Wines

From the importer: The domaine’s top red wine is the cuvée Charles de Batz, which was the original name of d'Artignan. The wine is composed of 90% Tannat with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon from vines that are between 50 and 100 years old. After being completely destemmed, the Cabernet and Tannat are fermented separately in cement tanks. During this time, a bit of micro-oxygenation or microboullage takes place. The wine then goes into oak (50% new) in an underground cellar where it also undergoes malolactic fermentation. After 12 months in wood, it is blended and bottled after a very light filtration.

Very ripe, rich Madiran that takes no prisoners. This wine succeeds in obtaining more fruit than tannin! The color is nearly opaque—wine doesn't get much darker than this. It displays notes of black fruit (blackcurrant and blackberry) along with just a hint of red fruit. There is a cedar-like creaminess to the oak which is extremely well-integrated. Tannins pick up on the finish but, let's face it, this is Madiran and that is to be expected. These tannins seem to dissolve when the wine is matched with richly flavored meats like leg of lamb, duck, goose or game.

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94 Points! Made with Nerello Mascalese taken from all the vineyards. The aromas show plenty of strawberries and cherries with wrought iron and pumice. Medium-bodied with creamy and polished tannins with hints of cedar and light nutmeg. Savory and lightly tannic giving it tension and beauty. - JamesSuckling.com

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94 Points! Plenty of citrus, orange peel, honey and beeswax with some pumice and volcanic soil character. Medium body, with firm and integrated tannins that are energetic and integrated. Very pretty now but even better in three or four years. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

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96 Points! This shows notes of darker berries with red licorice and fresh ripe peaches. Intense with hints of moist clay soil and bark undertones. Full and steady on the palate with a firm backbone of chalky tannins that go on for minutes. Lot of tension and energy. Stays long on the palate, turning to a more smooth and powdery mouthfeel. Needs some time. Try after 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

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95 Points! This is more vibrant with red berries, blood oranges, light spices and hints of terra-cotta. Medium-bodied, juicy and fruit-forward with tangy acidity and dusty tannins. Hints of bitter orange at the end. Long and chalky yet very attractive and enjoyable now. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

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95 Points! This shows a very attractive, savory character with red cherries and raspberries, accompanied with dried summer herbs, candied orange and red spices. Dry earth, too. Medium- to full-bodied. Very even and seamless tannin structure. Refined and polished with a dusty earthiness that leads to a dry, delicate finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

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96 Points! This has a fresh and fragrant nose with beautiful cherries and raspberries as well as rose petals, licorice and crushed stones. It’s firm and linear on the palate with a medium body and vivid acidity. It’s hard to draw a line between the tannins and the earthy, mineral aspect as both build a chalky mouthfeel and lead to a long textural finish. I like the finesse here despite being still quite tight and firm. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

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96 Points! Pure cherry fruit here, reminiscent of kirsch, with orange peel and an ashy, mineral backbone to it, almost like cracked flint or gunpowder. Similar aromas and flavors on both the nose and on the palate. Medium- to full-bodied, really tense and firm with chalky tannins and a lingering crushed granite and rock sensation on the palate. Seashells, too. Long. Try after 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

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“Our Arneis wants to show the freshness and crispiness of this variety,” Giovanna says. “It has unique herbaceous aromatics (sage, thyme, rosemary) with white flowers (orange blossoms) and is pure, fresh, and vertical with good acidity and a long finish.”

Giovanna explained that Arneis went through some troubled times a few decades ago and got a bad rap. When bubbles in white wine became interesting, many growers in the Langhe planted Arneis in unfavorable locations: bottom of hills, north faces—essentially where other grapes wouldn’t ripen either. Whatever made it past the frost season had to contend with mildew feasting on the vine’s chlorophyll and then tainting the tight, fat-berried Arneis clusters. The grapes were picked when green or yellow, perfect for zippy, minerally white wine, no? Not with Arneis. It reaches its highest level when golden, otherwise it remains neutral, boring and austere.

These days, respect has returned to this grape and it’s time for it to reach its potential. Changes in approach, like keeping the vines above 250m to stave off frost, and better expositions with fewer facing directly north but rather more toward southerly exposures, or due east or west, or slightly tilted toward the north, like Brandini’s parcel in Canale facing northeast that’s fully exposed to the sun at an altitude of 350m. Here, the wind contact with the grapes, the early morning sun and good canopy management keeps mildew at bay while the Bagnascos wait patiently for the grapes to go golden—a difficult discipline for a family driven by high acid wines.

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94 Points! Extremely perfumed with violet and blueberry aromas that follow through to a full body with creamy, refined tannins. Wonderful depth, due to the compact fruit and vertical line of tannins. Black pepper to the dark fruit. Better in two or three years. Try after 2022. - JamesSuckling.com

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91 Points! A full-bodied red with aromas of black cherries, blackcurrants, violets and black licorice. Tannic and chewy with a firm core of dark fruit. Try from 2023. - JamesSuckling.com

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South-facing, organically-farmed estate vineyards planted to Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio. Extended aging, at least 6 to 7 years in large botti. Learn More

Killer Juice, 94 Points! Amazing concentration of clean red fruit and soil here, together with tangy wild herbs and something citrus. You can almost smell the volcano! Medium-to full-bodied with a dense core of fruit and quite challenging tannins for now. Give it a year to even out, but this is the muscular cousin of the Russo family. Try from 2023. - JamesSuckling.com

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