Vinous (98.5)

The 2014 Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda is a stunning wine. Sweet, perfumed and deep, the 2014 is off-the-charts great. Dark red and purplish berry fruit, mint, lavender, spice and hard candy infuse the 2014 with striking layers of nuance. But what really impresses about the 2014 is its depth and huge vertical build. All the elements fall into place in a sumptuous, deep Barolo that screams with character. Beams of tannin punctuate the finish. Massolino's 2014 is one of the greatest Vigna Riondas I have ever tasted.

Vinous (96)

The 2015 Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda is a magnificent wine that shows all the magic this site is so famous for. All the Rionda signatures open in the glass. Sweet dark cherry/plum, lavender, spice, mint and pine meld together in a sensual, beautifully layered Barolo that pushes all the right buttons. The 2015 is going to need a few years to soften, but it is undeniably vivid and arresting in its sheer allure.

Vinous (96)

The 2015 Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda is a magnificent wine that shows all the magic this site is so famous for. All the Rionda signatures open in the glass. Sweet dark cherry/plum, lavender, spice, mint and pine meld together in a sensual, beautifully layered Barolo that pushes all the right buttons. The 2015 is going to need a few years to soften, but it is undeniably vivid and arresting in its sheer allure.

Wine Spectator (98)

Cherry, strawberry, rose, iron and menthol flavors highlight this supple red. There's plenty of backbone, and woodsy notes chime in, but this is more about the expressive berry fruit and elegant side of Barolo, ending with a terrific finish. Nonetheless, this will require several years for the tannins to be absorbed. To be released September 2022. Best from 2025 through 2045. 1,000 cases made, 250 cases imported.

Decanter (96)

Intense floral and raspberry fruit bouquet. Pure silk on the attack; very concentrated but not overbearing, with lots of Maraschino cherry and spicy flavours. This is poised, polished, and seductive, with a very long, sweet cherry, finish.

Wine Enthusiast (94)

Iris, violet and espresso aromas mingle in the glass along with woodland berry. Elegantly structured and linear, the full-bodied palate features ripe Marasca cherry, dried botanical herb, molten chocolate and licorice notes alongside enveloping, fine-grained tannins. Drink 2024–2029.

Vinous (94)

The 2017 Barolo Castelletto is fabulous. It is also the wine in this range that feels the least marked by heat. Red/purplish fruit, blood orange, mint, spice and lavender all grace this beautifully translucent, expressive Barolo. There is some tannin that needs to soften - this is Monforte after all - but all the elements are impeccably balanced.

Wine Enthusiast (93)

Menthol, iris and French oak aromas come to the forefront. On the palate, notes of vanilla and coffee bean accent a core of dried black cherry while firm, close-grained tannins provide tight support. Drink 2025–2032.

Wine Enthusiast (95)

Blue flower, underbrush, camphor and hazelnut aromas come to the forefront. Full-bodied and elegantly structured, the palate offers ripe raspberry, Morello cherry, tobacco and a hint of coffee bean alongside firm, close-grained tannins. Drink after 2027.

Vinous (90)

First harvested in 2014, this 10,000-vine plot was created by basically exploding large blocks of flint with dynamite to obtain a flint-rich vineyard full of large rocks. The result is a creamy, silken 2019 Pouilly-Fumé Barre à Mine that is welcoming; flavor-wise, it's all ground almonds and oyster shell with masses of acidity. There's a firmness on the finish due to the flinty soils, providing upright structure and freshness, but once again, as with other 2019s, the alcohol gets in the way of the finish. An appetizing yet structured wine.

Vinous (93)

Produced from a flint site that needed to be blown up to make the terroir and made from relatively young vines, this is initially a tender and supple style with a whiff of gunsmoke/flint, a taut line of precision that runs through its core, a mere hint of green herbs reminding you that Pouilly is a Sauvignon producer and even a hint of white pepper. It's a powerful style that has an attractive sense of bitterness holding it together. At just 13%, this is wonderfully balanced, aromatic and driven in this vintage. You may even feel this sense of spice that warms the palate, almost like you've had a warming Indian curry - it's not the alcohol but something else - maybe it's the lint. Unique and intriguing.

Vinous (90)

The 2018 Barolo Cerequio is an attractive mid-weight wine. Dark red/cherry plum fruit, mocha, leather, spice and incense all grace this supple, silky Barolo. There's lovely creaminess and plenty of allure in this tasty Barolo from Michele Chiarlo.

Vinous (85)

My birth year will not go down in history as the stuff of legends: a relatively cool year without much botrytis and a fairly low residual level for the 1981 Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon. It's a touch smoky with some earthy characters alongside sweet apple. While it's sweet (76g/L) and round, it retains a surprising amount of tension, providing an almost refreshing finish. It's a fairly straightforward sweet style with modest length but it provided good milestone toasting.

Vinous (94)

Nervi's 2016 Gattinara from Nervi is superb. Sweet red cherry, mint, juniper berry and wild flowers are some of the many notes that soar out of the glass. The 2016 is distinguished by its brilliant aromatic presence and tremendous purity of fruit. Even just bottled, the 2016 exudes precision and nuance to burn. Of course, the 2016 needs time, but readers who want to get a sense of what the future holds at Nervi will get plenty of answers here. This is such a captivating wine.

Vinous (94)

The 2017 Gattinara is terrific. It will also give readers something to drink without waiting decades. In 2017, the Gattinara is a bit richer than it often is - the result of the warm dry year – but its profile is super-classic. Sweet pipe tobacco, mint, dried herbs, licorice, dried cherry and Alpine herbs fill out its ample frame effortlessly. I would give the 2017 a few years in bottle, but it won’t need more than that to start drinking well. In 2017, Roberto Conterno did not bottle his vineyard-designates. Instead, all the best lots went into the straight Gattinara, an overachieving wine that delivers the goods. I don’t expect the 2017 will be among the most long-lived wines here, but that will hardly be an issue for most readers.

Vinous (94)

The 2014 Gattinara Molsino is shy and introverted in its first impression, with quite a bit of intensity lurking in the background. Today, the Molsino is not as expressive as the Valferana, but its day will come. With a bit of aeration, the 2014 starts to show the structure, layers of nuance and resonance that will emerge more fully in time.

Vinous (96+)

Tasted next to the Valferana, the 2016 Gattinara Vigna Molsino is much more nervous in feel. Iron, dried herbs, sweet dried cherry, mint, crushed rocks, white pepper and earthy notes give the Molsino a good deal of aromatic complexity to match its intense, saline-infused minerality. Today, though, the tannins and acids are almost overpowering. Readers will find an old-school, classically austere Gattinara that needs 10-15 years to be at its best. The 2016 is an absolute jewel of a wine, but it should be purchased only by readers with either very good genes are a ton of optimism regarding their own longevity.

Vinous (93)

The 2013 Bramaterra is fabulous. Deceptive in its mid-weight structure, the 2013 is a wine of resonance, vertical reach and, most importantly, real pedigree. Dried flowers, herbs, mint, dried cherry and tobacco all meld together effortlessly. Time in the glass brings out a whole range of floral and savory overtones that add aromatic dimension. Vivid and enticing, the 2013 Bramaterra will delight readers for many years to come.

Vinous (95)

The 2015 Bramaterra is rich and explosive in the glass. Blood orange, chalk, mint, white pepper and macerated cherry are some of the many aromas and flavors that develop in the glass. There is something incredibly wild and untamed about the 2015 that is so incredibly enticing. In the glass, the 2015 is deep, powerful and built for the long-haul. It is a wine of tremendous character and breeding.

Vinous (93)

The 2017 Bramaterra is broad, ample and super expressive. The Bramaterra handles the richness of the vintage quite well. Sweet red cherry, blood orange, mint, spice and licorice all come alive with a bit of air. The 2017 is layered and yet retains the feeling of weightlessness that makes Alto Piemonte reds so compelling. There's plenty of character here, that much is clear.

Vinous (90)

The 2017 Lessona is pretty, if a bit forward. Sweet dried cherry, cinnamon, spice, orange peel and dried rose petal are nicely lifted in the glass. I would prefer to drink this over the next few years as it is already fading.

Vinous (95)

The 2018 Lessona is a wild, distinctive wine that captures all the exotic beauty of Nebbiolo in this appellation. Sweet dark cherry, orange peel, cinnamon, blood orange, sage and rose petal build effortlessly as this deep, layered Lessona shows off its quality and pedigree. The purity of the flavors is just remarkable. Readers lucky enough to find the 2018 will enjoy several decades of exceptional drinking. Superb.

Wine Advocate (96)

This is an instant classic, and that may be because of the smart decision to harvest later than usual. The 2013 Barolo Riserva Bussia Vigna Mondoca is elegant and profound with lots of beauty at every stage of its depths. The Vigna Mondoca is located more or less in the middle of the expansive Bussia cru, which has very thin and light soils that ultimately aid in the quick ripening of the fruit. Historically, this has resulted in super fruit intensity and delicious black fruit flavors. In this edition, we also get more tilled earth and stunning mineral tones. This is a beautiful Barolo Riserva.

Wine Advocate (96)

Here's a wine that brings on the best of the 2015 vintage. This growing season that will be remembered for sunshine and warmth is distinguished by rich and concentrated fruit. The 2015 Barolo Riserva Bussia Vigna Mondoca shows extra intensity and complexity with a quick assembly of wild fruit, rose, tarry smoke and flinty mineral aromas. There is a lot of depth and, more importantly, volume in this Barolo. The wine definitely veers toward the blacker and plummier side of the Nebbiolo spectrum. There is a lot of beautiful meat on these strong bones.

Wine Advocate (97)

Showing the precision and purity of the celebrated Bussia MGA (in Monforte d'Alba), the Oddero 2016 Barolo Riserva Bussia Vigna Mondoca has a lifted and largely floral bouquet with pressed rose, spicy potpourri, licorice, cinnamon stick, rosemary sprig and a hint of lavender. The intensity and the purity of the bouquet is beautiful, and although the oak tones play a prominent role at this stage, they will certainly integrate within the elegant, mid-weight texture of this Barolo. The wine ages in 30-hectoliter Austrian oak casks for 30 months. Production is 3,300 bottles.

Each case contains:

1 x 75cl Oddero Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda 2014 | 98 pts WE, 95+ pts VN, 95 pts WA

2 x 75cl Oddero Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda 2013 | 97 pts WE, 96 pts VN, 96 pts WA

1 x 75cl Oddero Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda 2012 | 97 pts WE, 94 pts VN

1 x 75cl Oddero Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda 2011 | 95+ pts WA

1 x 75cl Oddero Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda 2009 | 96 pts WA

Among the remarkable barolos, the Oreste Stefano Barolo Perno 2007 signals a prestigious blend of artisanal winemaking and high-quality Nebbiolo grapes. This exquisite bottle traces its origins to the sunny vineyards of Barolo, nestled into Italy's renowned Langhe region. Prestigious Italian winemaker Oreste Stefano is lauded for his meticulous vinification techniques, effectively marrying Barolo's distinct traditional style with others of greater finesse.

Structured with 24 months ageing in large Slavonian oak barrels and a further six years bottle ageing, this Oreste Stefano Barolo Perno 2007 offers an extraordinary complexity of aroma, with extraordinary flavours of dark fruit, spice, tobacco leaf and dark chocolate woven through a robust structure and enduring finish. Its expressive layers sing on the palate, revealing why it is adored amongst connoisseurs.

Another reputable performance from Oreste Stefano, the 2007 Barolo Perno perfectly defines why this vineyard is rated so highly in the Barolo sub-region. Stock is limited; secure your bottle of Oreste Stefano Barolo Perno 2007 while supplies last.