sandstone, one of the four major soil types in the appellation. Vines were planted in 2007. Winemaking is straightforward, with 25 days of extended maceration. Fermentation is kicked off with pump-overs and ends with submerged cap. The wine spends one year in barrique but is then racked over to larger French oak casks for a second year of aging. The wine's approach to the palate is delicate and finessed with silky texture and long flavor persistence. Of the two Barolos from Amalia Cascina in Langa, this wine gets a special nod. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

93 Points! From barrel, the 2022 Barbera D’Alba Carra sports a youthful dark purple color and is fruity with ripe plum and pressed lavender as well as some iron richness and gamey notes. Medium to full-bodied, it’s snappy with fresh acidity, but it has a more rounded feel. With some notes of ripe wild herbs that last through the elegant finish, this is a classic and ripe vintage, but it retains very nice freshness. Drink it over the next several years. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

94 Points! The Cascina Penna-Currado 2022 Barbera d'Alba Carrà is executed as a "Superiore," although it is not labeled as such. Proprietors Elena Penna and Luca Currado say they only envisage having one Barbera in their new portfolio in addition to cru selections of Nebbiolo. They have a 25-year lease on the site that provides fruit for this pretty wine, and a careful selection is made to prioritize the best clusters. Healthy fruit is produced here thanks to luminosity and cool hillside breezes. A brief maceration is executed, and the wine matures in Slavonian oak casks. Tart plum and blackberry is folded into tangy licorice over medium-plus richness. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

Luca and Elena have always been particularly invested in Barbera d’Alba as they were among the first to invest in it seriously. They believe strongly in the potential of this grape in communicating what the Langhe has to offer to a wide audience. The Carrà site is in the San Sebastiano area of Municipality of Monforte, with a particularly great natural biodiversity. Grapes come from predominantly from two parcels; one planted in 1965 and another in 2000. The wine is vinified partially whole cluster and aged in botti making it rich and concentrated but not too ripe.

94 Points! Val del Prete's 2015 Roero Riserva is superb, and also one of the best wines I have tasted from Val del Prete in a long time maybe ever. Sweet cinnamon, orange zest, rosewater, dried cherry and mint notes give the 2015 striking aromatic nuance that resonates beautifully on the palate where the wine offers striking fruit purity and silky, noble tannins. All the elements are impeccably balanced in an inviting Roero that hits all the right notes, and then some. This is such a gorgeous wine. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94 Points! 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. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94 Points! A crunchy wine with a bright shining color. The nose is pure sangiovese from Chianti Classico, with restrained yet well-defined red cherries, wax, subtle flowers, minerals and cherry stones. Medium-bodied on the palate, it shows refined if not filigreed tannins, tight-knit acidity and a savory, chewy, tight, yet well-balanced finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! 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. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

94 Points! A crunchy wine with a bright shining color. The nose is pure sangiovese from Chianti Classico, with restrained yet well-defined red cherries, wax, subtle flowers, minerals and cherry stones. Medium-bodied on the palate, it shows refined if not filigreed tannins, tight-knit acidity and a savory, chewy, tight, yet well-balanced finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! This is really fine on the palate with wonderfully integrated tannins that give tension and focus. It’s medium-bodied with lovely berry, cherry, cedar and spice. Peaches and flower stems, too. Creamy texture. Extremely long and vivid. Structured, but showing beautiful drinkability with wonderful balance and form. One to drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! Cherry, plum, leather, earth and tomato leaf flavors highlight this broad, beefy red, with iron and sanguine accents creeping in as this winds down on the finish. Succulent and long, with a dusty grip in the end. - Wine Spectator

94 Points! The Cocito 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Baluchin is released to the market with a good amount of bottle age under its belt. That extra time has permitted a smooth evolution and integration for what will be remembered as an epic vintage. The wine has a distinctive note of resin or tea leaf that appears with pressed rose and redcurrant. This is a unique and very successful expression. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

94 Points! The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Baluchin is the best wine I have tasted from Ezio Cocito. It has all the depth, power and structure that have long been signatures, but it also feels less heavy and less extracted than in the past. Of course, some of that may be attributable to bottle age. In any event, the 2016 possesses notable depth that just builds in the glass, leading to a long, sustained finish that is very beautiful. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

94 Points! The 2007 Valpolicella Superiore from the celebrated Monte Lodoletta vineyard is rock-tight with a midnight black appearance and aromas that emerge with fierce determination. The fascinating aromatic medley includes dark spice, prune, Spanish cedar, tar, black licorice, balsam herb and blackberry tart. The mouthfeel is plush and rich with super-tight tannins that grip nervously to the finish. It has only started its bottle evolution and requires more time to soften and develop. Drink 2017-2035. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com, 2013

94 Points! This is an organic blend of fruit from six MGA sites: Terlo and Liste (in Barolo), Ravera di Monforte and Mosconi (in Monforte d’Alba) and Gabutti and Baudana (in Serralunga d’Alba). The 2018 Barolo Via Nuova is fermented in steel and aged in oak according to time-tested local tradition. This mid-weight blended Barolo has a more prominent herbal or balsam signature at the back of red and purple fruits, licorice and pressed violet. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com