Producer: Dehours et Fils
The Dehours Champagne Brut Grande Reserve is the result of an assemblage of Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with a great percentage of vin de rèserve, fermented according to Solera methods, embraced by Jerome in 1998.
Producer: Jacquesson
The NV Extra-Brut Cuvée No. 744 is soft, open-knit and caressing. The natural radiance of the vintage comes through in the wine's ample, creamy feel. Apricot, spice, dried flowers, hazelnut and lightly honeyed notes are all beautifully laced together.
Producer: Jacquesson
For the 2018 harvest in Aÿ, Dizy, Hautvillers (68%), Avize and Oiry (32%), the previous winter was exceptionally rainy, this was followed by a mild, stormy spring. The weather changed from June onwards, becoming fine and dry, resulting in a particularly early harvest: we started picking on 30 August and finished on 11 September. The vines were in perfect...
Producer: Jacquesson
NV Extra-Brut Cuvée No. 743 (2015 base) is soft, open-knit and caressing. The natural radiance of 2015 comes through in the wine's ample, creamy feel. Apricot, spice, dried flowers, hazelnut and lightly honeyed notes are all beautifully laced together.
Producer: Bouquin Dupont Fils
A wonderful champagne, 100% Chardonnay of Avize from vineyards more than 60 years old. A base of citrus fruit melted with the scent, and taste, of a custard where there are also two drops of lemon juice. Delicious and enjoyable.
Producer: Jacquesson
2017, the harvest from Ay, Dizy, Hautvillers (66%) Avize and Oiry (34%). Winter and Spring were exceptionally dry; the beginning of Spring was mild but, in April, destructive frosts ravaged the vineyards, especially in the Côte des Blancs. Temperatures then rose and the weather was good until July. The end of the growing season was hot but very wet. The...
Producer: Dehours et Fils
The Champagne Rosè Oeil de Pedrix is the result of an assemblage of Meunier and Chardonnay from old vineyards. Flowery Champagne Rosè Extra Brut, particularly fine and fresh with a very limited production.
Producer: Podere Poggio Scalette
The 2021 Il Carbonaione is a regal, elegant wine. Silky, beautifully perfumed and persistent, the 2021 is everything I want from Il Carbonaione. All the purity of Sangiovese caresses the senses in a wine that is both textually intense and also light on its feet. Dark red-toned fruit, rose petals, cinnamon, new leather and cedar are some of the many...
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The 2018 Barbaresco shows just how appealing this vintage can be. In 2018, the warm, dry growing season gave the Barbaresco an extra kick of richness that fills out its frame and adds so much immediacy. Sweet red berry fruit, cinnamon, rose petal and mint are open in the glass, but it is the wine’s seductive radiance that wins the day.
Producer: Produttori del Barbaresco
The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo is a serious, somber wine. In most vintages, Rio Sordo is an easygoing wine, but not in 2016, it is a potent, brooding yet mid-weight Barbaresco that screams with character.
Producer: Giuseppe Rinaldi
The 2006 Barolo Brunate–Le Coste is another highlight in a night full of stunning wines. Still tannic and virile, the 2006 is also one of the most reticent Barolos of the evening. Its explosive energy and dark, balsamic profile are super-classic. Readers need to be patient, but the 2006 is everything I had always hoped it would be. Maybe even more.
Producer: Giacomo Conterno
The 2020 Barolo Arione is a wine of extreme delicacy and finesse. Lavender, sage, mint, cedar and rose petal are some of the many notes that lift from the palate. Deceptive in its mid-weight structure, the 2020 impresses with its inner sweetness and sublime balance.
Producer: Ca' del Baio
Langhe Chardonnay Sermine from Ca' del Baio embodies the essence of the Piedmont region at less than 20 CHF per bottle! A white wine which boasts a captivating bouquet of white peach, pear, and subtle oak notes. Enjoy its balanced palate with refreshing acidity and a lingering finish.
Producer: Produttori del Barbaresco
The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Pora is a brooding wine, its mid-weight structure notwithstanding. Pora is often one of the more approachable Riservas in this range, but the 2016 is an exception.
Producer: G.B. Burlotto
The 2018 Barolo Monvigliero has the effusive bouquet that makes it so alluring. Rose petal, spice, orange peel, kirsch and raspberry unfurl gradually in the glass. The 2018 is understated and mysterious today.
Producer: Produttori del Barbaresco
The 2017 Barbaresco Pora is rich, creamy and layered, with a bit more generosity than is typically the case. Sweet red cherry, red plum, spice and rose petal are amplified in a radiant, open-knit Barbaresco.
Producer: Bruno Giacosa
Bruno Giacosa's 1998 Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto is another gorgeous wine. The fresh, floral bloom the wine had in its infancy has softened and the aromas today are moving towards sensations of dried flowers and spices.
Producer: Bruno Giacosa
The 1990 Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano (magnum) is a last-minute addition to the lineup and also one of the most breathtaking wines of the night. Of course, the magnum format helps, but the 1990 is captivating from the moment I taste it. Crushed flowers, sweet red berry fruit, spice and mint are some of the many nuances that develop in the glass, but...
Producer: Giovanni Canonica
Giovanni Canonica's 2012 Barolo Paiagallo is lifted, gracious and nicely expressive. The sweet red cherry, tobacco, mint, spice and blood orange notes give the wine much of its aromatic presence. There is a slight hint of gaminess that lurks beneath.
Producer: Giuseppe Rinaldi
Rinaldis' 2018 Barolo Brunate is one of the most satisfying wines of the vintage. Austere, medium in body and classic in feel, with that extra bit of textural resonance that is such a Brunate signature.
Producer: Giacomo Conterno
The 2013 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is brilliant, precise, focused and nuanced, with a classic sense of austerity.2013 is a vibrant Monfortino built along super-classic lines with more finesse that is the result of a the slight refinements.
Producer: Angelo Gaja
The 1979 Barbaresco Costa Russi is a thrilling wine that literally takes my breath away – and that comes from someone who usually isn't the hugest fan of this particular wine.
Producer: Giuseppe Rinaldi
Good medium red. Reticent nose shows a bit less fruit today than the Brunate-Le Coste; smells softer and broader. Then much more horizontal on the palate than the 2008 version, with a strong flavor of cherry liqueur but not quite the sweetness of the 2007 Brunate-Le Coste.
Producer: Produttori del Barbaresco
The 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano is ample and resonant, the Montestefano shows all the natural breadth that is so typical of this site. It is also one of the wines where the personality and style of the vineyard are very much in evidence.
Producer: Elio Grasso
The 2020 Barolo Ginestra Casa Matè is gorgeous. Aromatically captivating and nuanced, the 2020 impresses right out of the gate. All the classic Ginestra signatures are present. Today the tannins are pretty imposing in the positive sense, as they are present, but also impeccably balanced within the wine's frame. This is impressive stuff.
The 2018 Barbaresco shows just how appealing this vintage can be. In 2018, the warm, dry growing season gave the Barbaresco an extra kick of richness that fills out its frame and adds so much immediacy. Sweet red berry fruit, cinnamon, rose petal and mint are open in the glass, but it is the wine’s seductive radiance that wins the day.
