This is very intense with electric acidity. Dried apples, lemons and minerals with a salty undertone. Full-bodied with phenolic tension and an extremely long finish. Hints of oyster. Needs two or three years to show its greatness, but fantastic already.

Produced in the Italian Alps using locally sourced wheat and alpine spring water, Verità’s profile is clear, sharp, and fresh. The nose carries a crisp mineral edge with hints of stone fruit, while the palate is clean and focused with a lingering, balanced finish. This is a well-crafted vodka with subtle complexity.

Smoky and slightly reduced, this shows licorice, strawberries and cherries. The fruit character is brilliant on the palate with juicy acidity and firm yet ripe tannins, medium body and a good, tight finish. Drink now.

The 2018 Barbaresco Riserva Martinenga Camp Gros is a very pretty wine, and also a Camp Gros that will drink well upon release. It shows good freshness, but also the smaller scaled style of the year. Dark red fruit, rose petal, mint, blood orange, cedar and spice. This is a very pretty wine, but it does not have the body or dark balsamic profile that are the signatures of Camp Gros in its strongest years.

First released in 1980 and made only the best years, the Sangioveto from Badia a Coltibuono is a Tuscan icon. The delicious 2020 is fantastic, delivering enticing aromas of red fruit, blue flower and spice. Fermented with wild yeasts and aged in barriques, only 10% new, the full-bodied, structured palate features succulent black plum, Marasca cherry, licorice and cake spice wrapped up in velvety tannins. Made entirely with Sangiovese, it’s smooth, fresh and enveloping, with weightless concentration and finesse. Drink through 2032.

Out of nearly 3,500 entries, Verità Vodka Italiana was crowned “Best-In-Class.” BEST VODKA! Awarded Double Gold & 97 points.

"Most importantly, this award serves as a testament to our commitment to collaborating with top-tier Italian spirits producers, who are producing some of the best craft spirits on the market today.” - Scott Ades

The 2019 Orleto, 100% Cabernet Franc, is a new wine from Aia Vecchia. Dense and plush to the core, the 2019 is packed with blackberry, gravel, incense, licorice, espresso and sweet spice. There’s plenty of depth, that much is sure. It would be nice to see more varietal expression, as Franc can be magical on the Tuscan coast. In this tasting, the 2019 comes across as a bit hot.

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.