Superstars Of Barolo And Barbaresco Mini-Expo

The 2020 Barbaresco Ovello Vigna Loreto is a bright, nervy Barbaresco. Kirsch, dried ?owers, chalk, mint and white pepper give the 2020 its distinctive upper register. This mid-weight, vibrant Barbaresco needs time to soften. It is the most reticent of these wines. (93) ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous

Aromas of ripe strawberries and cherries with tree bark, nutmeg and sandalwood undertones. Medium- to full-bodied with fine tannins that are melted into the wine. Solid fruit core and vivid acidity with a tense, lengthy finish. Try from 2025. (95) JAMES SUCKLING

The 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

Overt and ripe on the nose with watermelon, strawberries, rhubarb and sweet violets. Medium-bodied and delicate on the palate, this has velvety, integrated tannins and overall freshness. Drink or hold. (94) ALDO FIORDELLI, Vinous

The 2017 Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda is flat out stunning. All the purest essence of Rionda comes through in a captivating Barolo that dazzles. Sweet red cherry fruit, kirsch, rose petal, licorice and blood orange are some of the many aromas and flavors that lift from the glass. Exotic and racy, the 2017 is a flat-out stunner. Now, for the million dollar question. Is it better than the 2016? Right now, I give an edge to the 2017 for its greater finesse and total sense of exotic beauty. But time will be the judge. I do look forward to tasting the 2016 and 2017 side by side! ANTONIO GALLONI

Bright red cherry, mint, potpourri, new leather, liquorice root. So fragrant. Fresh, very fine, tannin has a succulence, and they sit so well within the wine, melting through its core. Red fruits (strawberry in particular), tea and blood orange, and a superb long finish of precision and freshness. A beautiful expression of Vigna Rionda, and one that belies the heat of the vintage. GARY WALSH, The Wine Front

The 2020 Barolo Margheria is a very pretty wine that shows the gentler side of the year. Dried herbs, menthol, incense, new leather and licorice all take shape in the glass. The 2020 is a soft, uncharacteristically open-knit Margheria that will drink well with only minimal cellaring. ANTONIO GALLONI

I like the freshness and vivid red-fruited character. Medium-bodied with firm, slightly chewy tannins. It’s compact and structured with a tense and lively aftertaste. Vivid and bright with hibiscus undertones to the orange and berry character. Try from 2027, but already very pretty. JAMES SUCKLING

Vivid red fruit with subtle floral and citrusy notes and hints of crushed stones. Medium-bodied with firm tannins. Structured and focused with a lingering, expanding aftertaste. Impressive density. Try after two to three years. JAMES SUCKLING

The 2020 Barolo Parussi is a classy, nuanced wine. It shows lovely textural depth and resonance, but in the mid-weight style of the year. Dark red cherry, lavender, rose petal, mint and spice all build nicely, filling out the layers effortlessly. The 2020 is weightless and elegant, with the understated textural depth that is such a signature of this vintage. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous

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.

Just mid ruby. Intense nose of dried fruit, damson and rosemary. Lush fruit given an edge by the bite of energetic tannins. The fruit becomes more and more pure on the palate. Fantastic focus and juiciness on the finish. The spicy fruit is reminiscent of Monforte d’Alba but with added energy. Dynamic. WALTER SPELLER, JancisRobinson.com

Organic. Lalù farms just 0.5 hectares in one of Monforte’s great Crus, Le Coste di Monforte. With an average altitude of 420 metres, this south-facing vineyard is the highest and southernmost vineyard in Monforte. The site perfectly fits Lalù’s preference for finesse and openness. Although its 35-year-old vines lie parallel to the Ginestra and Mosconi Crus, Barolo from this vineyard is typically prettier and rounder than its neighbours—this being attributed to the unusually high content of sand layered throughout the region’s Sant’Agata marls.

This year, the Barolo was mostly destemmed and fermented in a tronconique oak vat. It spent one month on skins, including just over two weeks with the cap submerged in the juice. Aging was in large oak vats (from Austria and Alto Adige) for two years before eight months in concrete.This release is only Lalù’s second Barolo and explains why there is already so much excitement surrounding this producer.

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.

Red fruits, and really quite dusty and peppery, along with some floral notes. It’s medium-bodied, tannin has a gentle chew to it, and a whole lot of dusty spice cupboard character, but it’s fresh ,with some cranberry crunch to acidity, and a dry and gently ferrous finish of solid length. It’s maybe picked on the cusp of ripeness, though it does have energy and plenty of character. Lively. Good to drink. Frisky! GARY WALSH, The Wine Front

The latest wine from Justin Bubb and the Babo team is a Langhe Nebbiolo, sourced from vineyards near the famed town of Castiglione Falletto. The sites mainly face southwest between 300 and 400 metres above sea level. The 2021 vintage came with challenges: spring frosts affected yields, and the summer months were warm, but the fruit quality at the end of the season was fantastic. The fruit was handpicked, destemmed and macerated for about a week with twice-daily pumpovers. To preserve freshness and bright red-fruit appeal, the wine matured in concrete tanks for just a short period.