Notes of candied dark berries, chocolate, toasted spices and burnt orange peel. Full-bodied and intense with a toasty, chocolaty character. The succulent fruit is carried on a bed of broad but soft tannins. Lingering finish. Drink or hold.

The 2019 Amarone della Valpolicella Antonio Castagnedi is darkly alluring, with a seductive blend of black cherries and crushed violet candies giving way to a dusting of cocoa. This is silky smooth, nearly creamy yet lifted in feel, with ripe red fruits contrasted by a tinge of bitter balsamic spice. This tapers off with youthful tension, leaving a coating of grippy tannins that are nicely offset by a bump of residual acidity. There’s lovely balance within the 2019 that makes this an excellent option for the dinner table but will also promote aging. It clocks in at just 15% alcohol as well. Gorgeous.

More lift is on display in the aromas of the 2019 Barolo Rocche Di Castiglione, with medicinal herbs, menthol, red raspberry, and a more cooling effect. The tannin structure is finer as well, with more drying sensation, fresh acidity, and more. From a southeast exposition that has more ventilation, I personally prefer this wine to the others from Vietti. It is not lacking in complexity. Drink 2025-2045 and beyond.

Very perfumed and pretty with sliced strawberries and citrus blossom. Plenty of forest berries, too. Medium to full body. Creamy tannins and a fresh finish. Fine texture and gorgeous. Vegan. Hard not to drink but will be even better in 2027.

The 2017 Ghiaie della Furba opens to a bouquet of minty herbs, camphor and smoke before deepening further to display dusty red currant and spice box. This is velvety and fleshy in feel, with stimulating acidity that enlivens its spicy black fruit and building mineral tones. It tapers off with persistence, power and grippy tannin, the perfect mix for a long evolution. The Ghiaie della Furba is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah and 20% Merlot that refines in barrique, half new and half second pass. It's important to note that production was down by 40% in 2017 due to frost.

A medium ruby color, the 2019 Barbaresco Riserva Rabaja comes from vines planted in 1968. It opens in the glass with notes of wild strawberries, crushed roses, leather, and stony earth. Medium-bodied, it has more complexity and good balance, with notes of incense lasting long on the finish. Elegant and refined, with another layer of distinction, it’s going to be a lovely wine to enjoy over the next two or more decades.

The 2019 Barolo Monvigliero is stunning. What a wine. Rich, heady and explosive, the 2019 is a gorgeous, spherical Barolo that dazzles right out of the gate. Aromatically broad and expansive, the 2019 fleshes out beautifully in the glass. Bright red-toned fruit, orange zest, mint, spice and bright saline notes saturate the palate on the back end. The 2019 is a total stunner, even in this stage of youthful austerity. It comes across as a bit rustic compared to the 2018, but the final verdict on that won't be evident for at least a number of years. This is the first vintage that includes a second parcel in Monvigliero. In the cellar, one lot saw submerged cap maceration, the other did not.

Remarkably pretty, yet dark and intense, the 2018 Amarone della Valpolicella Campo dei Gigli bursts from the glass with dusty notes of dried roses, balsamic spice, tobacco, dark chocolate and dried black cherries. Seamless and elegant in style, this envelops the palate with ripe red and blue fruits, taking on a bitter tinge of mocha and espresso toward the close. It finishes long and staining, with a coating of fine-grained tannins that adds a classically dry impression while minty herbal tones maintain freshness. This transcends the 2018 vintage, yet patience will be required.