Wines

96 Points! The 2021 Barbaresco Ovello Vigna Loreto is powerful and explosive in the glass. A rush of wild red cherry, spice, kirsch, menthol, rose petals and incense races across the palate. Deep, savory and intensely mineral, the 2021 is magnificent. Readers will find a wine of stature and pure breeding. Superb. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

95 Points! The Poderi Aldo Conterno 2020 Barolo Bussia is a fine and silky wine with the elegant power that is characteristics of this special cru. The wine shows bright fruit flavors with cherry and blackcurrant followed by earthy iris root and licorice. There is a hint of perfume or church incense. That pretty intensity follows through to the palate with balanced freshness and lasting medium-plus richness. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

94 Points! The nose is attractive, with watermelon, leafy lightness, fresh violets and strawberry fruit. The palate is savory and graceful, with a full body, velvety tannins soaked in peach fruit, juicy acidity and a polished aftertaste. A bracing Barolo with at least 10 years of cellaring potential, yet enjoyable now. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! A pretty red, this exudes cherry, strawberry, pomegranate and rose flavors, plus a touch of earth. Open and harmonious, yet with a firm, vibrant structure that will allow this to age gracefully. Offers terrific length and a fruit-driven aftertaste. - Wine Spectator

94 Points! The Cantina del Pino 2021 Barbaresco is perfumed and nuanced with pretty fruit tones of cassis and dried cherry and an equally important floral side with rose potpourri and iris root. The wine starts fermentation in both stainless steel and oak vats, and it matures in large oak casks for 24 months before going into bottle. It glides over the palate with polished tannins and a lean to mid-weight mouthfeel. I'd give this vintage a little more bottle age to allow it to flesh out further. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

95 Points! Distinctive for its balsamic notes of green olive and juniper, with flavors of earth, plum, blackberry and iron. There’s breadth, and this red is balanced in a youthful way. Should knit together nicely in a few years. - Wine Spectator

94+ Points! The Cantina del Pino 2021 Barbaresco Albesani has an especially floral bouquet with dried rose petal and a savory touch of redwood or cedar. This wine carries a high 15% alcohol content, and although it remains relatively contained within the mid-weight fiber of the wine, it does stand out. It spends 24 months in botte grande and 18 months in bottle in order to capture the elegance of the fruit. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

97 Points! Earthy, meaty aromas and flavors lead off, with submerged notes of cherry and berry fruit. A dense matrix of tannins leaves a drying feel as this winds down on the white pepper–infused aftertaste. Still raw and unevolved, this is nonetheless long. - Wine Spectator

95 Points! This is the wine that best captures the spirit of Cantina del Pino. The 2021 Barbaresco Ovello draws its fruit from nearby the winery at 300 meters in elevation on limestone marl and silt. Aged in large oak casks for a long 24 months, it shows delicate fruit tones of cassis and dried cherry with blue flower and grilled herb. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

95 Points! The 2019 Roero Bricco Medica presents a dark, almost somber expression of Roero. Black cherry, gravel, spice, cured meats, iron, game and incense, along with the wine's sheer structure, convey brooding, virile intensity. Huge tannins wrap it all together. This potent, Serralunga-like Roero is positively lights out. What a wine! - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

95 Points! A fine-tuned, elegant Barolo with aromas of dried cherries, dried roses, licorice and mint. Full-bodied, it shows smoothness, density, weight and soft tannins despite the structure, with refreshing acidity and a long, vibrant finish full of savory flavors. Drinkable now, but best from 2026. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Laced with cherry, strawberry, rose, mineral and white pepper flavors, this red is expressive despite being linear and taut. Firms up on the finish, where lively acidity drives the fruit and savory elements. Shows excellent harmony and potential. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! A blend of fruit from five MGA sites (Brunate, Liste, Cerequio, Cannubi and Raviole)...The Damilano 2021 Barolo Lecinquevigne offers nice intensity and standard Nebbiolo complexity with dark fruit, cassis, spice and toasted tobacco leaf. You do not taste the personality of any one site, but that's not the point. Aged in large botte, the wine is open-knit in texture and immediate. You can wait longer or pull the cork now. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

96 Points! The Domenico Clerico 2019 Barolo Ginestra Ciabot Mentin (with 5,500 bottles made with fruit from vines planted in 1978) is a bit closed initially. This is a trait I found across a vintage that gives us good reason to bet on long bottle-aging potential. There is dark fruit and spice with licorice and grilled herb. Rusty mineral nuances also emerge slowly from the bouquet. This wine needs a double decant if consumed on the young side, but you're better off waiting. I came back to my open sample 24 hours later, and the wine was singing beautifully. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

96 Points! Aromas of raspberries, cherries and orange peel follow through to a medium to full body, with firm and very fine tannins that are chewy but fine grained. Bright acidity, too. Try after 2027. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! The front of this bottle now lists its MGA provenance, Ginestra. The Domenico Clerico 2019 Barolo Ginestra Pajana shows a more open initial impression (next to the Ciabot Mentin) with soft black fruit. The wine makes a bigger impact in terms of texture with firm structure and silky tannins. It is just a little more open-knit and accessible. Some 5,000 bottles were released, and for the first time, Pajana is aged only in large oak casks (measuring 5,000 liters). - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

96 Points! Also yet to be released is the 2019 Barolo Riserva Cerretta Vigna Bricco, which is deep and expressive of this structured vintage and textbook Serralunga power. It’s sanguine and deep with notes of leather, ripe cherries, dark stony earth, sage, and floral perfume. Fabulous all around, it fills the palate with rich, well-defined tannins, gravelly angular texture, refreshing acidity, and savory notes of tea leaf and truffle on the finish. It’s a contemplative wine built to last the long haul over the next several decades. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

95 Points! The Elio Altare 2019 Barolo Riserva Cerretta shows some tertiary definition with aromas of sambuca, licorice, tar and campfire ash. But it also has a sweet side from the oak, with dusty cinnamon and dried fruit. It is full-bodied with velvety tannins, closing with a hint of sweet cherry liqueur. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

95 Points! These village-specific wines are growing in popularity, and among the various expressions on the market today, this wine from Verduno is really quite special thanks to its highly distinctive floral aromas and its delicate sense of inner balance. A new project being inaugurated with this vintage, the Fratelli Alessandria 2019 Barolo del Comune di Verduno shows a fine, streamlined mouthfeel with polished tones of river stone, crushed rose and licorice root. The aromas are refined and fragile. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

95 Points! A precise, layered, very floral wine with aromas of fresh violets, pomegranates, red cherries and a lot of licorice. Bracing acidity, a full body, elegant velvety tannins, a tight-knit structure and a long, defined, savory aftertaste. Almost drinkable now due to its elegance, but best in two or three years. - JamesSuckling.com

90 Points! The 2021 Barolo is a terrific entry-level bottling from Revello. Aromatic, pliant and yet also light on its feet, the 2021 is all charm. Bright acids drive through a core of dark red-toned fruit in this gracious, appealing Barolo. This is a gorgeous wine in its peer group. Drink it over the next handful of years. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

97 Points! Lavender and sage with berries and dried strawberries, but so perfumed and subtle. Medium- to full-bodied with very fine tannins that are totally integrated with finesse and beauty at the end. Caresses your palate. - JamesSuckling.com  

96 Points! The 2020 Barbaresco Costa Russi is a classy, polished wine. Dark cherry, plum, mocha, new leather, licorice and lavender all take shape. As always, Costa Russi is the most supple and charming of the Gaja Barbarescos in the early going. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

95 Points! The Gaja 2020 Barbaresco Costa Russi has a rose and floral note that emerges at first, and it doesn't have the heavy dark earth or cured leather aromas that we get in the Barbaresco. This wine is focused on fruit tones, bright ones, and those nuances are juicy, generous and long. There's more youth in this wine, and the tannins are extremely fine and silky. Count on this wine to improve with age. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

95 Points! The 2020 Lessona is a classy, polished wine. Macerated cherry, mint, rose petal, pomegranate and tangerine peel lift from the glass. The 2022 is wonderfully fresh and translucent, with relatively soft contours that make it an absolute joy to taste today. I especially admire the wines vibrancy. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

95 Points! The La Spinetta 2019 Barolo Campè Vürsù is balanced and bright with a little more heft and overall fruit concentration. Dried cherry, blackberry, spice and black licorice all appear on the bouquet. This is smooth in consistency but shows a long, polished mouthfeel that is especially tight and elegant in this vintage. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

95 Points! A spicy wine with aromas of licorice, potpourri, meat, dried cherries and a hint of leather. Full-bodied with firm tannins and a tense and bony character. Still youthful and tight with a great polished finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! The flagship 2010 Barolo Brunate benefits from thicker soils to build its structure and intensity. Despite the thicker soils, this is a silky and elegant wine that reflects the best merits of the vintage. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

97 Points! Wow. This is very powerful 2010 Barolo with a great depth of fruit and powerful tannins. Full and super-structured Barolo. Goes on for minutes. Great wine from a popular vintage. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! Beginning to turn the corner, this red exhibits fragrant aromas of cherry, leather, mushroom and spice. Smooth and full of ripe fruit, with a firm structure for support. Still needs some time, but already shows complexity and harmony. Best from 2018 through 2035. - Wine Spectator

95 Points! The 2013 Barolo Ginestra shows grace and purity, with significant power at the back that is partially fueled by the wine's well-integrated alcohol (recorded at 15%). The wine's texture is compact, and the flavor knitting is tight and carefully detailed. These qualities bode very well for the future evolution of this vintage that will undoubtedly soften and flesh out with more time in the bottle. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

95 Points! The 2005 Barolo Bric del Fiasc is a huge, muscular wine. In 2005 the wine shows a decidedly fruit-driven, fresh style. The purity of fruit here is remarkable. The dark, brooding quality that is often present in the wine is absent, while floral, perfumed elements dominate in this vintage. The fruit remains dense, ripe and primary. From start to finish, this is a remarkable Bric del Fiasc. - Antonio Galloni, robertparker.com