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Cellar Favorite: 2005 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Santo Stefano di Neive
Cellar Favorites, Italy: Piedmont, cellar favorite
, Jan 2022
What a thrill it is to drink Bruno Giacosa’s 2005 Barbaresco Santo Stefano di Neive. The 2005 has been consistently brilliant since I first tasted it over a dozen years ago, but I confess that I had forgotten just how captivating the 2005 is. The word ‘classic’ is over-used, but that is exactly what the 2005 is. Classic.
Everyday Piedmont, Parts 1 & 2
featured, Italy: Piedmont
, Sep 2021
Piedmont has so much to offer the curious wine lover. Barolo and Barbaresco are now firmly established among the world’s greatest reds. Alto Piemonte has made huge strides in recent years. But there is so much more to Piedmont beyond those famous appellations and wines. In the hands of the best growers, Dolcetto, Barbera, Langhe Nebbiolo and Piedmont’s other reds and whites deliver the same qualities that have made the region’s top bottlings so coveted. These are artisan wines from family-run domaines that convey a sense of place.
Cellar Favorite: 1970 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo
Cellar Favorites, Italy: Piedmont, cellar favorite
, Nov 2021
A door to another time in Piedmont opens with the 1970 Barolo, a wine made by Battista Rinaldi long before his son, Beppe, ran the winery and well before his granddaughters, Marta and Carlotta, were even born.
Cellar Favorite: 1989 Gaja Barbaresco
Cellar Favorites, Italy: Piedmont, cellar favorite
, Nov 2021
It is still one of the greatest tastings I have ever done. One chilly, late fall afternoon about a dozen years ago, Angelo and Gaia Gaja opened all of their 1989s and 1990s for an article I was working on, Piedmont’s Glorious 1989 and 1990 Vintages Revisited.
2017 Barolo, Part 2: The Late Releases
featured, Italy: Piedmont
, Oct 2021
As always, our fall Barolo article focuses on wines that were bottled this past summer and other late releases. Two thousand and seventeen is a tricky vintage with a degree of variability that requires selection. Many wines are gorgeous, but others are disappointing.
2020 Barolo en Primeur Charity Auction
featured, Piedmont, Italy: Piedmont
, Oct 2021
I am delighted to host the first ever Barolo en Primeur Charity Auction, being held simultaneously in New York City and Grinzane Cavour on October 30 at 12pm New York time and 6pm Piedmont time. This is a rare opportunity to acquire a barrel of 2020 Barolo while supporting your favorite charity. I have created an NFT for each barrel, which will remain with the winner of each lot.
Cellar Favorite: 2001 Armando Parusso Barolo Bussia
Cellar Favorites, Italy: Piedmont, cellar favorite
, Sep 2021
I pulled the 2001 Barolo Bussia from the cellar while thinking back to a dinner with Marco Parusso at one of New York City’s long-lost, great establishments, La Pizza Fresca, back when I worked for a major retailer. That was the first time I was fully introduced to the Parusso style, and the first time I had the opportunity to taste the 2001 among a larger lineup of wines that were there for sale.
Cellar Favorite: 2005 Vietti Barolo Castiglione
Cellar Favorites, Italy: Piedmont, cellar favorite
, May 2021
When I purchased the 2005 Vietti Castiglione for $34 a bottle, I did so knowing that the worst-case scenario is that it would be a great Barolo to check-in over the course of ten years; but what I only realized a few years back is that this bottle, which I thought might be in decline by now, was still maturing in a positive way.
What Makes a Great Barolo Vintage? Establishing a Framework
featured, Italy: Piedmont
, May 2021
What makes a great Barolo vintage? Unlike some regions, Bordeaux being the most notable, Piedmont does not have an established framework that sets out the criteria required for a vintage to be considered very high in potential quality. What follows is my framework of objective criteria that are necessary in order for a Barolo (or Barbaresco) vintage to be considered truly great. It is inspired by the late Denis Dubourdieu and the model he developed for assessing young Bordeaux vintages and the research my colleague Alessandro Masnaghetti has done in collecting and analyzing weather, harvest dates and other data. To that, I add my 20+ years of visiting the region and all of the information I have gathered in speaking with winemakers, agronomists and other professionals over that time, plus drinking more than my fair share of the wines. As with Dubourdieu’s model, this framework addresses the growing season, and does not venture into an assessment of the wines.
2017 Barolo: Here We Go Again…
featured, Italy: Piedmont
, Feb 2021
The 2017 Barolos arrived literally as we published the last of our 2016 Barolo reviews. Time to start all over with new wines and a new vintage. In the last two decades Piedmont has become one of the most dynamic regions in the world. Keeping up with the pace of releases these days is quite a challenge, but it’s an incredibly stimulating challenge, as there is so much to discover. Interest for Barolo and Piedmont has never been higher, pandemic or not. There is plenty to like about the 2017 Barolos, as readers will see.