Italy

96 Points! A layered wine with assertive leesy aromas of lemon peel, lemon leaves, spring flowers, green apples and chalky minerality. Silky texture with zesty acidity, a medium body and a bright, savory finish. Good extraction and an amazing white peach aftertaste. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! The 2023 Timorasso is a blend from Vietti's holdings in three distinct zones within the Derthona appellation. Deep, rich and phenolic, the 2023 is a textured, resonant wine. Peach, apricot, chamomile and dried flowers fill out the layers. It's a rich, heady white for the dinner table. Floral and citrus overtones lift the finish. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

94+ Points! This is one of the celebrated white wines that put Sicily on the world wine map. The organic Planeta 2023 Sicilia Menfi Cometa (made with 100% Fiano) is a full-bodied and creamy expression of a grape that is otherwise known for crisp and lightly textured wines. Not here. This wine is all about richness, texture and depth. It starts off in stainless steel and matures in tonneaux and 36-hectoliter Allier oak casks. The fruit comes from Dispensa at 75 meters above sea level and Gurra at a lower 35 meters in elevation. Despite the hardships of the vintage, this wine delivers nothing but pleasure. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

97 Points! The 2021 Carmignano Riserva Piaggia takes its time in the glass, tempting the imagination with dried violets and flowery underbrush that evolve into peppery wild berries, autumnal spices and a dusting of cocoa. Elegant and velvety in feel, this sweeps across the palate, gaining contrast through a core of mineral-inflected yet pleasantly ripe red and black fruits. Tantalizing acidity guides the experience. The 2021 finishes with dramatic length and concentration, leaving a bitter blackberry resonance to mingle with edgy tannins, while a hint of blood orange forces the mouth to water for more. The contrasting nature and sheer depth of the 2021 leave me in awe. Bury this deep in the cellar.

The Piaggia vineyard was planted in 1972. The only changes this wine has seen since then, other than the age of the vines, took place in 2004 when the winery switched from using 100% new Garbellotto barrels to a mix of 50% new and 50% second-pass oak. This was a fantastic tasting that showed the prestige of this location and demonstrated the remarkable value of the Piaggia Riserva. It’s a blue chip in the cellar. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

93 Points! The 2021 Chianti Riserva Castelrotto offers a compelling mix of intense fruit and structure. Blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol, licorice, graphite and underbrush all run through this mid-weight, classically built Riserva. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

La Stella spends its first 10 months of life maturing in Slavonian oak barrels and in French oak barriques. Thank to this ageing the wine receives a slight tannic note, which will slowly fade with the refinement in the bottle. This Barbera d’Asti is a wine really easy to be drunk, smooth and pleasant on the palate. This wine owns its name to the vineyards which surround the winery in Nizza Monferrato, that originally belonged to Stella farm.

91 Points! A focused, savory red that has aromas and flavors of mulberry, bay leaf, sage and black bean. It’s full-bodied, dark-fruited and balanced with medium-firm tannins. 85% montepulciano and 15% aglianico. - JamesSuckling.com

100% Glera grown 20k south of the Alps and 30km northeast of the Adriatic Sea in Friuli-Venezia Giulia on the western Veneto border. Next to a natural spring (sorgente). The vines are planted in 2007-2015 next to a natural spring on alluvial limestone bedrock and topsoil.Two-week natural fermentation in steel at 17°C max and a second fermentation started with neutral cultured yeast. 12g/L dosage.

The 2021 Barolo Rupestris is a total knockout. Dark, ample and beautifully layered, the 2021 dazzles from start to finish, showing excellent depth and tons of persistence. The 2021 is one of my favorite recent vintages because of its superb balance. Although obviously a young Barolo, opening this with minimal cellaring won't be an issue. It's a pretty big wine from Cappellano. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

93 Points! The 2025 Il Rosato mixes vivid nectarine and navel orange with hints of tarragon and sweet smoke to form its compelling bouquet. It's soft textured with a stimulating core of acidity and sour citrus tones to balance, as a saline mineral saturation adds salivating tension toward the close. It tapers off with excellent length and clarity, leaving flinty notes and a lemony concentration that has me looking back to the glass for more. The magic of Nebbiolo Rosato is on full display. - Eric Guido, Vinous

93 Points! The Trediberri 2022 Barolo del Comune di La Morra shows a beautiful quality of fruit, with sweet cherry, redcurrant and a soft, delicate character that is understated to the best effect. Although lighter in color, the wine is lush, supple and unmistakably La Morra in personality, capturing the warmth of this hot, dry vintage with terrific clarity. I especially appreciate the interplay between sweet and savory elements. Produced from a blend of 82% Berri and 18% Rocche dell'Annunziata after the estate elected not to bottle its two single-vineyard Barolos separately, this wine is conceived with drinkability in mind. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

96 Points! From a vintage in which Fabio Alessandria of Comm. G.B. Burlotto made the unusual decision not to bottle his individual 2022 MGA Barolos, fruit that would normally have gone into Monvigliero, Cannubi, Castelletto and Acclivi was instead blended into a single estate-wide bottling. The 2022 Barolo shows a beautiful ruby color with bright inner luminosity. The stature of Barolo comes through in the wine's aromatic intensity and refined structure, but this vintage also takes a playful approach with charming red fruit, white pepper, rosemary stems and crushed rose. The growing season presented numerous challenges, yet this wine emerges as one of the success stories of the vintage. It is a special bottling not only for its quality but also for the singular circumstances of its creation. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

93 Points! The 2023 Roero is a terrific entry-level offering from Correggia. Sweet red cherry, cedar, sweet pipe tobacco, mint and dried herbs open first. It offers gorgeous mid-palate pliancy and fine balance, both especially of note given the challenges of the growing season. Quite simply, this is reference-point Nebbiolo from Roero. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

91 Points! The 2025 Etna Rosato is wickedly fresh, mixing lemon zest with crushed tropical melon, mint leaves and spice. Cool-toned and lifted in style, it offers a cascade of kiwi and candied lime under an air of chamomile. A saline inflection and tart citrus tones pucker the cheeks, while the finish is long yet refreshing. - Eric Guido, Vinous

From the importer:

Made entirely of Frappato grapes, planted in 2008, estate-grown in the parishes of Ponte and Fegotto, near Chiaramonte Gulfi. These vineyards are of reddish iron-rich sand interspersed with layers of clay, at about 280 meters (900 feet) above sea level; the climate is very hot but with cooler night-time temperature (which leads to better acidity in the grapes). The fruit is harvested in several passes, at moderate ripeness, normally around the middle of September; the grapes are lightly crushed and fermented at controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks using indigenous yeasts. Maceration is around two weeks. The wine is aged in stainless steel for 9 months before bottling.

Frappato is an aromatic variety, unusual for a red grape. The wine is brilliant mid-red in color, with clear floral and berry/pomegranate fruit notes and some spice and tea-leaf on the nose and the palate. Very useful food wine; I pair this with many pasta dishes, fish, pork, and roast chicken. Amazing with grilled tuna, and a clear candidate for the Summer Red Wine Hall of Fame. I drink it slightly chilled, but then any good red wine should be drunk at the temperature of a cool cellar, not room temperature.

The varietal profile is typical of Dolcetto, with its hints of violet, almond blossom and fragrant red fruits which already inspire the sip. Fresh on the palate with good acidity, it's pulpy with invitingly flowing drinkability. An everyday, modern, moreish and versatile wine – an ideal companion at the table and for sharing with friends. - Decanter Magazine