The 2021 Inzolia is sweetly scented but also finessed and floral, with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar and spice that gives way to ripe pear and hints of cardamom. This rushes the palate with soft textures, yet quickly takes on a reverberation of spicy green citrus, as nuances of tropical melon form toward the close. A salty flourish defines the finale, as the 2021 tapers off wickedly fresh and squeaky-clean, while leaving the mouth watering for more.

Showing a sketch on the front label of a lady with a big flower on her head, the Tenuta Scerscé 2018 Valtellina Superiore Valgella Riserva is another beautifully fine and polished wine from the mountainous north of Italy. It offers high-elevation aromas of wildflower, crushed slate, ash and polished metal. The wine ends with a very elegant finish that is lean and bright.

The 2019 vintage is made from 90% Sangiovese blended with 10% Colorino, Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo.  It was aged for 12 months in large (528-660 gal) French and Austrian oak casks, and three months in bottle.  The color is ruby.  Aromas are red cherry and strawberry layered with savory spices and vanilla.  It is light bodied and lively with tangy acidity and ripe, grainy tannins.  There is a touch of pleasant bitterness in the finish, which clears the palate.  The current generation of the Stucchi Prinetti family, Emanuela, Paolo and Roberto are running the winery which was created in 1846 and became commercial in 1957.  Roberto is the winemaker with consultant Maurizio Castelli.  Their goal is a natural expression of Sangiovese with lightness and balance, but also food friendly and readily enjoyable.

Some sweet-vanilla notes now to the savory oranges, tar and cranberries. A full-bodied nebbiolo that feels expansive, yet it’s ethereal on the palate with lots of firm, sandblasted tannins. Long and juicy. Needs two years to allow the tannins and the oak to integrate more. Will shine with time. Drink from 2024.

Here's an important keepsake from a classic vintage. The Casanova di Neri 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto needs time to open, especially if you plan to drink the wine earlier than is recommended (you're best off waiting five years or more). This powerful wine is packed tight with black fruit, plum and summer ripe cherry. Those dark fruit tones segue to spice, baked clay, balsam herb and gardening soil. The oak is always more apparent in the Cerretalto (which is released one year later, as if it were a Riserva) compared to the Tenuta Nuova. The vineyard used makes a big difference, giving this wine more textural weight and thicker fiber. It's all a question of taste, but if you want power (with 15% alcohol), richness, sensuality and voluptuousness in your Brunello, Cerretalto is the bottle at the end of the rainbow.

Medium intense strawberry pink; aromas of marascino cherry, watermelon and pink roses. Medium full with very good concentration. There is very good complexity, with a finish that displays notes of red cherry and carnation. This would be ideal with a lighter prosciutto, such as Prosciutto di San Daniele. Enjoy over the next 2-4 years.

The 2019 Barbaresco Masseria Roncaglie is the best Barbaresco I have ever tasted from Vietti. Bright, translucent and full of energy, the 2019 is stunning from the very first taste, and it was poured after all the Barolos in the range. Crushed flowers, sweet red berry fruit, cinnamon, mint and orange peel all grace this exquisite, mind-blowing Barbaresco. The 2019 is pure and total finesse. For many years, the Barbaresco has been the hidden gem in this lineup. I am not sure how much longer that will last. The 2019 is outrageously beautiful. Don't miss it!

The 2020 Barbera d'Asti La Crena is soft and voluptuous from the outset. In this vintage, La Crena is especially forward and fruit-driven. The 2020 will need at least a few years for the classic La Crena aromas and flavors to emerge fully. Hints of gravel, crushed rocks and dried herbs linger, hinting at what is to come. La Crena usually blossoms with time in bottle. I won't at all be surprised if that happens here as well.