Wines

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

92 Points! His 2021 Barolo sees fruit from vineyards in La Morra, Verduno and Serralunga d'Alba. There is a pretty chalky quality to the wine that you perceive across the senses, especially the bouquet. To that, I would add cocktail cherry and cassis. I am reminded of the Jolly Rancher candies we had as kids. The wine is informal, bright and accessible. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

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

From the importer:

Brovia’s formidable Barolo "Brovia" epitomizes their classically built yet elegant house style and expresses the full breadth of their enviable holdings. While its composition varies slightly each year depending on yields, it always comprises the following sources: (1) From their holdings in Castiglione Falletto, Brovia produces but one single cask of each cru-designated wine per vintage, directing any extra volume into the Barolo "Brovia." Accounting for 20-30% of the wine's final blend, this spillover comes from vines exceeding 50 years of age in the crus of Rocche di Castiglione, Villero, and Garblet Sue. (2) 70-80% of the Barolo "Brovia" comes from holdings in Serralunga d’Alba, primarily in the cru of Brea with smaller amounts (beginning in 2020) in Gianetto, an east-facing cru which is a natural extension of Brea and yields a wine of similar character. These vines are 20 to 30 years of age on average, the oldest parcels of Brea being used for the single-cru bottling. The Barolo "Brovia" undergoes spontaneous fermentation in a variety of vessels—cement, open-top wood, and stainless steel—and is raised 24 to 30 months in oak botti between 30 and 100 hectoliters in capacity. Afterward, the wine is assembled in a combination of steel and wood for an additional year, being bottled no sooner than 40 months after harvest. This aging process, which is longer than that of the crus (aged solely in 30- to 40-hectoliter casks and bottled after 30 months), allows for a wine slightly more open-knit upon release by design.

96 Points! With fruit from one of the top growing sites in Castiglione Falletto, the 2019 Barolo Villero shows a slightly ripe and soft side with cherry and dried raspberry followed by licorice, tar and rusty metal. This is an elegant expression, with a terrific sense of focus, that delivers complexity and depth, especially in this excellent vintage. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

The 2019 Barolo Rupestris is elegant, gracious and wonderfully lifted. All the elements are so wonderfully in balance. Crushed red berry fruit, rose petal, mint, blood orange and spice soar out of the glass. Deep and pliant, the Rupestris has an extra level of refinement in 2019 that places it among the most successful wines of the vintage. It's an absolutely joyous wine from Augusto Cappellano that is also quite open today. I suspect that won't be the case for long, as the 2019 will likely shut down in bottle soon. Many years ago Baldo Cappellano asked me not to score his wines, so all Cappellano wines show up on our database as NR.- Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

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

97 Points! The organic Cavallotto 2019 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe shows thick texture and density with dark fruits, plum and blackberry layered with extra depth. This wine makes a big impact on the palate and wraps lavishly over the senses. This is one of the most opulent and full-bodied editions I have yet tasted. The fruit is sourced from a 2.38-hectare site with 60-year-old vines with southwest exposures at 310 and 340 meters in elevation. The wine sees 60 months of careful maturation in 20-hectoliter and 100-hectoliter Slavonian botti. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

95 Points! A fine-tuned, elegant Barolo with aromas of dried cherries, dried roses, licorice and mint. Full-bodied, it shows smoothness, density, weight and soft tannins despite the structure, with refreshing acidity and a long, vibrant finish full of savory flavors. Drinkable now, but best from 2026. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Laced with cherry, strawberry, rose, mineral and white pepper flavors, this red is expressive despite being linear and taut. Firms up on the finish, where lively acidity drives the fruit and savory elements. Shows excellent harmony and potential. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! A blend of fruit from five MGA sites (Brunate, Liste, Cerequio, Cannubi and Raviole)...The Damilano 2021 Barolo Lecinquevigne offers nice intensity and standard Nebbiolo complexity with dark fruit, cassis, spice and toasted tobacco leaf. You do not taste the personality of any one site, but that's not the point. Aged in large botte, the wine is open-knit in texture and immediate. You can wait longer or pull the cork now. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

97 Points! With its colorful fantasy label, the Domenico Clerico 2019 Barolo Aeroplan Servaj shows dark fruit and a velvety texture with rusty nail and pencil shaving. This vintage carries more overall concentration and structure, and the results are both rich and extremely beautiful. Fruit comes from vines planted in 1994. The wine ages in large oak casks mostly, with about 10% in barrique. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

96 Points! The Domenico Clerico 2019 Barolo Ginestra Ciabot Mentin (with 5,500 bottles made with fruit from vines planted in 1978) is a bit closed initially. This is a trait I found across a vintage that gives us good reason to bet on long bottle-aging potential. There is dark fruit and spice with licorice and grilled herb. Rusty mineral nuances also emerge slowly from the bouquet. This wine needs a double decant if consumed on the young side, but you're better off waiting. I came back to my open sample 24 hours later, and the wine was singing beautifully. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

96 Points! Aromas of raspberries, cherries and orange peel follow through to a medium to full body, with firm and very fine tannins that are chewy but fine grained. Bright acidity, too. Try after 2027. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! The front of this bottle now lists its MGA provenance, Ginestra. The Domenico Clerico 2019 Barolo Ginestra Pajana shows a more open initial impression (next to the Ciabot Mentin) with soft black fruit. The wine makes a bigger impact in terms of texture with firm structure and silky tannins. It is just a little more open-knit and accessible. Some 5,000 bottles were released, and for the first time, Pajana is aged only in large oak casks (measuring 5,000 liters). - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

97 Points! Nervy and complex nose with excellent depth. Oranges, nutmeg, steel, mineral and a touch of white pepper and oyster shell. Broad and expansive on the palate with very structured, chalky tannins that extend to a lengthy, mineral finish. Long and youthful. From organically grown grapes. Can drink now, but better from 2027. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! The E. Pira e Figli - Chiara Boschis 2020 Barolo Cannubi is a fine and delicate wine, although there is a little more grit and richness in this warm vintage. The quality of the fruit is exceptional, especially its crisp ripeness. Dark cherry, blackcurrant, rose blossom, pink pepper and white limestone add considerable high-toned notes. The freshness is great and the fruit stays juicy, fueling a long, elegant finish. Only 4,000 bottles were made. - Monica Larner, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

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

96 Points! Also yet to be released is the 2019 Barolo Riserva Cerretta Vigna Bricco, which is deep and expressive of this structured vintage and textbook Serralunga power. It’s sanguine and deep with notes of leather, ripe cherries, dark stony earth, sage, and floral perfume. Fabulous all around, it fills the palate with rich, well-defined tannins, gravelly angular texture, refreshing acidity, and savory notes of tea leaf and truffle on the finish. It’s a contemplative wine built to last the long haul over the next several decades. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

95 Points! The Elio Altare 2019 Barolo Riserva Cerretta shows some tertiary definition with aromas of sambuca, licorice, tar and campfire ash. But it also has a sweet side from the oak, with dusty cinnamon and dried fruit. It is full-bodied with velvety tannins, closing with a hint of sweet cherry liqueur. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com