A mixture of caramel, dried fig, orange peel, molasses and roasted walnut flavors permeates this lean, intense Vin Santo. Vibrant and mouthwatering on the long aftertaste. Really stays with you. Trebbiano and Malvasia. Drink now through 2040.

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

JAMES SUCKLING TOP 100 ITALY 2025 - #13

This is an excellent Vin Santo with stunning, vibrant complexity and freshness. The nose shows lifted aromas of prunes, apricots and dates, dried figs and nuts, orange marmalade and a whiff of celery. Full-bodied and dense, oily and mellow, balanced by zesty acidity that keeps the palate polished and drives the very long and bright hazelnut finish. Drink or hold.

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.

The 2022 Soave Classico I Palchi wafts up with a smoky, expressive blend of rosemary, gingery spice and musky citrus complicating crushed apples. It is silken and opulent in feel, enveloping the palate with ripe pit fruits, coming across as weighty and rich yet wonderfully balanced. Nuances of grapefruit mix with inner sage and hints of candied lime as the 2022 tapers off with excellent length yet remains wonderfully fresh.

Dark and brooding, the 2021 Le Stanze del Poliziano grumbles up with an array of grilled herbs and exotic spices before giving way to dusty black currant notes. This is silken in texture yet racy and spry, with polished red fruit tones that slowly saturate as hints of licorice and a tinge of sour citrus add lovely contrast. The 2021 tapers off with tremendous length and structure, leaving sweet tannins and a bitter blackberry concentration that pinches at the cheeks with youthful tension. Le Stanze del Poliziano comes across as very classic in feel.

The Siro Pacenti 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva PS opens to an inky black appearance. The bouquet is very intense with baritone aromas of syrupy blackberry, barbecue spice, sweet cedar, toasted wood, baked fruit and savory tobacco. To the palate, it shows a rich, glossy finish with firm tannins and a tightly knit texture that should bode well for future cellaring. In fact, the mouthfeel is so intensely stitched together, it's to the point of feeling polished. I must hand it to vintner Giancarlo Pacenti for the elegance of the mouthfeel on this very, very bold Riserva (with only 2,000 bottles produced).