Fattoria dei Barbi Brunello di Montalcino 2010 Takes its name from the free-spirited gentleman named Bruscone who lived in the woods of the Barbi Estate. Patented system of vinification, based on the Tuscan tradition of “May Wines.” A wine which was born from the extensive soaking of skinned Sangiovese grapes that rest for 3 months with their pomace. One of the first “Super-Tuscan’s.” Fattoria dei Barbi is “The” reference for Brunello in Montalcino. Barbi’s approach of using tradition to anchor contemporary expressions of wine continues to position Barbi as a leading producer in Brunello. The Colombini family is one of the most influential of the region and have been an…
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Pio Cesare 2012 Barolo The Pio Cesare Winery was founded in 1881 by Cesare Pio. He was one of the very first wine producers to believe in the great potential and quality of Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera and in the other great wines of Piemonte. Cesare Pio in the second half of the 1800s, was among the very first winemakers to produce these wines with a philosophy that was dedicated to the terroir and the strictest quality of the wine. For five generations, the Pio Cesare family has been producing traditional Piemontese wines in its ancient cellars, located in the center of the town of Alba. The cellars walls date back…
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La Spinetta Pin 2012 The Rivetti family story begins in the 1890’s, when Giovanni Rivetti, left Piedmont for Argentina. Like many Italians then, he dreamed of returning a rich man, perhaps even one day able to make great wine in his homeland. He never did, though his son, Giuseppe “Pin” did. Pin married Lidia, bought vineyards and began to make wine. In 1977 the family took up residence at La Spinetta (top of the hill) in Castagnole Lanze, it was the heart of the Moscato d’Asti country. But the Rivettis believed that Moscato had the potential for greatness and set out to prove it by making Moscato Bricco Quaglia and…
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Badia a Coltibuono 2008 Chianti Classico Riserva For around a century and a half the name and history of the Stucchi Prinetti family has been linked with Badia a Coltibuono. It was in fact in 1846 that one of the family’s forbearers, the Florentine banker Guido Giuntini, acquired the beautiful Romanesque structure and the surrounding farms. Thanks to his complete dedication the entire property began to flourish and survived the second world war virtually intact. After the war, Piero Stucchi Prinetti, the son of Maria Luisa Stucchi Giuntini, took charge of the property. It was thanks to his intelligence, energy and managerial skills that Coltibuono was transformed into a modern…
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Domenico Clerico Aeroplanservaj Barolo 2010 Domenico Clerico spends his days among the vineyards of Monforte’s Crus, as he has been doing for years. In 1976 this Piedmont producer took the reins of the family winery and dedicated himself exclusively to the production of great wines, and acquired some of the most highly-rated parcels of the Monforte Crus. Aeroplanservaj (“wild aeroplane”), is the nickname his father gave him when he was little and in his fantasy world imagined himself flying high above the vines. Only produced in the best vintage years, it’s a Barolo that starts life in a vineyard with east/south-easterly sun exposure in Serralunga d’Alba. The soil composition,…
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Tenuta Il Poggione Brunello Di Montalcino 2010 Tenuta Il Poggione was founded at the end of 1800 when Lavinio Franceschi, land owner from Florence, decided to visit the area after hearing the stories from a shepherd, who brought his herds around Montalcino during the winter. He fell in love with the landscape and the people who lived in that area, and decided to buy land and establish a grape farm. More than a century later, Tenuta Il Poggione covers an area of 530 hectares, of which 140 hectares are planted with vines and 50 hectares with olive trees. The vineyards are at an altitude between 490 – 1475 feet above…
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Renato Ratti 2009 Barolo Rocche In 1934 Renato Ratti is born. After studying enology in Alba, he “emigrates” to Brazil where he is put in charge of the production of Vermouths and sparkling wines for Cinzano of Sao Paolo. The experiences gained operating in such a vast, and challenging country as Brazil will prove fundamental in the development of an innovative outlook, one that will characterize his later work back in the hills of Piedmont’s Langhe region. In 1965 Renato Ratti returns to Piedmont and buys his first vineyard for the production of Barolo: a small plot in the historical zone of Marcenasco, right below the Abbey of L’Annunziata (Our…
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Pico Maccario Lavignone Barbera d’Asti 2012 The Pico Maccario Winery was founded in 1997 in Mombaruzzo, Piedmont with 70 hectares of vineyards in one piece of property in the heart of the Barbera d’Asti DOCG appellation. From the beginning, brothers Pico and Vitaliano Maccario have chosen modern methods to manage their vineyards and produce wine, due in equal parts to their personal taste and young age of their winery. The rose has always been a symbol of the winery. 4500 rose plants of the same cloned variety have the duel function of marking the start of each vineyard row, and – a traditional use – of signaling vine-threatening diseases before…
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Agricola Querciabella Mongrana 2011 Querciabella, founded in 1974 by Giuseppe Castiglioni, an avid collector of French wines, including the largest collection of Louis Roederer Cristal in Italy. The property is now managed and owned by Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni. The wine takes its name from that of the noble family of knights depicted by the Italian Renaissance poet Ludovico Ariosto in his epic masterpiece Orlando Furioso (“Mad Orlando”). Mongrana is the quintessential expression of the colors, sights and sounds of the Maremma region. The wine takes its name, and its character, from that of the noble family of knights depicted by the Italian Renaissance poet Ludovico Ariosto in his epic masterpiece…
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Casanova di Neri Brunello Di Montalcino 2009 Casanova di Neri was established in 1971 when Giovanni Neri acquired a large estate within Montalcino, and over the years acquired land which is now 120 acres of vineyards divided among four separate sites. Today the property is operated and wines made by Giacomo Neri, who states, “Our greatest pride is our vineyards: their high quality and their history.” Had this beauty at a recent wine tasting. Aged in oak barrels for about 42 months, deep Ruby color with ripe berry fruit aromas and hints of floral scents. On the palate, this full-bodied wine shows cherry and blackberry fruit with complex spice, licorice,…