Winery notes  from 2019 Vintage

"Made of 100% Nebbiolo grapes grown in the hills overlooking Barbaresco, this wine delivers a delicate perfume reminiscent of dark cherry and black pepper with a hint of tobacco from a fine cigar. Elegant and fully ripe it has a wonderful structure and balance. Aged for two years in the oak and one year in the bottle, this wine is as good now as it will be aged for many years."

95/100 Wine Enthusiast, Kerin O'Keefe

"Underbrush, camphor, cedar and mature dark-skinned fruit aromas come to the forefront along with spicy notes. Full-bodied and firmly structured but also boasting a surprising weightlessness, the palate features dried cherry, steeped prune, licorice and tobacco set against a firm backbone of tightly knit, close-grained tannins. It's still youthfully austere so give it time to fully develop. Drink 2027–2037. " Drink 2027 - 2037

94+/100 Parker's wine Advocate, Monica Larner

"Considering the untimely passing of Renato Vacca in March of 2020, there is a lot of emotion coming back to this wine: It has always been an expression of Barbaresco nostalgia and romanticism, even when its creator was alive and well, working in these vines located directly under his family house. The Cantina del Pino 2017 Barbaresco Ovello bears his winemaking imprint with balance and elegance that never misses a beat. This vintage offers more density and concentration for sure, and the positioning of the Ovello cru overlooking the Tanaro River Valley sets the wine up for open-knit characteristics and suave softness. Those impressions are amplified in this vintage but are not overblown. Some 6,000 bottles were released and you get terrific value in this bottle. The wine is set to hit the market in September 2021." Drink 2023 - 2038

94/100 Vinous, Antonio Galloni

"The 2017 Barbaresco Ovello is a superb effort for the year. Bright, aromatic and effusive, the 2017 is so expressive right out of the bottle. It has the vintage 2017 power found in all the wines here, but also the cut and verve that make Ovello one of the most distinctive sites in all of Barbaresco. It is such a gorgeous wine." Drink 2025 - 2037

Timorasso is often called the ?white Barolo? and this grape produces a white wine with great potential for aging.

The soil in the Tortona area is sandy clay and the vineyard aspect is South, South west at about 250-450m. the vines are trained to Guyot with ten buds per plant at 4.500 vines per hectare.  All grapes are handpicked around the end of September followed by 6 hours of cryo-maceration. Fermentation is in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks with followed by 6 months on fine lees.

The end result is a super complex minerally driven wine, full-bodied on the palate with fresh citrus and tropical fruit notes leading to a mineral finish.

A deep and dense expression of the Montepulciano grape offering fabulous drinking at a great price with bright fruit notes and soft sweet tannins. The winery is biodynamic with Demeter certification.

Great value organic Lambrusco Grasparossa Castelvetro DOP from Cantina Settecani, this is frizante (meaning lightly sparkling) example of Lambrusco.

Ripe black cherry into a hint of caramel then a black pepper finish.

Great for a barbecue, as an apertif, or a cool weather celebration!

Nero D'Avola is Sicily's big red success story; it's the most planted grape on this large Mediterranean island and also the most popular in terms of taste and style, delivering consistency juicy, plump, rounded and refreshing deeply coloured red wines from low priced to premium, such as this wine.

Caruso Nero is also organically certified and punches above its weight, delivering beautiful fragrant aromatic appeal and smooth, rich flavours right now, but also has the ability to age for up to 10 years, improving and evolving into a spicy, complex red over time.

A quirky dry Italian white wine with interesting fruity aromas and a fleshy, medium body. 

Commercial description

"Grapes are dried in temperature and humidity controlled warehouses in hillside locations till December. Fermentation for about 20 days on the skins with constant pumping over. Oak wood aging for 18 months and in bottle for 6 months.

Casalforte Amarone della Valpolicella is a full-bodied red wine with a garnet red shade. Its complex bouquet recalls cherry jam, ripe black cherries and spicy notes of vanilla and licorice. On the palate it is juicy, well-structured with a fresh and fruity finish. It pairs perfectly with rich pasta dishes, game and grilled or stewed red meats as well as mature cheeses."

This Lazio Vermentino IGT from Castello di Torre in Pietra is aged in steel tanks for about 3 months and offers a crystalline, vibrant and organic expression of the aromatic Vermentino grape.

A straw yellow colour in the glass opens with a nose of white fruit and ripe peach, broom and aromatic herbs. The palate it is full-bodied, fresh, savoury and with typically marine mineral traces.

Super smooth, soft Italian red made from Cesanese, a lovely red grape packed with characters of light, bright red fruit and a Beaujolaisesque-like softness. Tart cherry flavours, juicy depth and a long finish from robust acidity all make this wine quintessentially Italian in style but the Beaujolais-like softness is an appealing character here.

Castello di Verduno is an historic Piemontese estate that makes classic Barolo and Barbaresco from prime vineyard sites in both appellations. The winery is located in Verduno, the northernmost commune of Barolo.

For their Barbarescos and Barolos, winemaker Mario Andrion prefers 30 to 40 day macerations and extended aging in large Slavonian botti. Their varietal wines see mostly stainless steel aging, with some large botti.

This wine is 100% Nebbiolo grown on Marne di Sant'Agata, which is a combination of sand, clay and limestone. Hand harvested grapes were fermented in stainless steel for 20 days with periodic punching down of the cap, prior to 18 months in large traditional Slavonian oak with three months resting in stainless steel and another 14 months ageing before release. 

Castello di Verduno is an historic Piemontese estate that makes classic Barolo and Barbaresco from prime vineyard sites in both appellations. The winery is located in Verduno, the northernmost commune of Barolo.

For their Barbarescos and Barolos, winemaker Mario Andrion prefers 30 to 40 day macerations and extended aging in large Slavonian botti. Their varietal wines see mostly stainless steel aging, with some large botti.

This wine is 100% Nebbiolo grown on Marne di Sant'Agata, which is a combination of sand, clay and limestone. Hand harvested grapes were fermented in stainless steel for 20 days with periodic punching down of the cap, prior to 18 months in large traditional Slavonian oak with three months resting in stainless steel and another 14 months ageing before release. 

Ever heard of Pelaverga?

It's not exactly a household name, even in the households of wine lovers. It is the name of a red grape grown in Piemonte in north west Italy. Even in its homeland there, it's pretty rare, and best known for making light, smooth fruity reds, such as this one, which is an interesting different take on northern Italian red wine.

Castello Tricerchi Brunello di Montalcino was aged for 24 months in Slavonian oak casks and shows the potential of Sangiovese to age for the very long term. 

Impressive now and a keeper for the wine cellar.