Gambero Rosso 2007
Hilberg Nebbiolo d’Alba ’04
Tasting is not always the only way to know and appreciate the virtue of a wine. It happens rarely- but it happens- that the simple dialogue with the winemaker can offer us the exact physiognomy and the exact ?taste? of what we?ll find in the glass. In Bricco Gatti, a steep and isolated hill within the Priocca county, this osmosis producer-wine is in the air every time we go for a visit. Michelangelo Pasquero and Annette Hilberg have such lucid vision of their work and of its implications (the relationship with its environment, the attachment to the territory of origin, the definition of a distinctive trait) that, when we finally open the bottle, it feels like we?ve already tasted it through their images and their words. The six Hilberg wines are precisely the soul of their creators that has become nectar. And what nectar! The Nebbiolo d?Alba confirms to be the champion of the typology. The 2004 edition is a gay and well balanced explosion of fruity freshness, to which follows a juicy palate of great persistence. This is the company jewel which is definitely worth the Three glasses, the fifth award in six years.
Collemattoni Brunello di Montalcino ’01
The continuous growth in quality wines of this cellar situated at the doors of Sant?Angelo in Colle has led to the conquest of the three glasses. A great applause to Marcello Bucci who in a few years has revolutionized the family company. No hesitations in front of the Brunello ?01. With a beautiful, intense ruby color, the wine feels ample and clean, complex at the same time to the nose. To the palate, then, this wine it is not a combination bomb, but rather a champion of elegance. The end is simply long and sustained by a perfect acidity. We also need to underline the price, which is definitely honest. Too bad that there is only a very limited amount of bottles for this wine out there.
Begali Amarone della Valpolicella Cl. Vign. Monte Cà Bianca ’01
The choice of delaying the tasting of Amarone Monte Cà Bianca 2001 has definitely given a great result. Intense, clear in the expression of a ripe fruit and crunchy, traversed by floral, mineral and spicy notes, the wine appears even more rigorous with a silky plot of tannins and with a very promising future.
Scarzello Barolo Vigna Merenda ’01
The results obrtained by these producers in the past years confirm their good work. The wines produced are technically clean and precise, and present a beautiful territorial mark. Waiting an extra year for the Barolo Vigna Merenda seems to have obtained an optimal result. The wine has an intense and ample nose with a serious aromatic definition well directed towards the nose of dark cherry, prune, violet, and cocoa.
Conterno Barolo Ginestra Riserva ’00
This Barolo is an ample and ethereal with fruity notes. This wine is powerful to the palate and marked by lightly coarse tannins able to contrast its explosive alcoholic richness.
Hilberg Barbera d’Alba Superiore ’04
The Barbera Superiore grazes the great title. The first is a wrapping, acid and intense wine.
Hilberg Langhe Rosso Pedrocha ’04
An austere, vigorous and powerful wine.
Frecciarossa Pinot Nero Giorgio Odero ’03
The year 2003, droughty and torrid, did not present the best metereological conditions for a wine like the Pinot Nero that needs ample temperature range to espress at its best its aromas. However, Frecciarossa knows well how to manage it; for years now Giorgio Odero has been one of the best of the Oltrepo’.This time, the Frecciarossa Pinot Noir is he only to make the final thanks to its garnet color and a remarkable bouquet where balsamic notes are well balanced with little berries and with elegant spices. Genuine to the palate, it has a beautifully fine and fresh tannins.
La Fornace Brunello di Montalcino ’01
This producer, in the territory for years, lately has offered signs of great improvement. An exceptional Brunello ?01 makes the finals. The nose is intense with a fruity and spicy line. This wine is precise and compact to the palate with tannin well integrated with the alcoholic component and a final of optimal substance.
Masut da Rive Friuli Isonzo Rive Alte Merlot ’04
The young brothers Marco and Fabrizio certainly have clear ideas about the harvest and production of their wine. Ten years ago, following a saying cited by many and abided by little: ?The wine has to be made in the vineyard and not in the cellar?, they started a real revolution in the conduction of their 50 acres of land by eliminating their old production plants and substituting them with the guyot. This is a system more coherent with the idea of a limited production but higher in quality. This system has definitely shown its perks. The Merlot 2004 is opulent and simple, with a robust tannin charge refined by notes of berry jam.
Masut da Rive Friuli Isonzo Rive Alte Tocai ’05
The Tocai is the champion of the integrity of the typical diverse aromas.
Masut da Rive Friuli Isonzo Rive Alte Merlot ’04
The young brothers Marco and Fabrizio certainly have clear ideas about the harvest and production of their wine. Ten years ago, following a saying cited by many and abided by little: ?The wine has to be made in the vineyard and not in the cellar?, they started a real revolution in the conduction of their 50 acres of land by eliminating their old production plants and substituting them with the guyot. This is a system more coherent with the idea of a limited production but higher in quality. This system has definitely shown its perks. The Merlot 2004 is opulent and simple, with a robust tannin charge refined by notes of berry jam.
Nicolis Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Ambrosan ’01
Ada Nada Barbaresco Valeirano ’03
The Valeirano is slow to reveal itself. However, after a proper oxygenation, it spread all its aromas of prune, dried rose, with balsamic and spicy elements. This wine fully deserved its two glasses.
Ada Nada Langhe Rosso La Bisbetica ’03
The Bisbetica is a cut of Nebbiolo and Barbera. This is a grape mix now classic the Langa territory, which shows the perfect fusion between the two grapes, with ethereal tannins and aromas typical of the Nebbiolo and the fruity notes along with the acidity of the Barbera.
Antico Broilo Merlot Riserva ’03
Antico Broilo Schioppettino ’04
Collemattoni Rosso di Montalcino ’04
Conterno Langhe Nebbiolo Bric Ginestra ’04
This Nebbiolo is a real jewel in its category. It combines transparence of complex (mint, raspberry and tobacco) and refined personality with great balance.
Viticoltori De Conciliis Donnaluana Aglianico ’05
Viticoltori De Conciliis Donnaluana Fiano ’05
Il Faggeto Vino Nobile di Montapulciano ’03
Hilberg Varej Rosso ’05
The Varej (Brachetto and Barbera) is a solid warranty.
Scarzello Barolo ‘01
Scarzello family cellar is in an out-of-the-way corner of the town. It?s not the easiest of wineries to It?s not the easiest of find, but you won?t be disappointed when you get there. The Scarzellos will welcome you with all the traditional friendliness of the Langhe. The entire family is involved in winemaking, from head of the household Giorgio to young Federico, who has just finished his oenological studies and a spell in Bordeaux. On our last visit, we discovered that the Vigna Merenda selection, a Barolo that in recent years has been at the peak of quality earning lavish praise from the wine press, will be staying in the cellar a little longer. We?ll have to wait another year before we can sample the 2001. This means only one 2001 Barolo, sourced from the Sarmassa vineyard, was presented for tasting. The warm, pervasive aromas of rose petals introduce a meaty palate with silky tannins and a hint of liquorice in the finish.
Lorenzo Begali Amarone della Valpolicella Classico ’02
This wine is at an optimal level considering the difficulties of the harvest. Here, the notes of its plants are felt very clearly, while to the palate, the body is solid and well articulated.
Scarzello Barbera d’Alba Superiore ’03
The Barbera Superiore 2003 loyally reflects its vintage, with warm and mature notes, and a very distinct floral component. The mouth is rich and voluminous, and an estimable intensity.
Scarzello Dolcetto d’Alba ’04
A juicy, soft wine open to wild berry aromas enriched by earthy and balsamic notes.