Another beautiful Barbaresco with bright florals, ranging from fresh hibiscus to fruit tea and raspberries. Fresh stems and a mowed-lawn note are also somewhere in the mix. The same transparency cuts through with brilliant minerality on the full-bodied palate and firm, slicing tannins. Drink from 2021.    

Lovely purity of fruit here, which ranges from citrus to hibiscus to bright herbs and raspberries. Medium-bodied but spicy and serious, knitting a finely woven texture of tannins and fruit together in harmonious style. Drink now.

This is a captivating Montepulciano d’Abruzzo with freshly picked blackcurrants, bright elderberries, citrus, bark, dried nutmeg and tea leaves. Medium to full body, racy but structured tannins, linear acidity and a gliding, polished finish. Drink from 2021

"This is the 13th edition that Vietti has come out with, over the span of 38 years, of this stunning Riserva, a wine that ultimately is produced only about once every four years or so. It was not made after the previous harvest, in 2011. The recent editions have been nothing short of spectacular, earning 100-point scores in both 2007 and 2009 and 99 points in its latest appearance, 2010. It's a series that has set the bar extraordinarily high, and this 2012 Barolo Riserva Villero is a little less exciting in comparison. However, the wine holds its own as one of the most beautiful in the entire appellation and one of the best in the somewhat lackluster vintage. Balsamic and truffle notes pepper the palate of this handsome Barolo, but it's just really hard to reproduce that magic, release after release, for a wine regularly expected to sell at several hundred dollars apiece. 3300 bottles "

WINE SPECTATOR 2019 TOP 100 #54 

Bright black cherry, plum, earth, vanilla and toasty oak flavors are the hallmarks of this well-crafted red. Balanced, this needs a year or two to integrate more fully and extend the finish. Firm grip. Sangiovese, Colorino, Canaiolo and Merlot. Best from 2021 through 2033. 16,000 cases made, 2,600 cases imported.  

The cherry, strawberry, earth, tobacco and mineral aromas and flavors show depth. This builds to the long finish and exhibits terrific balance and harmony. Decant now if you must, but should be better with some cellaring. Drink now through 2038. From Italy.

Bright black cherry, blackberry, graphite, earth and sweet spice aromas and flavors highlight this firm yet expressive red. Everything is in the right place and lingers with a complex aftertaste. Drink now through 2033. 500 cases made.  

STEVEN BROOK’S TOP WINES OF 2019
This powerful expression of an important Serralunga vineyard is aged both in barriques and large casks. It's deep in colour and shows lush, meaty aromas that at present lack finesse. It's very opulent and savory on the palate, assertive without being astringent, and has imposing balance and length. Drinking Window 2021 – 2038