The 2021 Dolcetto d'Alba Monte Aribaldo is fabulous. A burst of dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, mint and spice are all dialed up in this exuberant, fresh Dolcetto. Aging in steel keeps the flavors bright. This is beautifully done.

Best buy.  Candied cherries, strawberries, wild herbs and dried violets weave in and out of the glass with subtle hints of smoked game. The palate balances the savory quality of the wine with cherries jubilee, cranberry and dried rose finishing with a creamy texture and an elegant sparkle. 

A dark, brooding style, this red evokes hibiscus, raspberry, cherry and spice flavors, with an underlying iron note. It's dense, yet focused and vibrant, with ample fruit to stand up to its muscular structure. Balanced and expressive now, yet this needs time. Best from 2027 through 2048.

The 2020 Syrah La Monaca is intense, revealing a smoky blend of ashen stones, grilled herbs, black pepper, crushed blackberries and exotic spices. It sweeps across the palate, wildly energetic and fresh, with silken textures and depths of red berry fruits motivated by cooling acidity. A hint of sour citrus punctuates the close. The 2020 finishes structured yet remarkably fresh, establishing a pleasantly chewy sensation as licorice tones gradually fade. While fruit-forward, the 2020 has a gorgeous balance that will carry it for many years to come. Stunning.

Silver Medal

Almare Spritz Rosa is a unique take on the traditional Italian Spritz. Made from 100% Glera and infused with grapefruit and botanicals, Rosa is pleasingly pink and refreshing.  Serve over ice with a slice of grapefruit and enjoy!

The 2020 Asciutto Rive di Colbertaldo Vigneto Giardino is remarkably airy and fresh yet deep; stone dust gives way to dried flowers, ground ginger and citrus-tinged pear. This is a luxuriously soft and round expression, with silken bubbles and a beautiful balance of saline acidity contrasting its pleasant inner sweetness. Ripe pear mixes with green melon and candied citrus throughout the long and incredibly refreshing finale, as a twang of granny smith lingers. Adami is a master of the Asciutto style, which the winery estimates leaves between 17-32 grams per liter of residual sugar; and yet, you’d be hard-pressed to notice it at all.

There are plenty of cheap and quaffable choices available when it comes to Prosecco DOC, but for just a few dollars more you can take a real step up with Prosecco Superiore DOCG wines, especially from quality producers like Adami. Over the last decade, producers in the hilly Prosecco Superiore zone have moved toward less-sweet styles to keep up with changing market demands, applying meticulous vineyard management to achieve the perfect grapes these dryer styles require. The Adami family bought the Col Credas vineyard in the early 2000s. It lies in the Rive di Farra di Soligo, one of the 43 rive sites notable for their steep slopes and favorable exposures. The family experimented with the vinification of grapes from Col Credas for a decade, eventually concluding that wines from this site reached their best expression with just a few grams of residual sugar, and releasing Col Credas as a single-vineyard wine for the first time in the 2011 vintage. Ten years later, the 2021 Col Credas Extra Brut is firm and taut, with golden pear and citrus flavors that are pure and refreshing as they glide on a line of cool acidity.  The wine finishes crisp and dry, with lingering saline notes that call for a plate of freshly shucked Wellfleet oysters.