Italy

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

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

94 Points! The straight 2022 Barbaresco from Produttori del Barbaresco is fragrant and refined, with aromas of blue flower, red berry, citrus and a balsamic whiff of eucalyptus. Surprisingly fresh and juicy for the hot, extremely dry vintage, it boasts flavors of tart red cherry, orange zest and star anise alongside taut, refined tannins that leave some grip on the finish. - Kerin O'Keefe

94 Points! The Produttori del Barbaresco 2022 Barbaresco records a relatively high 15% alcohol content, yet the wine remains happily elegant and poised throughout. Small berry aromas of cassis and wild cherry are framed by expressive floral notes of lilac and earthy iris root, which feel especially vivid in this youthful Nebbiolo. The wine delivers immediate depth and finesse, balancing the natural richness of the warm vintage with the precision and freshness that define the cooperative's style. Fermented in stainless steel and aged in large oak botti, this release shows impressive harmony and varietal purity... - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

94 Points! Bright and overtly fruity, this is full of intoxicating violets, cinnamon, blood oranges and black cherries, expressing mint and balsamic depth. Full-bodied with a soft, smooth attack, dusty yet velvety tannins and brilliant acidity. The chocolaty finish shows licorice and a mouth-coating texture. Delicious and balanced. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! The 2022 Barbaresco is a pretty rich, heady wine. Dark cherry/plum fruit, cloves, licorice and mocha build as the 2022 shows off its considerable depth. This is one of the few 2022s that is quite resonant texturally. The aromatics could be more lifted and the tannins could use a bit more polish, but those qualities were next to impossible to come by in 2022. The inclusion of some juice from Riserva lots is a great help. All things considered, this is a stellar showing. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

93 Points! Though not that expressive today, this red is saturated with cherry, earth and iron flavors, accented with mint and rosemary. Firmly built, this persists on the aftertaste, with fresh cherry and berry notes. - Wine Spectator

95 Points! The 2021 Kaplja, a blend of 40% Chardonnay, 30% Friulano and 30% Malvasia, is deeply alluring with its golden color and delicate bouquet of sliced nectarines, mint leaf and spice. It is beautifully balanced, lifted and finessed, with silken textures and a polished feel to the ripe pit fruits that swirl throughout. Gently structured and incredibly long, it finishes with admirable concentration and a cedary bitterness that keeps the mouth salivating for more. Cool-toned and classic, the 2021 is built for the cellar. - Eric Guido, Vinous

94 Points! The Damijan 2021 Collio Kaplja is a blend of 40% Chardonnay, 30% Malvasia Istriana and 30% Friulano that shows a mild golden color with faint amber tones. The bouquet offers candied almond, sweet fruit and baked apple with pie crust along with a hint of spiciness that recalls saffron, a character often associated with extended skin contact. Each grape contributes to the wine’s layered personality. The wine undergoes two to three months of skin maceration with spontaneous alcoholic and malolactic fermentations in conical fermenters followed by three years of aging in botti grandi. The two hectares of vines are planted at 110 to 140 meters in elevation on Ponca soils with south and southwest exposures at a dense 8,000 vines per hectare. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

95 Points! The Damijan 2021 Collio Ribolla Gialla shows a shiny golden color with deep orange hues and a bouquet shaped by extended skin contact, with orange peel, apricot marmalade and honey-coated almond. Ribolla Gialla, a historic Friulian variety known for its naturally high acidity and firm phenolic structure, lends itself especially well to maceration and gives the wine its grip and depth. This is one of those proverbial white wines that drinks like a red and could easily pair with roasted duck on the skin or even a glazed ham dotted with cloves, as the tannic bite in this full-bodied white cuts through richness and fat. The fruit undergoes two to three months of skin contact with spontaneous alcoholic and malolactic fermentations in conical tanks followed by three years of aging in botti grandi. The three hectares of vines are planted at 140 to 180 meters in elevation on Ponca flysch soils with southern exposure at a dense 8,000 plants per hectare. - Monia Larner, robertparker.com

94+ Points! The 2021 Ribolla Gialla wafts up with minty freshness, as nuances of lemon oil and wildflowers are complicated by a whiff of crushed stone. It is juicy up front yet quickly gains in tension as a liquid floral concentration builds and crisp orchard fruits cascade across its crunchy mineral core. Exotic spices resonate over a citrusy saturation as the 2021 finishes youthfully compact. As good as this is today, the best is yet to come. - Eric Guido, Vinous