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Vinous (88)
Freshly cut flowers, sweet spices and dark red cherries are all woven together in the 2011 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castello di Brolio. Layered and silky on the palate, the 2011 offers good balance, even if the oak is a bit pronounced. Overall, this is a solid, if not particularly exciting wine. The Gran Selezione designation appears only on the back label, which strikes me as a curious choice.Inc. VAT£260.44 -
James Suckling (97)
There’s lots of clove character here, but the fruit really shines through, offering up intense hibiscus, orange rind, cranberries, Thai basil and dark chocolate. Full-bodied and really structured and refined with an agile core of red berries and savory undertones. Long but minerally on the finish. Drink from 2024.Inc. VAT£257.15 -
James Suckling (96)
A polished and reserved Castello with cherry, orange-peel and chocolate aromas and flavors. Tight and round-tannined, in a very subtle and curated way. The precision in this wine is impressive. Needs time to open. Try after 2025.Inc. VAT£103.99 -
Vinous (89)
The 2015 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione CeniPrimo offers brilliant aromatics, sculpted fruit and a good bit of persistence, but like all of these wines, it is ultimately dominated by a cold, overly technical feel. Crushed rocks, mint, pine and spice all add nuance to a core of red cherry fruit. There is plenty of potential here, if the veneer ever comes off.Inc. VAT£455.64 -
James Suckling (99)
A beautiful nose with tangerine peel, strawberries, rose petals, boysenberries, cranberries, red plums, red cherries and dark spices. Very grainy and refined on the palate with a real kick from the orange-rind undertones that permeate the entire palate. Tiptoes like a tightrope walker between power and finesse and executes its mission nearly to perfection. Drink now or hold.Inc. VAT£491.63 -
James Suckling (97)
A beautiful nose that shows dark plums, vanilla, tar, tobacco and spices. Full-bodied and very powerful with punchy tannins, but some real integration to the agile fruit and acidity. The complexity and depth at the end is breathtaking. Drink from 2023.Inc. VAT£417.58 -
Wine Advocate (97+)
The Barone Ricasoli 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Colledilà exudes an elegant fruit profile, but the wine is not without significant intensity and concentration too. With Sangiovese from clayey limestone soils rich in calcium carbonate and poor in organic matter, this wine also boasts that beautiful minerality that we saw in the others. Delicate berry fruit cedes to crushed oyster shell, dark spice and campfire ash. To the palate, the wine is high, firm and long.Inc. VAT£352.78 -
Wine Advocate (96+)
The Barone Ricasoli 2021 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Gaiole Colledilà opens to dark fruit, but perhaps more significantly, you get a slate-like mineral note that adds focus. That mineral note appears in all these beautiful Gran Selezione wines from vintner Francesco Ricasoli, but in the case of this bottle, it adds a dark or slightly brooding personality. The finish is absolutely savory and salty.Inc. VAT£343.24 -
Vinous (90)
The 2015 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Roncicone is ample, creamy and expansive. Spice, dried flowers and crushed rocks add aromatic nuance. The potential for the Roncicone to be a wine of distinction is evident, but in this vintage, it just feels imprisoned by an overly technical approach.Inc. VAT£416.44 -
James Suckling (98)
I love the purity of fruit to this Gran Selezione that shows hibiscus, orange peel, violets, lavender, early grey tea, cloves, tobacco and wet earth. Elegant and flowing with lithe yet structured tannins, intensely refreshing acidity and a long, complex finish. Superb sangiovese. Drink from 2023.Inc. VAT£585.95 -
Inc. VAT£246.94 -
Inc. VAT£246.94 -
(6x75cl) 2016Vinous (93)
The 2016 Barbera d'Alba is fabulous. Rich in its first impression, but sustained by terrific energy, the 2016 is all finesse. Rose petal, lavender, mint and dark red and purplish fruit develop in the glass, but more than anything else, the 2016 is a super-classic, mid-weight Barbera that will thrill readers who enjoy traditionally made wines.Inc. VAT£456.80 -
Vinous (92)
The 2019 Barbera d'Alba is fabulous. Bright and radiant, the 2019 is supple and yet classically medium in body. Soft, silky contours wrap around a core of red cherry/plum fruit. Interesting, despite its open-knit feel, the Barbera is a bit lower in alcohol than the norm, and that no doubt adds to its super-classic profile. I loved it.Inc. VAT£122.52 -
(6x75cl) 2020Vinous (95)
The 2020 Barbera d'Alba is outrageously beautiful. Rich, pliant and expressive, the 2020 races across the palate with stunning depth. Plush and sumptuous, the 2020 is fabulous to drink now for its primary fruit, but it should also age gracefully. The 2020 is sublime. Red purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, blood orange and mint linger on the creamy, textured finish.Inc. VAT£416.38 -
Inc. VAT£380.38 -
(6x75cl) 2022Wine Advocate (93)
This wine works very well to extract the character and generosity of a hot vintage. The Bartolo Mascarello 2022 Barbera d'Alba demonstrates how balanced this grape remains in terms of its flavor profile, even as summer temperatures rise. The bouquet reveals sweet blackberry and candied Mon Chéri cherry. The alcohol is up there, touching 15%, but that characteristic Barbera acidity zeros it out. The San Lorenzo Barbera vineyard was ripped out in 2020 and replanted in 2022. Luckily, the baby vines survived the hot summer, Maria Teresa Mascarello tells me, only because she made extra effort to drill the roots deep into the ground. San Lorenzo was harvested for the first time in 2024, meaning fruit was purchased for this vintage. When the 2024 vintage is released, one-third of the fruit will be from San Lorenzo.Inc. VAT£481.30 -
(1x75cl) 1950Inc. VAT£865.45 -
(1x75cl) 1958Inc. VAT£989.83 -
(1x75cl) 1961Inc. VAT£925.50 -
Vinous (97)
Bartolo Mascarello’s 1978 Barolo (from 1.5 liter magnum) is a highly inconsistent wine because many of the surviving bottles and 1.5 liter magnums that are still in the market were not bottled at the estate, but were bottled from larger 1.9 liter magnums by the original purchasers of the wine, a practice that was not unusual at the time. Thankfully, this magnum was firing on all cylinders. With age, Bartolo Mascarello’s wines become quite delicate and Burgundian, but the 1978 still has plenty of power and structure. The vineyard sites were the same as today, Rocche dell’Annunziata, Cannubi, Rue and Cannubi/San Lorenzo, all vinified together in cement and bottled after four years.Inc. VAT£1,918.01 -
Vinous (96)
Bartolo Mascarello's 1982 Barolo was a bit sweeter and more perfumed, but still had plenty of underlying verve.Inc. VAT£1,291.69 -
(3x150cl) 1983Inc. VAT£3,236.00 -
Vinous (94)
I admit I have never really found much to admire in the 1988 vintage in Piedmont. Perhaps that is because 1989 and 1990 are both of such high quality, while 1985, 1986 and even at times 1987 are all more distinctive. With that in mind, Mascarello’s 1988 Barolo is a truly enchanting and seductive wine. Absolutely haunting in its beauty, the 1988 offers up a classic bouquet of dried rose petal, tar, anise, orange peel and bright red stone fruit, with the translucent, weightlessness that only Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir can deliver. Crystalline and pure, the 1988 has enough balance to drink well for another decade, even if it doesn’t have the sheer weight of some of the surrounding vintages. The 1988 is striking when it is first opened and it is just as beautiful several hours later. What a wine!Inc. VAT£1,400.02 -
(3x150cl) 1988Vinous (94)
I admit I have never really found much to admire in the 1988 vintage in Piedmont. Perhaps that is because 1989 and 1990 are both of such high quality, while 1985, 1986 and even at times 1987 are all more distinctive. With that in mind, Mascarello’s 1988 Barolo is a truly enchanting and seductive wine. Absolutely haunting in its beauty, the 1988 offers up a classic bouquet of dried rose petal, tar, anise, orange peel and bright red stone fruit, with the translucent, weightlessness that only Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir can deliver. Crystalline and pure, the 1988 has enough balance to drink well for another decade, even if it doesn’t have the sheer weight of some of the surrounding vintages. The 1988 is striking when it is first opened and it is just as beautiful several hours later. What a wine!Inc. VAT£3,546.80 -
Vinous (97)
Tasted from magnum, the 1996 Barolo is absolutely stunning. Vibrant and wonderfully alive, the 1996 exudes class. Time has gently softened the 1996 tannins, rendering the 1996 super-expressive today. Balsamic, mentholated notes, along with scents of tobacco and dried stone fruit continue to open up with time in the glass. The 1996 is still firm and quite powerful, but not as austere as many wines are in this vintage. Tar, licorice and scorched earth add the closing shades of nuance in an impeccably balanced, vivid Barolo that captures the personality of the vintage at its best.Inc. VAT£436.92 -
(1x75cl) 2003Vinous (93)
The 2003 Barolo is one of many unexpected surprises of the night. From a period before quality really skyrockets at the domaine, the 2003 is remarkably fresh, perfumed and expressive. Naturally, the 2003 doesn’t match the level of the best wines on the table, but it is, frankly, much stronger than I had expected. The 2003 is also one of the best semi-current vintages for present-day drinking.Inc. VAT£230.93 -
(12x75cl) 2005Wine Advocate (95)
The 2005 Barolo is super-delicate and finessed. This is a decidedly restrained, feminine style of Barolo laced with roses, raspberries, jasmine and berries. It will be fascinating to see which direction the 2005 takes from here. At times the wine appears to be putting on additional weight, but it nevertheless retains an element of frailty that is actually quite attractive. I rate the 2005 just behind the 2004, 2006 and 2007, but it is a gorgeous wine, and easily one of the very finest wines of the vintage.Inc. VAT£5,908.30 -
Wine Advocate (95)
The 2005 Barolo is super-delicate and finessed. This is a decidedly restrained, feminine style of Barolo laced with roses, raspberries, jasmine and berries. It will be fascinating to see which direction the 2005 takes from here. At times the wine appears to be putting on additional weight, but it nevertheless retains an element of frailty that is actually quite attractive. I rate the 2005 just behind the 2004, 2006 and 2007, but it is a gorgeous wine, and easily one of the very finest wines of the vintage.Inc. VAT£696.52 -
Vinous (98)
The 2008 Barolo is once again superb. The striking aromatics that are so typical of the year make a strong first impression. Delicate and silky on the palate, yet also deceptive in its mid-weight structure, the 2008 is pure seduction. A hint of grip from the tannins appears on the finish, but with some air, the 2008 is quite open. It will be interesting to see if the 2008 ever goes into a shell. Thus far, it has remained surprisingly open for a young Barolo from a cool, late-ripening vintage.Inc. VAT£1,847.18
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Vinous (88)
Freshly cut flowers, sweet spices and dark red cherries are all woven together in the 2011 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castello di Brolio. Layered and silky on the palate, the 2011 offers good balance, even if the oak is a bit pronounced. Overall, this is a solid, if not particularly exciting wine. The Gran Selezione designation appears only on the back label, which strikes me as a curious choice.In Bond£201.00 -
James Suckling (97)
There’s lots of clove character here, but the fruit really shines through, offering up intense hibiscus, orange rind, cranberries, Thai basil and dark chocolate. Full-bodied and really structured and refined with an agile core of red berries and savory undertones. Long but minerally on the finish. Drink from 2024.In Bond£195.00 -
James Suckling (96)
A polished and reserved Castello with cherry, orange-peel and chocolate aromas and flavors. Tight and round-tannined, in a very subtle and curated way. The precision in this wine is impressive. Needs time to open. Try after 2025.In Bond£80.00 -
Vinous (89)
The 2015 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione CeniPrimo offers brilliant aromatics, sculpted fruit and a good bit of persistence, but like all of these wines, it is ultimately dominated by a cold, overly technical feel. Crushed rocks, mint, pine and spice all add nuance to a core of red cherry fruit. There is plenty of potential here, if the veneer ever comes off.In Bond£360.00 -
James Suckling (99)
A beautiful nose with tangerine peel, strawberries, rose petals, boysenberries, cranberries, red plums, red cherries and dark spices. Very grainy and refined on the palate with a real kick from the orange-rind undertones that permeate the entire palate. Tiptoes like a tightrope walker between power and finesse and executes its mission nearly to perfection. Drink now or hold.In Bond£399.00 -
James Suckling (97)
A beautiful nose that shows dark plums, vanilla, tar, tobacco and spices. Full-bodied and very powerful with punchy tannins, but some real integration to the agile fruit and acidity. The complexity and depth at the end is breathtaking. Drink from 2023.In Bond£328.00 -
Wine Advocate (97+)
The Barone Ricasoli 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Colledilà exudes an elegant fruit profile, but the wine is not without significant intensity and concentration too. With Sangiovese from clayey limestone soils rich in calcium carbonate and poor in organic matter, this wine also boasts that beautiful minerality that we saw in the others. Delicate berry fruit cedes to crushed oyster shell, dark spice and campfire ash. To the palate, the wine is high, firm and long.In Bond£274.00 -
Wine Advocate (96+)
The Barone Ricasoli 2021 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Gaiole Colledilà opens to dark fruit, but perhaps more significantly, you get a slate-like mineral note that adds focus. That mineral note appears in all these beautiful Gran Selezione wines from vintner Francesco Ricasoli, but in the case of this bottle, it adds a dark or slightly brooding personality. The finish is absolutely savory and salty.In Bond£270.00 -
Vinous (90)
The 2015 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Roncicone is ample, creamy and expansive. Spice, dried flowers and crushed rocks add aromatic nuance. The potential for the Roncicone to be a wine of distinction is evident, but in this vintage, it just feels imprisoned by an overly technical approach.In Bond£331.00 -
James Suckling (98)
I love the purity of fruit to this Gran Selezione that shows hibiscus, orange peel, violets, lavender, early grey tea, cloves, tobacco and wet earth. Elegant and flowing with lithe yet structured tannins, intensely refreshing acidity and a long, complex finish. Superb sangiovese. Drink from 2023.In Bond£469.00 -
In Bond£192.00
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In Bond£192.00
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(6x75cl) 2016
Vinous (93)
The 2016 Barbera d'Alba is fabulous. Rich in its first impression, but sustained by terrific energy, the 2016 is all finesse. Rose petal, lavender, mint and dark red and purplish fruit develop in the glass, but more than anything else, the 2016 is a super-classic, mid-weight Barbera that will thrill readers who enjoy traditionally made wines.In Bond£360.00 -
Vinous (92)
The 2019 Barbera d'Alba is fabulous. Bright and radiant, the 2019 is supple and yet classically medium in body. Soft, silky contours wrap around a core of red cherry/plum fruit. Interesting, despite its open-knit feel, the Barbera is a bit lower in alcohol than the norm, and that no doubt adds to its super-classic profile. I loved it.In Bond£99.00 -
(6x75cl) 2020
Vinous (95)
The 2020 Barbera d'Alba is outrageously beautiful. Rich, pliant and expressive, the 2020 races across the palate with stunning depth. Plush and sumptuous, the 2020 is fabulous to drink now for its primary fruit, but it should also age gracefully. The 2020 is sublime. Red purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, blood orange and mint linger on the creamy, textured finish.In Bond£327.00 -
In Bond£297.00
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(6x75cl) 2022
Wine Advocate (93)
This wine works very well to extract the character and generosity of a hot vintage. The Bartolo Mascarello 2022 Barbera d'Alba demonstrates how balanced this grape remains in terms of its flavor profile, even as summer temperatures rise. The bouquet reveals sweet blackberry and candied Mon Chéri cherry. The alcohol is up there, touching 15%, but that characteristic Barbera acidity zeros it out. The San Lorenzo Barbera vineyard was ripped out in 2020 and replanted in 2022. Luckily, the baby vines survived the hot summer, Maria Teresa Mascarello tells me, only because she made extra effort to drill the roots deep into the ground. San Lorenzo was harvested for the first time in 2024, meaning fruit was purchased for this vintage. When the 2024 vintage is released, one-third of the fruit will be from San Lorenzo.In Bond£380.41 -
(1x75cl) 1950In Bond£718.00
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(1x75cl) 1958In Bond£821.65
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(1x75cl) 1961In Bond£768.04
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Vinous (97)
Bartolo Mascarello’s 1978 Barolo (from 1.5 liter magnum) is a highly inconsistent wine because many of the surviving bottles and 1.5 liter magnums that are still in the market were not bottled at the estate, but were bottled from larger 1.9 liter magnums by the original purchasers of the wine, a practice that was not unusual at the time. Thankfully, this magnum was firing on all cylinders. With age, Bartolo Mascarello’s wines become quite delicate and Burgundian, but the 1978 still has plenty of power and structure. The vineyard sites were the same as today, Rocche dell’Annunziata, Cannubi, Rue and Cannubi/San Lorenzo, all vinified together in cement and bottled after four years.In Bond£1,593.00 -
Vinous (96)
Bartolo Mascarello's 1982 Barolo was a bit sweeter and more perfumed, but still had plenty of underlying verve.In Bond£1,070.00 -
(3x150cl) 1983In Bond£2,676.00
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Vinous (94)
I admit I have never really found much to admire in the 1988 vintage in Piedmont. Perhaps that is because 1989 and 1990 are both of such high quality, while 1985, 1986 and even at times 1987 are all more distinctive. With that in mind, Mascarello’s 1988 Barolo is a truly enchanting and seductive wine. Absolutely haunting in its beauty, the 1988 offers up a classic bouquet of dried rose petal, tar, anise, orange peel and bright red stone fruit, with the translucent, weightlessness that only Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir can deliver. Crystalline and pure, the 1988 has enough balance to drink well for another decade, even if it doesn’t have the sheer weight of some of the surrounding vintages. The 1988 is striking when it is first opened and it is just as beautiful several hours later. What a wine!In Bond£1,159.79 -
(3x150cl) 1988
Vinous (94)
I admit I have never really found much to admire in the 1988 vintage in Piedmont. Perhaps that is because 1989 and 1990 are both of such high quality, while 1985, 1986 and even at times 1987 are all more distinctive. With that in mind, Mascarello’s 1988 Barolo is a truly enchanting and seductive wine. Absolutely haunting in its beauty, the 1988 offers up a classic bouquet of dried rose petal, tar, anise, orange peel and bright red stone fruit, with the translucent, weightlessness that only Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir can deliver. Crystalline and pure, the 1988 has enough balance to drink well for another decade, even if it doesn’t have the sheer weight of some of the surrounding vintages. The 1988 is striking when it is first opened and it is just as beautiful several hours later. What a wine!In Bond£2,935.00 -
Vinous (97)
Tasted from magnum, the 1996 Barolo is absolutely stunning. Vibrant and wonderfully alive, the 1996 exudes class. Time has gently softened the 1996 tannins, rendering the 1996 super-expressive today. Balsamic, mentholated notes, along with scents of tobacco and dried stone fruit continue to open up with time in the glass. The 1996 is still firm and quite powerful, but not as austere as many wines are in this vintage. Tar, licorice and scorched earth add the closing shades of nuance in an impeccably balanced, vivid Barolo that captures the personality of the vintage at its best.In Bond£361.00 -
(1x75cl) 2003
Vinous (93)
The 2003 Barolo is one of many unexpected surprises of the night. From a period before quality really skyrockets at the domaine, the 2003 is remarkably fresh, perfumed and expressive. Naturally, the 2003 doesn’t match the level of the best wines on the table, but it is, frankly, much stronger than I had expected. The 2003 is also one of the best semi-current vintages for present-day drinking.In Bond£189.00 -
(12x75cl) 2005
Wine Advocate (95)
The 2005 Barolo is super-delicate and finessed. This is a decidedly restrained, feminine style of Barolo laced with roses, raspberries, jasmine and berries. It will be fascinating to see which direction the 2005 takes from here. At times the wine appears to be putting on additional weight, but it nevertheless retains an element of frailty that is actually quite attractive. I rate the 2005 just behind the 2004, 2006 and 2007, but it is a gorgeous wine, and easily one of the very finest wines of the vintage.In Bond£4,885.00 -
Wine Advocate (95)
The 2005 Barolo is super-delicate and finessed. This is a decidedly restrained, feminine style of Barolo laced with roses, raspberries, jasmine and berries. It will be fascinating to see which direction the 2005 takes from here. At times the wine appears to be putting on additional weight, but it nevertheless retains an element of frailty that is actually quite attractive. I rate the 2005 just behind the 2004, 2006 and 2007, but it is a gorgeous wine, and easily one of the very finest wines of the vintage.In Bond£574.00 -
Vinous (98)
The 2008 Barolo is once again superb. The striking aromatics that are so typical of the year make a strong first impression. Delicate and silky on the palate, yet also deceptive in its mid-weight structure, the 2008 is pure seduction. A hint of grip from the tannins appears on the finish, but with some air, the 2008 is quite open. It will be interesting to see if the 2008 ever goes into a shell. Thus far, it has remained surprisingly open for a young Barolo from a cool, late-ripening vintage.In Bond£1,526.00
Italian grapes, such as Sangiovese, Cortese and Nebbiolo, produce many excellent wines. Yet they are not as well known or as widely planted abroad as their French counterparts. This is changing. Italian wine has gathered the strength and self confidence it needed and they are embracing their own viticultural diversity to great success.
