A round and juicy red with berry, cherry, mushroom and wet-earth character on both the nose and palate. It’s full-bodied with integrated tannins that are soft and luscious. Long, flavorful finish. Drinkable now, but better in two or three years.

The 2021 Syrah La Monaca is youthfully coy. Swirling slowly unlocks its bouquet of crushed violet, graphite, blackberry and sage. Cool-toned and sleek, it offers polished red and black fruits that flow across a stream of fresh acidity. A saturation of crisp minerality adds form toward the close. The 2021 tapers off with staining length and concentration, mixing fine-grained tannins with a pleasantly tart tinge of licorice and spice.

Very spicy and smoky, showing graphite, almost sulfur, as well as incense and red fruit. Medium- to full-bodied, austere yet balanced. The juicy palate is supple and crisp with velvety tannins and a long, dusty finish. Drinkable now but best from 2026.

Complex aromas of cinnamon, spices, earth and strawberries with a leesy character. The attack is supple, with firm, ripe, velvety tannins. It’s slightly austere and dusty on the mid-palate. Full-bodied and powerful but refreshing, with a long, minty aftertaste. Best after two to three years.

Opening like a veritable spice box, the 2020 Carmignano Villa di Capezzana entices with its autumnal blend of allspice, clove, and star anise before giving way to steeped plums and sage. It’s silky and refined, with supple textures and ripe red and blue fruits that swirl across a stream of vibrant acidity. It leaves a pleasantly chewy sensation while finishing with fine-grained tannins and a staining of primary concentration. Wait a full minute and hints of white pepper still linger. Wow. While richer than usual and easier to appreciate out of the gate, the 2020 is balanced for a long and steady evolution.

A delicate Etna rosso with red-cherry, orange-peel and floral aromas and flavors. Light tannins and a crisp finish. Vivid. Drink now.

Intense and almost intoxicating nose of peonies, Parma violets, bright cinnamon, earth, strawberries and touches of blood oranges and chocolate. Full-bodied and full of fruit concentration, it shows dense and velvety tannins and a lot of freshness and lifted acidity in the finish. Leesy, savory aftertaste. Drinkable now, but best from 2026.

Choices, choices, choices... The Vietti 2021 Barolo Cerequio is another classic from this over-performing estate. This parcel was purchased in 2018 from the Chiarlo family (the Krause family acquired Vietti in 2016), and although the location is La Morra, the site behaves more like Sarmassa in Barolo, creating wines with a firm, tight entry and good structure. You could say that it has a nervous character now in its adolescence, and of course we expect it to smooth out and find harmony with time. Fruit was harvested on September 30th, and the wine sees 27 days of extended skin maceration. Compared to Brunate, which is always darker in character, the Cerequio is lighter and brighter with pretty primary fruit. Production is 4,890 bottles.