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Willie Smiths Pommeau de Tasmanie 18.2%Aged in small apple brandy casks for over 12 months, this rich and generous liqueur is a result of blending pressed French and British heirloom apple varieties with our apple spirit.
Complex and well-structured with baked apple and spice, balanced with firm tannins and cask influence.
Our take on the traditional aperitif from North-West France – enjoy as such or serve with blue cheese or dessert. WILLIE SMITH
NVCalvadosFrance$90.00 As low as $81.00 -
Poachers Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2023More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2017sauvignon BlancAustralia365$29.00 As low as $26.10 -
Yarra Yering Dry Red No 3 2019This blend of Portuguese varieties has come together seamlessly and offers immediate drinking appeal. Heady with violets and lavender, blackcurrants and Szechuan pepper, blackstrap licorice and Mediterranean herbs, all adding to its youthful beauty. Fine tannins, raspberry-like acidity and complexity raise it way above ordinary. (95) JANE FAULKNER, Halliday Wine Companion2019Blend, TourigaAustralia506$120.00 As low as $108.00 -
Rizzi Barbera d'Alba 2020Ripe, plummy fruits leap from the glass followed up by violets, dried rose, gravel and something that reminds me of the perfect Sunday lamb roast. Yum. This is unctuous, round and ripe at first but just when it's needed that tart Barbera acidity comes to the rescue, freshening the palate and propelling the wine forward revealing a lovely mineral tingle and foundation of ripe tannin in its wake. This is very appealing and even more so when you see the price tag. ALEX DOBSON
2020BarberaItaly457$41.00 As low as $36.90 -
Gianfranco Alessandria Barbera d'Alba Vittoria 2019Showing more oak rendering and depth, the 2019 Barbera d'Alba Vittoria (with 4,500 bottles made) exhibits a much bigger and broader style compared to the estate's steel-aged Barbera. This wine sees 18 months in barrique, with about one-third new oak. The aging process serves to flesh out the dark fruit, dark cherry and plum. It creates a wine of bigger structure too, opening it up to more food-pairing possibilities, from meat lasagna to grilled steak. MONICA LARNER2019BarberaItaly457$75.00 As low as $67.50 -
Margan Breaking Ground Rosato 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022Barbera, Merlot, Pinot GrisAustralia407$30.00 As low as $27.00 -
Hobo Wine Camp Folk Machine Parts and Labour Red 2022This is the second vintage that Grenache has dominated the P&L blend. The 2022 is a blend of Grenache from Mangels Ranch in Suisun Valley, Cedar Lane in Arroyo Seco, and Waddington Ranch in Mendocino, Carignane from Lolonis, Maria Martinson, and Castañon all in Mendocino, and Syrah from Vecino in Potter Valley. There is a good amount of whole cluster and carbonic maceration through the lots keeping everything fresh and fun. As always, the blend was made immediately after harvest and the wine was aged in a combination of French oak foudres and stainless steel tanks.
Oh yum! This is such a joy to drink. A cracking drop here from the legend that is Kenny likitprakong of Hobo. He was telling us that this was his house wine. The one that he has cases of to rip the corks off when mates come round, the BBQ fires up and a long warm weekend is about a kick off and we can see why. This is hard to put down once it's in your glass.
It's all about the red fruits here with fresh picked red cherry and raspberry all vying for position at the front of the pack. Some pretty violet notes swirl around and as this opens up some savoury whole black peppercorn and foresty bits make themselves heard. Its lithe and fresh bursting onto the palate with that core of red berry fruit. Clean and pure just sizzling with energy. A joy to drink and would happily take a brief chill if you were so inclined.
2022Barbera, Carignan, Grenache, shirazUSA362$46.00 As low as $43.00 -
Correggia Barbera Bricco Marun 2019This is a classy single vineyard barbera. From 45-65 year old densely planted vines, the Marun was the brainchild of Matteo Correggia. He sourced fruit from sandy soils at the top of the hill with a sunny exposition and good air flow to stifle vine disease.
The 2019 Barbera d'Alba Superiore Marun is packed with scents of blackberry, underbrush, mocha, licorice, leather and cloves. There's plenty of density and volume, and yet forward aromas and flavors lead me to believe the 2019 is best enjoyed sooner rather than later. ANTONIO GALLONI2019BarberaItaly457$69.00 As low as $62.10 -
Ronco dei Tassi Rosso Cjarandon Riserva 2018It's like a Bordelaise immigrant in Friuli. I don't mean these varieties (merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon) are new to the area, in fact the cabernet family have been planted up here for centuries, I mean the style of the wine blends classical cabernet production - modern vinification and small oak elevage - with a local fruit spectrum which offer something different to their spirit home in France.
Middle weight. Dark cherry. dark berry and leafy aromatic with a touch of earl grey tea. Palate is clean and pure, sweetly fruited but also lithe and direct. Dark chocolate and oak splice are woven into the core of the wine. It's a lovely example, the main feature for me being that it holds excellent ripeness but is also mid-weight and cool fruited. Excellent luncheon merlot cab blend that will age and improve for 10-15 years. MICHAEL MCNAMARA
2018BlendItaly391$89.00 As low as $80.10 -
Pascal & Nicolas Reverdy Terre de Maimbray Sancerre 2022100% Sauvignon blanc from 20+ year-old vines, hand-picked and sorted, very gentle pneumatic press and cool fermented in stainless steel. Matured in tank on fine lees for 6 months. Ripe and vibrant gooseberry fruit aromas without excess. Excellent depth of fruit on the palate with texture minerality and excellent depth and character. More refinement apparent each vintage.2022sauvignon BlancFrance423$66.00 As low as $59.40 -
Diego & Damiano Barale Barbera 2021More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2021BarberaItaly457$56.00 As low as $50.40 -
Marchesi Alfieri La Tota Barbera d'Asti 2021 (Screwcap)Voluptuous black fruits on the nose, blackberries with intense plums and dark cherry. Broad and fleshy with good weight of fruit and concentration. Candied cherry and good structure with grip and bite. Solid richness on the moderate finish. DECANTER
Dark chocolate, black cherries and poached plums on the nose, with a kiss of tobacco and clove. It’s full-bodied, balanced by lively acidity, with fine and polished tannins. Drink or hold. JAMES SUCKLLING2021BarberaItaly457$47.00 As low as $42.30 -
Gaudry Sancerre Scorpion 2018Organic/biodynamic sauvignon blanc. The philosophy finds winemaking practice rooted in the historical past - old mentality about the wines.
Textural and quite rich in style, light granitic minerality in the wine, some creaminess around that. Mouth-watering tang in the palate, exceptional length. Very classy, complex, almost savoury style but for the freshness and limey vibes. Lovely. MIKE BENNIE, The Wine Front
2021sauvignon BlancFrance423$112.00 As low as $100.80 -
Albino Rocca Barbera d'Alba 2022The 2022 Barbera d'Alba is another delicious entry-level wine from Albino Rocca. It captures notable freshness and energy. Dark red cherry/plum fruit, spice, leather and blood orange and all dialed up. Vinification and aging in steel keeps the flavors vibrant. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous2023BarberaItaly457$46.00 As low as $41.40 -
Albino Rocca Barbaresco Ronchi 2020The 2020 Barbaresco Ronchi stands out in this range for its breadth and textural resonance. There's gorgeous palate presence. Sweet red plum, blood orange, spice, new leather and incense ?ll out the layers. It’s a compelling wine in every way, and one that handles its alcohol quite well. (95) ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous
This is red-fruited and floral with citrus peel, rose petals and some undergrowth notes. Medium-bodied, polished and delicate with fine tannins and fresh cherry-fruit in the middle. Very attractive.
(93) JAMES SUCKLING, jamessuckling.com2021BarberaItaly457Special Price $119.00 Regular Price $140.00 -
Albino Rocca Barbaresco Montersino 2020The 2020 Barbaresco Montersino is intensely ?oral and savory, re?ecting a slightly higher position on the slope in a cool site. Dried herbs, tobacco, cedar, spice and earthy tones lend character. There is plenty of complexity and nuance here, and certainly more than enough depth to balance the tannins. This is a ?ne vintage for the Montersino. (93) ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous
Attractive aromas of red berries like raspberries and strawberries with hints of dried herbs, walnuts and bark. Medium-bodied, juicy and bright with fine, velvety tannins that are firm and grippy. Lingering finish. Very fine. (94) JAMES SUCKLING, jamessuckling.com2021BarberaItaly457Special Price $104.00 Regular Price $123.00 -
Albino Rocca Barbaresco Angelo 2020The 2020 Barbaresco Angelo is an exotic wine. Macerated cherry, white ?owers, apricot and spice are some of the many notes that grace this sensual, super-expressive Barbaresco. Fine tannins wrap it all together while lifted ?oral accents frame the ?nish. The Angelo is beautifully done. (94) ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous
Angelo is a small blend of fruit from selected parcels across the estate. It was given a lunga macerazione (50 days on skins using a submerged cap) in a specially designed large-format wooden Stockinger fermenter. The wine was then aged for 24 months in a 2,000-litre cask. The blend is typically 50% Ronchi, 25% Ovello and 25% Montersino. Galloni has described it as a “Brunate of Barbaresco”, which gives you some insight into the quality on offer here.2021BarberaItaly457Special Price $204.00 Regular Price $240.00 -
Quinta da Muradella Candea Blanco 2020Even the entry-level white 2020 Candea Blanco, a regional blend of equal parts of Dona Blanca, Verdello and Treixadura fermented and kept with lees in stainless steel for one year, shows character, cleanliness, precision and freshness beyond the price point, and it transcends appellation and vintage and is offered with some time in bottle. It has only 12.5% alcohol and an expressive nose of herbs and flowers, and it is balanced, harmonious and elegant and finishes dry and long with a tasty and salty twist. A bargain. 6,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2022. LUIS GUTIERREZ, Wine Advocate
2020BlendSpain440$52.00 As low as $46.80 -
Casa da Passarella A Descoberta Dao Tinto 2020Made in stone lagars and aged in cement tanks along with some large old wooden vats, it's a very typical Dão blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz (elsewhere, Tempranillo), Alfrocheiro and Jaen (aka Mencia).
A Descoberta means 'to be discovered' and the somewhat mystical label, a box tagged 1942 is a folkloric reference to an early version of a time capsule a box hidden in the stone walls of the house of Passarella containing a will to be opened 50 years hence and directing the riches of the box be re-distributed to the poor. The box was empty. Enrichment comes from the intangible not the material, it seems ...
A lovely wine supple, fleshy and spicy, with extra delicate tannin and oak. From lead-off, the cherry-chocolate fruit really shows the Dao granite, and is laden with wiry dark herbs. In the mouth, it's fleshy-meaty and mineral fresh - round with good movement and fruit-earth interplay. It has excellent presence in the mouth but is not reliant on weight for the show. Wonderfully composed, it sits and radiates, effortless in affect. Gorgeous delicate tannin is the frame, rimming the mouth and allowing the fruit and spicy acid to radiate delicately. A wonderful advertisement for varietal blends.
2020BlendPortugal$38.00 As low as $34.20 -
Craggy Range Te Muna Road Sauvignon Blanc 2023Grown on the lower terrace at Te Muna Road, this wine shows a unique level of texture and complexity. The cooler climate of Martinborough ensures the wine is aromatic with steely minerality while the rocky soils gives intensity of the fruit.2023sauvignon BlancNew Zealand435$35.00 As low as $31.50 -
Diego & Damiano Barale Barbera 2022Sourced exclusively from the Barolo San Giovanni Cru in Monforte d'Alba
Distinctly ripe with plenty of charm and appeal, this is what Barbera is all about. The acidity is bright and that is reflected in the fruit through the tartness that snaps its way across the palate while the more obviously ripe and well rounded fruit follows up with admirable depth and plenty of spice inflected plum, orange zest and a bright, long, primarily red fruited finish that carries a light mineral flair and a faint hint of scorched earth. Plenty of potential here, this is a very classical styling that really screams out for food. Your ideal partner for a lot of meals and with more than enough going on to keep the geeks interested too. NICE! ROSCOE2022BarberaItaly457$59.00 As low as $53.10 -
Marchesi Alfieri La Tota Barbera d'Asti 2022 (Screwcap)Morello cherries, fresh bouquets and a touch of geraniums. Creamy tannins on the palate, with fleshy cherries and plums. Juicy, brambly and pristine medium-length finish. Drink now. ZEKUN SHUAI. James Suckling2022BarberaItaly457$47.00 As low as $42.30 -
Marchesi Alfieri La Tota Barbera d'Asti 2022 1500mlMorello cherries, fresh bouquets and a touch of geraniums. Creamy tannins on the palate, with fleshy cherries and plums. Juicy, brambly and pristine medium-length finish. Drink now. ZEKUN SHUAI, jamessuckling.com2022BarberaItaly457$110.00 As low as $99.00 -
Poachers Vineyards Riesling 2021More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2017sauvignon BlancAustralia365$32.00 As low as $28.80 -
Albino Rocca Barbera d'Alba Superiore Gepin 2020The 2020 Barbera d'Alba Superiore Gepin is deep, flavorful with tons of character. It emerges from the Cottà cru, where the wines are naturally rich and creamy. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, leather and incense all open nicely. A year of aging in cask adds structure. What I like most about the 2020 is the combination of fruit intensity and depth, but in the restrained, classic style that is the norm here these days. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous
The name of this wine is taken from the previous farmer. Gepin tended these old parcels of Barbera in the great crus of Ronchi (Barbaresco) and Cottà (Neive), planted between 1950 and 1974.This wine has improved out of sight in recent vintages (in part thanks to enhanced barrel integration) and has now become a regular in our portfolio. Where the classic Barbera is raised in tank, the Gepin matures for 12 months in low-impact, large Austrian casks (from you know who) and is bottled unfiltered
2020BarberaItaly457Special Price $52.00 Regular Price $62.00 -
Chatzivaritis Estate Goumenissa 201970% Xinomavro and 30% Negoska - Appellation Controlée. Slight vanillan oak, white pepper. A big rich wine. Plum, dark cherry, vanilla, white pepper. Red fruit with good length. Fine tannins.2017BlendGreece$71.00 As low as $63.90 -
Conterno Fantino Barbera d'Alba Vignota 2021The 2021 Barbera d'Alba Vignota is a tasty entry-level offering. Crushed flowers and bright red/purplish fruit give the Barbera its effusive, charming personality. This mid-weight, open-knit Barbera is a fine choice for near-term drinking. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous
Notes of ripe dark cherries and blueberries with hints of cloves, dark licorice and cocoa beans. Medium body. Juicy and vibrant with dusty tannins and a succulent finish. Drink now. JAMES SUCKLING2021BarberaItaly457$67.00 As low as $60.30 -
Riccitelli Kung Fu Sauvignon Blanc Orange 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022sauvignon BlancArgentina$55.00 As low as $49.50 -
Fratelli Revello Barbera d’Alba 2022From vineyards located in Annunziata, measuring 1.8 ha, facing east, at 270 metres above sea level, and west, at 240 metres above sea level. Roto fermenters and all steel tank with about 8-10 days skin contact.2022BarberaItaly457$55.00 As low as $49.50 -
Giacomo Fenocchio Barbera d'Alba Superiore 2022From about westerly exposed sight all in Monforted d'Alba from 30 year old vines and 300 meters above sea level. 10 days on skins in stainless steel tanks with 6 months in stainless steel tanks followed by six months in large Slavonian oak barrels2022BarberaItaly457$68.00 As low as $61.20 -
Frederick Stevenson Grenache 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022BlendAustralia349$41.00 As low as $36.90 -
Frederick Stevenson Cabernet Sauvignon 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022BlendAustralia349$48.00 As low as $43.20 -
Bondar Chardonnay 2023More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2023BlendAustralia349$42.00 As low as $37.80 -
Sinapius Clem Blanc 2023Estate grown field blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay Musqué, Riesling and Grüner Veltliner. Up to 7 days of skin contact before pressing. Natural co-ferment and maturation in a Pozvek foudré for 9 months on full lees. 100% malolactic fermentation. Bottled in January 2024 unfined and unfiltered.
Amber hue in the glass, this wine is complex and highly aromatic with scents of fresh apricot, musk and lychee. Peach, beeswax and subtle smoky notes. A creamy mid palate with a refreshing saline finish.
2023Blend, Gewurztraminer, Gruner Veltliner, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, RieslingAustralia490$42.00 As low as $37.80 -
Cave Mont Blanc Blanc de Morgex et la Salle DOC 2022The Cave Mont Blanc 2022 Vallée d'Aoste Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle (made with the local Prié Blanc grape) is a steely and tonic white wine with an icy, transparent hue and sharp aromas of star fruit, white pepper, grapefruit and lemon water. The wine is thin and direct in approach, with nice freshness, making this a great easy-drinking proposition. Fruit comes from a vineyard site at a nose-bleed 1,000 to 1,200 meters in elevation. MONICA LARNER, The Wine Advocate2010BlendFrance484$57.00 As low as $51.30 -
Terre a Terre Crayeres Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2023Sauvignon Blanc of the Year. Score awarded by the Halliday tasting team at the annual Awards judging. SW writes: Fermented in stainless steel tank (52%) and older oak (48%). Aged on full lees with no battonage. Pineapple, guava, perfectly ripe mango skin and lilikoi. Driving and elegant natural acidity and a wash of juicy tropical fruit with hints of glacé ginger and nutmeg spice. A fuzz of nettle texture and the wine finishes quite full bodied. It's a sauvignon blanc made with care, attention to detail and purity of fruit. (97) WINE COMPANION TASTING PANEL
This must be one of Australia’s top sauvignon blanc wines. And the value is pretty epic.It’s got exceptional energy and persistence, a major feature is the tension in the wine, the torque of powdery pucker and the core of briny minerality. Around this, preserved lemon, a faint ginger lift, almond, attractive parmesan cheese characters, salt bush and gentle white pepper. It’s a compact and yet flavoursome white, refreshing as it is interesting and intellectual for the fanciers of fine sauvignon blanc. Cellar some too. MIKE BENNIE, Wine Front
2023sauvignon BlancAustralia$39.00 As low as $35.10 -
Domaine Vacheron Sancerre Blanc 2023... its straight Sancerre Blanc, a blend of parcels (limestone 45%, flint 45% and 10% marl), is fermented in tank after being hand harvested. It is a stellar ‘entry’ wine to their range.VINOUS
Domaine Vacheron is one of Sancerre’s elite properties, producing both white and red Sancerre wines of amazing purity and definition. The domaine has been completely transformed over to biodynamic farming with two young cousins, Jean-Laurent and Jean-Dominique Vacheron, at the helm. No synthetic material is used in the vineyard, harvests are carried out exclusively by hand, and the only fertilizer used is produced from the compost pile. Yields are kept extremely low. Having inherited some of the most coveted parcels in the appellation, the cousins are trying a Burgundian approach to Sancerre winemaking, with parcels being vinified .
Flinty sparks mix with fresh thyme and grapefruit pith aromas. The pure core of fruit cascades like a waterfall onto the palate, it’s luminous and palate staining while a minerally vein reminds you of its chalky and fossil laden soils it shares with Chablis. It slithers along, finishing with a mouth watering saline finish. It’s a refined and stylish Sancerre, so very damn delicious. GABRIELLE POY
2023sauvignon BlancFrance422$85.00 As low as $76.50 -
Pascal Jolivet Sancerre 2023Each grape (Sauvignon Blanc) is sorted upon receipt of the harvest, we work by gravity in order to respect the natural circuit of vinification. Press lightly to maintain optimum fruitiness. Assembly of 50% limestone, 30% clay-limestone and 20% flint. Each soil is vinified separately in thermo-regulated stainless steel vats, the limestone brings minerality and finesse; the clay-limestone brings the fruit, the richness and the flint brings the structure and the minerality. Unique, precise, chic, timeless and divinely good.2023sauvignon BlancFrance423$83.00 As low as $74.70 -
Suertes del Marques Trenzado Blanco 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022BlendSpain$69.00 As low as $62.10 -
Paitin ‘Bonina’ Freisa Paitin 2020This is a bit of a banger. Raspberry, almond paste, dried roses, a fair bit of white pepper and spice, aniseed too. It’s medium-bodied, frisky and fresh, plenty of red fruits, dried herb, a ‘mineral’ feel to it, not least with regards to acidity, peppery tannin, lots of energy, also kind of earthy and gravelly too, with a brisk finish of excellent length. GARY WALSH, The Wine Front
The 2020 Freisa Bonina is another fabulous wine in the entry-level portion of the range. Bright and translucent, the 2020 delivers striking complexity and nuance. Rose petal, lavender, spice, mint and dried herbs all open in the glass. The 2020 is translucent, bright and wonderfully expressive. For readers who want to explore Freisa, this is certainly a great start. ANOTONIO GALLONI,Vinous
2020BarberaItaly457$63.00 As low as $56.70 -
Pandra Sauvignon Blanc Aged on Lees 2023More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2023sauvignon BlancSpain$35.00 As low as $31.50 -
Luciano Sandrone Barbera d'Alba 2022Blueberry, raspberry and oak-driven spice aromas come to the forefront on the deeply colored, fragrant 2022 Barbera d’Alba from Sandrone. The aromas march over to the generous, savory palate along with ripe plum and ground pepper supported by tightly knit, velvety tannins and surprisingly fresh acidity for the dry, scorching year. Drink 2025–2032. KERIN O'KEEFE2022BarberaItaly457$83.00 As low as $74.70 -
Albino Rocca Barbera d'Alba 2023The lion’s share of this small-volume cuvée is drawn from a single parcel of vines planted in 2004 in the clay and limestone soils of San Rocco Seno d'Elvio—just outside the Alba township, on the edge of the Barbaresco area. More recently, a parcel of 20-year-old Barbera from Castagnito, on the opposite side of the Tanaro River, has joined the party. The resulting wine, raised entirely in tank, is bursting with juicy red and blue fruit and crushed-flower flavours framed by light-footed tannins and balancing acidity.2022BarberaItaly457Special Price $35.00 Regular Price $42.00
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Cavallotto Barbera d'Alba Vigna Cucolo 2021
Cavallotto’s Vigna del Cuculo is a major-league Barbera from a parcel of 50-plus-year-old vines on the western side of Bricco Boschis. This parcel is named after the cuckoo bird (cuculo)—we’re not sure why, and neither is Alfio Cavallotto! This wine's unique power and ridiculous quality can be attributed to the mature vines, low yields and powerful terroir of the Bricco Boschis. The western aspect and the preponderance of limestone temper Barbera’s natural acidity, and Alfio Cavallotto explains that this ‘Barolo’ terroir contributes to an aromatic range in Barbera that is closer to Nebbiolo.
The winemaking is also distinctive, with up to 18 days on skins (a long time for Barbera) and then aging for 20 months in the same mature Slavonian casks as the Nebbiolo wines. 2021 is a wonderfully fleshy and perfumed year for this benchmark wine. It’s got that core of pure, sweet, plummy fruit so particular to this Barbera, here infused with nuances of anise, dried flower and earthy minerals. The tannins are supple and elegant, the acidity ripe yet racy, and the wine finishes with unusual depth, finesse and complexity for the variety. Equally deep, complex and textural—not all Barbera is created equal.
2021BarberaItaly457Special Price $84.00 Regular Price $99.00 -
Lalu Langhe Barbera d'Alba 2021Organic. Lalù’s Barbera from fruit purchased from Monforte’s San Sebastiano—a site that Lara Rocchetti and Luisa Sala believe is exceptional for this variety. Made with a third each of whole-berry (Leroy style), whole-bunch and destemmed fruit, the wine fermented and was raised entirely in concrete, where it aged for eight months. Lalù’s is a radiant, linear, focused Barbera that wafts from the glass with shades of fresh red fruit, woody herbs and floral lift. The palate is silky and vibrant with depth and texture, and while it delivers a serious dose of fruit, you’ll find plenty of finesse and mineral freshness, too. A lovely, new-wave Barbera.2021BarberaItaly457Special Price $62.00 Regular Price $74.00
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Lalu Langhe Barbera d'Alba 2022
Organic. Lalù’s Barbera just gets better. The new release is the first to include fruit from the new estate vineyard of Bricco Giubellini in Monforte. The vines here lie on Diano sandstone at a lofty 530 metres, an altitude that brings welcome freshness to warmer Piemonte vintages such as 2022 and 2023. The balance of the Barbera is drawn from fruit purchased from Monforte’s San Sebastiano—another site Lara Rocchetti and Luisa Sala believe exceptional for this variety.
Made with a mix of whole berries and bunches, the wine fermented and matured for eight months entirely in concrete. It’s a more powerful, sensual release than last year, still perfumed and vibrant yet more textural. The wine slinks out of the glass with pure red berries, violets and brown spices before turning towards more earthy shades of liquorice and woody herbs. The palate has joyous purity as well as a lovely mouthwatering quality from both the powdery tannins and the variety’s bright acidity while also hinting at Lalù’s light touch in the cellar. A first-class artisanal Barbera here.
2022BarberaItaly457Special Price $62.00 Regular Price $74.00 -
Piero Busso Barbera d'Alba Majano 2020
The domaine crafts two Barbara wines, both sitting at what we could call ‘the serious end’ of the Barbera spectrum. In a Bibendum setting, this means closer in style to the structured, ageworthy style of Cavallotto, rather than, say, the approachable and seductive character of Sandrone or Massolino. This wine is the more fruit-forward of the two and is drawn from the Majano vineyard in Neive, sitting at 190 metres on sandy clay. The oldest vines here have reached 50 years of age, bringing uncommon depth and vinosity. The wine was matured in stainless steel for 12 months before bottling.
This is superb; bloody and ferrous yet with lovely florals and a pure, dark cherry core. It immediately speaks as to why we love this producer. There’s depth yet great finesse and it’s loaded with character.
2021BarberaItaly457Special Price $52.00 Regular Price $62.00 -
Piero Busso Barbera d'Alba Stefanetto 2019
Stefanetto comes from mature vines in Busso’s San Stunet vineyard (see notes for the Barbaresco San Stunet below). The higher altitude (380m above sea level), age of vines (25 to 50 years old) and limestone rich soils all contribute to a deeper and more structured Barbera than the Majano. Accordingly, this wine is raised in neutral barrels of various sizes for at least 12 months. It is also released with one extra year of age.
This has more overt flesh, more plummy fruit, wilder notes and powdery tannins. In short, it’s a dark and layered Barbera of enormous character and length.
2019BarberaItaly457Special Price $67.00 Regular Price $79.00