Full-bodied, with muscular tannins supporting a ripe and transparent core of dark cherry, plum and blueberry fruit. Balanced and well done for the vintage. Chewy. Drinkable now but better in a couple of years.  Second tasting.

The blackcurrants and violets really come through here with hints of sandalwood on the nose. It’s full-bodied with very fine tannins that run the length of the wine. Polished and long. Give it at least three or four years to come around. Try after 2025.

The 2018 Barolo Brunate is a deep, layered wine that is going to need at least a few years to come together. Today, the Brunate is quite primary and backward, but all the ingredients are there. Sage, menthol, licorice, dried flowers and spice build with a bit of coaxing.

Lots of red plums and cherries on the nose with a palate that has a full body, thick silky tannins and a fresh and flavorful finish. The tannins are in good balance against the ripe fruit. Fresh and transparent at the end. Drink or hold.

Here's a very special treat from Verduno and one of the most exciting new releases we will see from Italy this year. In its inaugural release, the Vietti 2018 Barolo Monvigliero is made with 60% whole cluster fruit, following in time-honored local tradition. The soils of Monvigliero are loose and light in color, producing tight but lean-bodied wines. The use of whole clusters gives the wine more texture, intensity and tannins. With wild berry, rose, dried mint and white licorice and very fine and smooth tannins, this wine is part of a precious 3,207-bottle production.

Pomegranate and peach aromas and flavors. It's a fuller rosé with lots of fruit and flavor. Peach and melon with some orange-peel undertones. Slightly oily. Drink now.

Here's an important keepsake from a classic vintage. The Casanova di Neri 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto needs time to open, especially if you plan to drink the wine earlier than is recommended (you're best off waiting five years or more). This powerful wine is packed tight with black fruit, plum and summer ripe cherry. Those dark fruit tones segue to spice, baked clay, balsam herb and gardening soil. The oak is always more apparent in the Cerretalto (which is released one year later, as if it were a Riserva) compared to the Tenuta Nuova. The vineyard used makes a big difference, giving this wine more textural weight and thicker fiber. It's all a question of taste, but if you want power (with 15% alcohol), richness, sensuality and voluptuousness in your Brunello, Cerretalto is the bottle at the end of the rainbow.