Italy

97 Points, Wine Spectator's #28 Wine of the Year 2024! Notable for its pure cherry and kirsch aromas and flavors, this red is also stylish and graceful. Rose, wild thyme and stony mineral elements come into play as this develops on the palate. Beautifully integrated, fresh and firm, this glides to a long, resonant aftertaste. - Wine Spectator

96 Points! Superb...These are the best Barbarescos I have tasted from Dave Fletcher. It is not easy for an outsider to establish themselves in Piedmont, which makes these wines doubly impressive. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

From the importer: Made of a blend of Nero d’Avola (Frappato 45%, Nero d’Avola 55%), estate-grown in vineyards near Chiaramonte Gulfi, in the Contradas Ponte, Biviere e Fegotto. The soils are a calcareous mixture of clay and sand, at just under 300 meters (1,000 feet) above sea level. The grapes are picked at moderate ripeness (with care to avoid over-ripeness, in other words, in this hot climate) around mid-October; fermentation is carried out with indigenous yeasts, and maceration with the skins lasts for about 3 weeks. After fermentation the wine is aged on the lees in the tank for a further 2 weeks, then racked and aged in a tank for 18 months. 

Nero d’Avola is the best-known Sicilian red wine grape when bottled on its own, but for my money, this blend is better. The Frappato lightens and lifts the meatiness of the Nero d’Avola, giving it juicier aromas and flavors and making it MORE DELICIOUS. See note above about temperature; stick the bottle in the fridge for 30 minutes for best results. Drink with red meats or more substantial pasta dishes. I bet this will age well, but I doubt I’ll have any left to find out.

93 Points! Intense nose of fresh and dried red berries, together with dried leaves and dark, clove-like spice. Medium-bodied with firm tannins and a concentrated bead of bright fruit and minerals. The tannins pull hard on the finish for now, so wait for this one. It’s structured and layered and definitely built to last. Hold until 2024. - JamesSuckling.com

Great price on this drier style of Prosecco produced by a famous multiple Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri winery (though we can't divulge which one) for a local small importer here in town! We made them an offer they couldn't refuse...

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

The pinnacle of Greco; a riveting white that brings together savory mint and heady citrus in a plush and endlessly pleasing package. Here above the clouds, at 2,100 feet in altitude, winemaker Raffaele Troisi tends older vines for a Campanian white of serious potential.

This is a special selection of older Fiano vines from high-altitude estate vineyards is a wonder. Smoke, pears, flowers; weighty and concentrated with a finish that goes on forever. Incredible cellar potential!

Stoan is a unique wine of its kind reflecting the complexity and potential of our region. It is a lively blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc and Gewürztraminer.

From the importer: The most important wine of the estate, the Dolcetto for the top wine is sourced from parcels found in prime positions, as well as the oldest vines of the estate.  The 7-year wait from harvest to release reflects the importance of the “San Fereolo” to Nicoletta, who carefully tends the wine through its 3 years in large barrel before a 3-4 year hibernation in the bottle cellar.  Our spring 2015 tasting of each vintage from 2001 to 2008 revealed a consistent vein of dense, warm fruit, which spoke of the Langhe source.  Fresh mineral notes, mint, licorice and savory elements permeated each expression, while a lively freshness was alive in every wine, including the 14-year old 2001 vintage.

From the importer: Nicoletta Bocca is known as a maverick for her ultra-long aged Langhe cuvées, among the finest in the entire region. “Valdibà” is her youthful expression of the Dogliani DOCG, made all in steel cuve, which shows in the fresh brightness of the wine. Nicoletta considers this to be classical Dolcetto, striking all of the notes one would expect from the variety, with a confident tannic backbone. From southeast and northwest-facing vines in the Barracone and San Fereolo vineyards in the Valdibà subsection of Dogliani.

91 Points! An Italian classic and a terrific value, the Ferrari NV Trento Brut is all Chardonnay that opens to crystalline luminosity and brilliance. The bouquet is straightforward and confident, delivering a clear and precise message of good cheer and easy-drinking appeal. There are notes of citrus, white peach, breakfast pastry and drying notes of crushed mineral. This is the quintessential Italian aperitivo wine. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

(50% from Cru Fulavin vineyard, 50% from Cru Pini vineyard) from 40 to 130 year-old vines!

92 Points! Made with a little-known grape present on the sun-kissed island of Ischia with beautiful beaches and thermal baths for more than 200 years, the Casa d'Ambra 2022 Ischia Forastera has a smooth and creamy texture with subtle aromas of orchard fruit, apple and honeydew melon. The wine glides beautifully over the palate with a mildly creamy texture. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

New blood at the former Cascina Ballarin in Barolo, biodynamic vineyards and thrilling, elegant wines!

93 Points! I like the intensity here of dark plums, oyster shells, tar, dried flowers and chocolate. Rich and flavorful with a full body and muscular tannins, sturdy, but not at all heavy. Try in 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

Sourced from 2.2 hectares in different vineyards in Serralunga d’Alba, at altitudes of 370-400m. The oldest vines date back to 1965, while the youngest were planted in 2006.

97 Points! A gorgeous, sleek wine with super-polished tannins and fabulous fruit. It's full but so refined and sexy. It goes on for minutes. Really fine. What a wine. This Bordeaux blend from here is the best ever. - JamesSuckling.com

100 Points! Complex aromas of walnut, dark fruit, stone, oyster shell, chalk and dried fruits. This shows fabulous intensity and balance with layer upon layer of fruit and polished tannins. Builds on the palate. It goes on for minutes. - JamesSuckling.com

95+ Points! Made from the estate's oldest vines, the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino is a bold and powerful wine that shows enormous precision and grit. On the Brunello scale, this expression from Siro Pacenti offers more dark fruit, plum, spice, tar and smoke. The wine reveals beautiful density and an important mouthfeel that hits the palate with seductive determination. This wine is holding up beautifully since I tasted it last and has even improved in terms of its complexity and overall elegance. It still has a long way to go. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com, 2019

95 Points! Beautifully ripe and intense, the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino never feels overdone or too heavy. In fact, it treads with the lightest of footprints imparting delicate tones of rose petal, forest berry, white cherry, balsam herb and sweet almond as it flutters over the senses. The main message here is elegance and this wine is profoundly eloquent on the subject. The mouthfeel is tight silky and enduring. Delicate mineral notes give focus and definition to the finish. This is a classic Brunello from an iconic vintage. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com