A very pretty, perfumed, young Etna rosso with plenty of fresh flowers, focus and finesse. Medium-bodied, it has fine tannins and a long, bright finish. Best ever? Drink now or hold.

Opening like a veritable spice box, the 2020 Carmignano Villa di Capezzana entices with its autumnal blend of allspice, clove, and star anise before giving way to steeped plums and sage. It’s silky and refined, with supple textures and ripe red and blue fruits that swirl across a stream of vibrant acidity. It leaves a pleasantly chewy sensation while finishing with fine-grained tannins and a staining of primary concentration. Wait a full minute and hints of white pepper still linger. Wow. While richer than usual and easier to appreciate out of the gate, the 2020 is balanced for a long and steady evolution.

Focused and intense, this red reveals cherry, strawberry, orange peel, earth, iron and eucalyptus flavors. This firm, lean version persists with salty, savory notes on the sinewy finish. Drink now through 2033. 300 cases made, 120 cases imported.

Two years on from the departure of former owners Luca Currado and Elena Penna, Vietti’s wines continue to honour their legacy. The only patent change is the removal of ‘Castiglione’ from the label of the estate’s classic Barolo. The construct remains the same, however: a multi-MGA, vintage-specific blend demonstrating the purity and precision found across the range. Gorgeously perfumed with rose, violet, black raspberry, liquorice and forest undergrowth among its many nuances, it boasts just the right amount of tightness, well measured density and a sophisticated chalky grip.

The 2022 Timorasso Boscogrosso is a new wine from Vietti. It emerges from a single parcel in Monleale. Aromatic and pliant, with terrific textural depth, the 2022 has a lot to offer. A brief period on the skins accents the natural richness of the variety. This is an especially refined Timorasso.

This is a new submission from Tenuta Tascante. The 2022 Etna Bianco Contrada Sciaranuova reveals a tonic and fresh personality with a citrusy note that follows in step with bitter almond, crushed stone and dried ginger. These vineyards were planted in 2017 at 730 meters in elevation with northern and southern exposures on volcanic soils. The wine is fermented in Slavonian casks (with no malolactic fermentation) and aged in oak for 12 months.

Past vintages of this wine were called Roncaglie Masseria, but the word Masseria has been removed. The Vietti 2021 Barbaresco Roncaglie draws its fruit from inclined vineyards that produce fruit with finesse and elegance. This pretty wine opens to a note of fragrant flower or heritage rose that accompanies you over a long, silky close. In a good vintage like 2021, vintners could push skin macerations a little longer. This wine saw 25 days on the skins compared to 22 days in the 2022 vintage. Vietti recently purchased land in Rabajà, a site that produces profound wines, and this plot in Roncaglie has a greater presence of sand in its soils, creating more floral and delicate expressions instead. This matures in large oak casks for 24 months, and production is 6,066 bottles.

Holy crap! Mixed berry compote nose, emphasis on raspberry. Wildly expressive already. From southwest facing vines in a specific block. Firm but forgiving, with all you can ask of Nebbiolo. If I stopped right at this point in the tasting, I’d still be tasting the finish of this wine in an hour. Crazy!