Subtle aromas of orange peel, cherries, and dried flowers follow through to a medium body, fine tannins and a refined, subtle finish. Such beauty. So drinkable and fine.

The 2020 Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco is another terrific entry-level wine from Vietti. In this vintage, the Perbacco is especially fine. Sweet dried cherry, herbs, mint, crushed flowers, anise and orange peel grace this striking, alluring Nebbiolo. There's tons of depth and sheer pedigree, things that have not always been present in recent editions. For years, Perbacco was a very serious wine - some might say almost too serious - for its peer group. Then Vietti pivoted to a simpler style. With the 2020, Perbacco seems to once again be a wine that overdelivers, big time. Quite frankly, the 2020 Perbacco is more satisfying than many Barbarescos and Barolos I tasted this year.

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.

The 2018 Pietradonice, a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon from the south-east of Montalcino, is dark as it grumbles up from the glass, showing dusty rose, currents, cherries and smoke. This is velvety in feel yet wonderfully lifted and fresh, steadily building in tannic heft yet packed full of graphite-like mineral-tinged black fruits and dark inner florals. A hint of sour citrus keeps you coming back for more even as the Pietradonice flexes its structural heft. Give the 2018 five to seven years before attempting to enjoy the full potential buried within.

The intense, dark cherry color of this wine suggests you’re in a new territory for Rosé, or in this case Rosato wine.  The color comes from the highly pigmented Montepulciano grape grown in the Abruzzo region of Italy.  The appellation regulations allow 85 percent of this grape to be blended with other local grapes including whites.  However, brothers Sabatino, Roberto, and Andrea Di Properzio use only Montepuciano grapes.  They use a traditional process called saignée or tank bleeding.  They monitor the fermenting grapes and remove a portion of the juice when it has reached the desired color, flavors, and body for Rosato.  The remaining juice continues fermenting to become a red wine.  The resulting Rosato is an intense and tightly structured wine with red cherry, pomegranate, red plum flavors with a bit of orange zest, mouthwatering acidity and light supple tannins.  Its body and structure make it a perfect partner for barbecued ribs, roast chicken or a sausage pizza.    

A blend of 85% Pinot Nero and 15% Chardonnay, the sparkling Enrico Serafino 2018 Alta Langa Metodo Classico Millesimato Oudeis Brut shows a light and luminous golden hue with rich aromas of orchard fruit, preserved lemon and freshly baked breakfast pastry. The wine is clean, sharp and mid-weight, thanks to tight beading and 36 months of lees aging.

The 2021 Collio Sauvignon from Russiz Superiore shows the dimension the region can produce in the variety. The wine has a great balance of fruit, herbs, and minerals — less racy and “grassy” than Sauvignon from New Zealand and more like some of those from France’s Loire Valley. Flavors of green apple, apricot, and lemon-lime are accented by touches of flinty minerality and herbs like sage and thyme. There’s a bit of creamy softness on the long finish, a reflection of aging on the leesand a small percentage of the grapes fermented in oak barrels. Aging takes place in stainless steel tanks. It is more expensive than many of the countless Sauvignons you’ll find from just about every corner of the wine world. But the price is offset by the fact that this is a singular Sauvignon Blanc that’s among the world’s best.