Red Wine

There’s so much to love about the 2019 Saint-Joseph Vignes de l'Hospice. Prominent menthol, pencil shavings, blackberry compote, delicate wood smoke and crushed violets enter the stage. Sexy and polished, the 2019 sports excellent flavor concentration and wraps it all up in a resonant finale. Give it another two years in bottle.

Scavino’s 2016 Barolo Ravera is another highlight in this range. Tense, brilliant and finely sculpted, the 2016 has so much going on. Crushed flowers, iron, mint and cedar add beguiling aromatic breadth to a core of translucent, intense Nebbiolo fruit. The 2016 really captures the energy that makes wines from this site so distinctive. The 2016 was fermented in stainless steel and aged entirely in cask.

The 2016 Barolo Cannubi captures the essence of this site in the generous style that is such a Chiarlo signature. Freshly cut flowers, sweet red fruit, mint, white pepper and cinnamon are some of the many notes that grace this silky, supple Barolo. The Cannubi can be enjoyed with minimal cellaring, but it also has enough pedigree to drink nicely for at least a number of years to come. It is one of the finer wines I have tasted from Chiarlo in some time.

The 2016 Barolo Gavarini Chiniera is a vibrant, massively tannic, austere wine, the likes of which I have never tasted here before. Vertical and explosive in the glass with tons of pure power, the 2016 Gavarini Chiniera is a gorgeous Barolo that is going to need a number of years to be at its best. Swaths of tannin wrap around a core of sweet red cherry fruit. White pepper, mint, orange peel and floral notes develop a bit later, but the 2016 remains reticent and inward, with brilliant acids and tannins that dominate today. The 2016 is a striking wine, but it is going to require considerable patience.

The 2017 Palafreno, 100% Merlot, from vineyards in Greve, is a wild, exotic wine that marries the natural richness of the year with the structure of this site. Blackberry, licorice, cloves and menthol all build in a resonant, super-expressive Merlot that will tempt readers with its considerable powers of seduction. The 2017 is classy and supremely elegant. Even so, I wouldn't think of touching a bottle any time soon.

The 2016 Barolo Bussia is explosive, vibrant and full of energy. Bright saline notes give the Barolo Bussia great tension and sheer drive. Deceptively medium in body the Bussia is also incredibly distinctive. Its rich, vivid flavors are so finely sculpted. In this range, the Bussia is distinguished by its mid-palate sweetness and that creaminess that is so common in the best Bussia Barolos. I love the vibrancy here.

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova drawing you in with a display of exotic brown spice, mint and cedar dust. Further coaxing unlocks depths of cherry, plum, hints of dark chocolate and roses. It coasts along a medium-bodied frame with velvety richness, complemented by polished red and black fruits while contrasted by brisk acids and hints of sour citrus. This coats the teeth in concentration, as if you can feel the pulp, seeds and skins of its fruit, while a layer of fine tannin slowly grounds you back to earth. The Tenuta Nuova already has so much to give, yet it will be many years before it reaches its apex. Wow. Thinking back to my tasting of the 2015, I can’t say that the 2016 is necessarily a better wine, just a little less immediate. Either way, both wines are beautiful expressions of vintage.

The 2016 Barolo Campè is superb. Dark, potent and powerful, the 2016 possesses tremendous intensity to match its dark, virile personality. More than anything else, in 2016 the Campè offers a captivating interplay of fruit and structure. The 2016 is not a shy wine; rather it is rich and hedonistic to the core, while maintaining a striking sense of translucence. Black cherry, chocolate, espresso, licorice and clove all build into the huge finish. In a word: Superb. In 2016 Giorgio Rivetti and his team made a Barolo with a sense of classicism I have never seen before to this degree in a La Spinetta wine.

The 2016 Pommard Clos des Epenots 1er Cru offers a mixture of red and blue fruit on the nose, floral with hints of pressed violets and iris, quite pure and demonstrating very well integrated oak. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe, succulent tannin that insistently grips. Just a slight chewiness towards the finish and yet there is a satisfying degree of elegance and poise throughout this Pommard. Excellent. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting.

The 2020 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso is a rich, resonant wine that captures the natural radiance of the Tuscan Coast. Blackberry jam, mocha, plum, chocolate, spice and espresso all build in a mid-weight yet succulent, inviting Bolgheri red. There's terrific richness and resonance here. This is a classic Guado al Tasso. In 2020, the estate did not make its top bottling, the 100% Cabernet Franc Matarocchio, opting to use that fruit for Guado al Tasso. "Late season rains were challenging for the Cabernet Sauvignon, so we chose to use all our best Franc in Guado al Tasso," CEO Renzo Cotarella explained.

The 2019 Guado al Tasso is a model of total refinement. Deeply pitched spice, mocha and leather nuances meld into a core of plush dark fruit as the 2019 reveals its considerable charms. The aromatics alone are mesmerizing, but the 2019 has so much more to offer. I admire the wine’s balance and allure, both of which it has in spades. Like so many 2019s, Guado al Tasso is a wine more of energy and persistence than volume. Clean, bracing mineral notes linger on the sublime finish. The 2019 spent 18 months in barrel, 90% new. (Originally Published in March 2022)

Cavallotto’s 2015 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe rounds out this trio of new releases. A big, strapping wine, the 2015 possesses remarkable intensity to match its classic, mid-weight frame. Like all of these Barolos, it seems to have less overt fruit and more classicism. Camphor, licorice, menthol, pine, underbrush and scorched earth all run through the 2015, a big, brawny Riserva that will delight for many years to come. The 2015 San Giuseppe is what Barolo is all about. It’s a must for Cavallotto fans.

The 2016 Barolo Cannubi is a powerful, structured wine that is going to need time to come into its own. Cannubi Barolos are often seductive when young, but Altare's 2016 has quite a bit of tannin that needs time to soften. Even so, all the elements are wonderfully balanced. Kirsch, sweet tobacco, menthol, licorice and dried flowers infuse the 2016 with striking layers of nuance.

The 2019 Tignanello is one of the most reserved, understated young wines I can remember tasting here. In so many vintages Tignanello is quite showy, but in 2019 the nervous energy and brightness of Sangiovese takes center stage. That’s intriguing, because the 2019 blend has a bit more Cabernet Sauvignon than normal, a decision made to compensate for some of the lighter qualities in the Sangiovese. With air the 2019 shows gorgeous depth and captivating inner perfume, even if it is clearly still coming together. The 2019 spent about 14 months in oak, with 50% new wood. Things are always in constant evolution at Antinori. This is the first vintage to incorporate some larger 500L barrels, an approach I think will work brilliantly.

The 2016 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe is a powerhouse. Huge swaths of tannin wrap around a core of dark fruit in a brooding, almost somber Barolo that demands patience. Hints of licorice, spice, leather, menthol, incense and black cherry fruit begin to emerge with time in the glass. I won’t be surprised if the 2016 turns out even better than this note suggests. There is a ton of potential here. I find the combination of power and translucent energy both evocative and quite promising.

The 2017 Tignanello is dense, exotic and flamboyant. Red berry fruit, cherries in liqueur, blood orange, wild flowers and sweet spice are front and center in this sumptuous, racy Tignanello that is likely to drink beautifully right out of the gate. The Antinori team has done a terrific job with the 2017, a year in which heat and dry weather took with them 30% of the production.