La Caudrina, Moscato d’Asti 2008 There’s a lovely sense of orange blossoms in the nose while the mouth is sweet and ethereal – very nice. Estate bottled in Castiglione Tinella 5.5% $15.99 at Bottle Barn

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Andrea Oberto, Barbera d’Alba DOC 2008 The nose features tar as well as some bound up sulfur. In the mouth it is immensely tart, screaming with acidity and a little leaner than hoped for. This wine doesn’t show nearly as nice as previous vintages; let’s give it another try in spring. Estate bottled in La [...]

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Il Conte d’Alba, Moscato d’Asti DOCG nv This wine smells of ginger and flowers while in the mouth it is sweet and lightly fizzy. It’s almost perfect except for a bit of TCA which unfortunately is adding a bit of wet cardboard and astringency. Fortunately the second bottle was on target. Bottled in Santo Stefano [...]

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La Spinetta, Moscato d’Asti DOCG, Bricco Quaglia 2008 Heaven in a glass, with plenty of flowers, lovely sweetness, light effervesence and freshness all day. This is a personal favorite from the legend. I was blessed to meet Rivetti before the skyrocket to fame. This wine remains an affordable way to taste some of this estate’s [...]

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Rosa Regali, Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG 2008 This wine shows its red fruit, both visually and in the nose. Strawberries combine with green herbs and a sense of mint in the nose. In the mouth, it is evocative of raspberries and cranberries with a little bit of grip, a tart and slightly bitter note with plenty [...]

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Martini & Rossi, Asti DOCG nv The fruit is rather muted in this wine, smelling mildly of citrus overlayed with butter. In the mouth it is buttery, almost oily, with the fruit in the background. The grapes are all Moscato Bianco. Produced in Torino 7.5% $13.99 at Traverso’s Martini & Rossi

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I Vignaioli di Santo Stefano, Moscato d’Asti DOCG 2008 The orange blossoms are alight in the nose of this wine. On the palate it is beautifully sweet, tasting of tangerines with a dusting of powdered sugar – delicious. The grapes come from Ceretto’s I Vignaioli di Santo Stefano Belbo estate, in the village of the [...]

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Bruno Rocca, Barbaresco DOCG 2005 This is a very ripe Nebbiolo with a healthy dollop of oaky sweetness making this accessible now despite its infancy. 80% of the wine was aged in French barriques and the remainder in botti for 15-18 months. An additional 10-12 months of aging in bottle also took place. Estate bottled [...]

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Coppo, Barbera d’Asti DOC, Camp du Rouss 2005 Unfortunately this bottle is corked. Camp du Rouss is a name that pays homage to the red headed man who owned the vineyard from where the Barbera for this wine was first sourced. Today the grapes were sourced from vineyards in Canelli and neighboring municipalities, grown at [...]

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Sottimano, Barbaresco, Fausoni 2000 This wine has developed a beautiful sense of raisined fruit but the cork taint is absolutely horrific. Again our nemesis TCA raises its ugly head to spoil the fun. The grapes are 100% Nebbiolo from the cru Fausoni. Estate bottled by R. Sottimano in Cotta in the township of Neive 14% [...]

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Moccagatta, Barbaresco, Bric Balin 2004 There’s a classic sense of licorice in the nose burnished by the sweetness of oak. The structure is a whopper like you would expect yet the extract is there, keeping up with the structure – the wine is big and at the same time it is balanced.  This baby would [...]

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Azelia, Barolo, Margheria 2004 In the nose there is black licorice, fresh black fruits and raisins. This highly structured wine is made to age yet the ripeness would allow you to drink it now with a dense chunk of cheese – delicious. Estate bottled di Luigi Scavino in Castiglione Falletto 14.5% $82.99 at Traverso’s Azelia

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La Spinetta, Moscato d’Asti DOCG, Bricco Quaglia 2007 This is a personal favorite from the legend. I was blessed to meet Rivetti before the skyrocket to fame. This wine remains an affordable way to taste some of this estate’s expertise. The White Muscat is sourced from Bricco Quaglia, the first single vineyard Moscato in Italy. [...]

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Vietti, Langhe DOC, Nebbiolo, Perbacco 2005 Spot on with black licorice and a wallop of tannin. Estate Bottled in Castiglione Falletto 13.5% $26.99 at Traverso’s Vietti
Badia a Coltibuono, Chianti Classico DOCG 2005 There is a pleasant combo of earth, cherries and a hint of varnish which adds to the complexity. The acidity is matched by [...]

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Elio Altare, Dolcetto d’Alba DOC 2006 The density of this wine is of the inky variety. There’s tar and a sense of the forest in the nose. The mouth is amazing in that the tannin is there yet fully ripe, wrapping itself around a dense core of black fruit – very long.14.5% $18.99 at Bottle [...]

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Banfi, Rosa Regali, Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG 2007 This ‘07 is perfectly fresh with plenty of flowers and fresh strawberries. Serve this with fresh berries after dinner to match the sweetness. The ‘05 tasted one year ago was sweet and with a bit of a phenolic edge, some grab as if the tannin was showing a [...]

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La Spinetta, Barbaresco DOCG, Vigneto Starderi 2004 The previous vintage was a concentrated, oaky heavyweight, still in its infancy when tasted in late ‘07. This ‘04 smells of sweet oak and New World fruit. Again we see a tannic monster that is caressed by oak in the mouth. There’s a balance of extract to keep [...]

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Castello della Paneretta, Chianti Classico DOCG 2005 There’s loads of acidity and the taste of cherries. The grapes behind this wine are 90% Sangiovese and 10% Canaiolo. Estate bottled in Barberino val d’Elsa 13% $17.99 at Traverso’s Paneretta
Andrea Oberto, Langhe, Nebbiolo DOC 2005
Recent bottles of this estate’s Dolcetto and Barbera have been well-made and affordable. [...]

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J, Russian River Valley, cuvee 20 nv Clean, fresh, fruit, tasted at the winery in May. This wine has the zip of fresh green apples. The base wine is from 2003 with 25% oak-aged reserves adding to the final blend. Aged for 3 years on the lees from the 2nd ferment and disgorged in 2007. [...]

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La Morandina, Moscato d’Asti DOCG 2007 The ‘07 is just as vibrantly fresh and full of orange blossoms as the previous vintage. There’s lots of residual sugar and the light body and freshness that you expect in Moscato d’Asti. P&B in Castiglione Tinella 5.5% $20.99 at Traverso’s
Charles Heidsieck, Champagne, Brut Reserve This is certainly a [...]

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Heitz Cellar Napa Valley Grignolino 2005
Truly one of the ‘lightest of the light’ red wines and an aromatic charmer as well. P&B in St. Helena 12.5% $15.50 at Traverso’s Heitz
Poderi Aldo Conterno Langhe Dolcetto DOC Masante 2006
Quite dense and loaded with black fruit and the characteristic tannic backbone of Dolcetto. There’s enough extract to keep [...]

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Traditional appellation wine versus a modern blend from Piemonte.
Vietti, Barolo DOCG, Castiglione 2004 In June of ‘08 I noted brown spices and licorice on a very tannic frame that is balanced by acidity and extract. In April of ‘09, this wine is displaying much of the same with an even greater integration of the structural [...]

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Michele Chiarlo Moscato d’Asti DOCG 2007
Perfect White Muscat smells of orange blossoms and a multitude of other flowers. In the mouth one feels like you’ve just popped a handful of flowers passed your lips, with sweetness and delicacy. P&B in Calamandrana 7% $10.99 for a 375ml at Bottle Barn Chiarlo

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La Spinetta Moscato d’Asti DOCG 2006
A favorite from the legend. I was blessed to meet Rivetti before the skyrocket to fame. This wine remains an affordable gem, with the essence of Muscat aching for fresh berries on a summer evening. White Muscat estate bottled in Castagnole Lanze 5.5% $17.95 at Traverso’s

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Paolo Scavino Barolo DOCG 2003
The Scavino wines show a consistent polish. There’s loads of black licorice to smell and the tannins, while definitely present, have some ripeness that soften the hard edges of this youthful wine. There’s also a fair bit of acid providing balance and length. This is all Nebbiolo, vinified in stainless and [...]

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La Morandina Moscato d’Asti DOCG 2006
This wine smells of orange blossoms and ginger and tastes sweet while light bodied and ready and willing to accompany your next bowl of raspberries. Bot in Castiglione Tinella in Cuneo 5.5% $17.99 at Traverso’s.
 
Vigne Regali Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG 2005
This wine is sweet and has a bit of [...]

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Fratelli Revello Barolo DOCG 2003
This is the Revello’s regional bottling and it’s no slouch. Tasted earlier in the year, I wrote: spot on for the price, with new world styling of chocolaty oak and ripe fruit along with massive tannin and classic licorice. Now in September this wine still shows its licorice in a very [...]

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Vietti Roero Arneis DOCG 2006
Like the previous vintage, this is quite acidic in a light-bodied package with minerality and a touch of herbaceousness. Bot in Castiglione Falletto, Alfredo Currado began working w/ Arneis in 1967 13% $15.50 at Traverso’s in October ‘07, up to $19.99 in April ‘08 Vietti

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Michele Chiarlo Barbera d’Asti Superiore Le Orme DOC 2005
As we found with the 2003, the wine displays textbook acidity in a very light bodied package with a bit of earthiness and some tannin. This works as a budget Barbera though won’t delight very many people as it lacks concentration. 13% the 2003 was [...]

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Monchiero Carbone Birbet nv
Red fruits, light carbonation and sweetness that is not at all cloying.  The lift of the carbonation lightens the weight of this wine.  A natural for drinking with fresh berries. The grape is Brachetto grown in Roero at 200-300 metres altitude, RS 100-120 g/l. Marco Monchiero heads this small estate in Canale [...]

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