There’s a pretty dried-clove and vanilla lift to this, which is subtly played, and lemon and apple-curd aromas lurking in the background. Taut, mineral and precise, it nevertheless manages to deliver a good deal of concentration and hearty stone fruit. Drink now.    

This is one of four new single-contrada wines from Tasca Mount Etna winery, all from Etna’s northern slope. From a section of Contrada Sciaranuova planted in 1960, it’s impressively deep and concentrated, unfolding with flavors of fresh plum and pomegranate laced together by dark, schisty tannins. Scents of roses and violets provide a refined, delicate contrast to the wine’s power. (W&S 4/20)

The Vietti 2016 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione is a complete wine, offering exact measures of purity, intensity, freshness and structure. This is the 360-degree Barolo from Vietti, with fruit sourced closest to home in Castiglione Falletto. Rocche di Castiglione sees more shade hours, and that becomes an important factor in the hottest vintages and the longest growing seasons. It creates diurnal shifts that positively impact the purity and brilliant focus of the fruit. Of all the comuni of Barolo, Castiglione Falletto produced exceptional results across the board in this classic vintage. Dark fruit, pressed lilac, blood orange, powdered licorice, balsam herb, spice, iron ore and aniseed fit together perfectly like pieces in a puzzle. Once completed, that puzzle offers a dazzling panoramic portrait of this special Barolo territory. A mere 3,394 bottles and 300 magnums were produced.

2021 Award - Third vintage to receive the Tre Bicchieri

With a decade of maturity now, the 2010 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Podium from Garofoli is in a wonderful place and still full of potential. Zesty yellow citrus gives way to notes of nectarine, rich exotic spices and sweet almond. It’s soft and enveloping, not showing the weight often associated with Verdicchio, but instead offering lift and precision. White orchard fruits and minerals cascade across a core of vibrant acids. This is so lively and balanced; a great example of just how beautifully the Verdicchio can age, while closing with pretty inner florals, hints of lime and hazelnut. The 2010 can be lost in the cellar for another ten years if you like, but who can resist it now?

2021 AWARDED

Drawing its fruit from Serralunga d'Alba, the Vietti 2016 Barolo Lazzarito is built like a pyramid. It is grounded by a thick base of robust fruit and power and soars upward in intensity thanks to its beautifully lifted bouquet. It reveals direct and solid lines with blackberry, plum, spice, tar, licorice, candied orange peel and truffle-infused earth. A second wave of aromas offers dark minerals and ferrous qualities such as iron ore and rust. Baroli from Serralunga d'Alba are often in a category apart thanks to their richness and sheer fruit weight. With extra aeration, Lazzarito delivers mint, balsam herb or Fernet-Branca. Production is 9,293 bottles and 300 magnums.

Flamboyant white with the full, Burgundy work on it, showing ripe apples, pie crust, yogurt and toasted coconut. It’s full-bodied with a dense, layered palate and so much fruit. Oily and powerful. One of the best Löwengangs I have tasted. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.