A vibrant white, with pleasing buoyancy to the fine frame of acidity as it boosts flavors of Canary melon, white peach, almond blossoms and grated ginger. Sleek and well-meshed on the lingering, saline-laced finish. Drink now through 2029.

Two years on from the departure of former owners Luca Currado and Elena Penna, Vietti’s wines continue to honour their legacy. The only patent change is the removal of ‘Castiglione’ from the label of the estate’s classic Barolo. The construct remains the same, however: a multi-MGA, vintage-specific blend demonstrating the purity and precision found across the range. Gorgeously perfumed with rose, violet, black raspberry, liquorice and forest undergrowth among its many nuances, it boasts just the right amount of tightness, well measured density and a sophisticated chalky grip.

The 2023 Trebbiano Capezzana is youthfully coy, mixing hints of ginger with wildflowers and lime. It's round and supple with a whiplash of zesty acidity and a saline flourish offsetting nearly oily textures and depths of ripe nectarine. It finishes tense and incredibly long, tapering off with a cheek-puckering lemony concentration. The 2023 is painfully young today but full of potential.

Verità is a true all-Italian vodka, distilled from Italian wheat and Alpine Mountain water. Exceptionally smooth and pure, in part due to its unique distillation process, Verità is distilled four times, with the final distillation taking place in an antique, wood-fired bain marie still.

This has a savory character with crushed red berries, dried herbs, hints of grapefruit peel and wet stones. Medium-bodied, vibrant and crunchy with a touch of white pepper, dusty tannins and a tense Julicy profile. Appealing and easy to drink. Enjoy now or hold. 

This plot was purchased in 2019, and this is therefore the second vintage made. The Vietti 2020 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is spicy, juicy and accessible with some sweetness on the tannins. The wine sports Mediterranean warmth from within with black cherry, spice and grilled rosemary. There is a saline-mineral touch as well that adds elegance, but all said in done, this wine is more immediate in delivery. The 2020 vintage is bookended by two superior vintages, the 2019 and 2021. Only 2,152 bottles were made.

The 2019 Montebello is a blend of Sangiovese, Colorino and Malvasia Nera. Dark, ample and quite potent, the 2019 packs a pretty intense punch. Black cherry, dried herbs, leather, incense and pipe tobacco saturate the palate. This full-bodied Sangiovese-based red has a lot to offer.

I spent a good amount of time huddled over this fantastic bottle over the course of a few days. This is another masterpiece in a long line of masterpieces from the Villero site in Castiglione Falletto that is definitely a personal MGA favorite. The Vietti 2016 Barolo Riserva Villero can be summed up in a single word: seamless. You immediately recognize the strong personalized style of the wine despite the Vietti ownership changes, although in truth this vintage was still under the guide of Luca and Elena Penna-Currado because the estate was sold in July 2016 and they stayed on to make wines for a few more years to follow. The smoothness of the wine represents a continuum across various chapters of dark fruit, roasted chestnut, iron ore, blood orange, aniseed and white truffle. It does not have the weightlessness of some of today's top Barolo; in fact, quite the opposite: this is a wine of depth, full-bodied texture and smooth transitions. Production is exactly 5,146 bottles, 330 magnums and 15 double magnums.