Jay Kline

9.2

Popped and poured; enjoyed over he course of a few of hours The 2017 Riserva “Pora” pours a deep garnet color with medium+ viscosity and no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of Bing cherry, rhubarb, dried orange peel, tomato leaf, espresso, some tar, a bit of leather and dried earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. Of all the vineyards that get selected for Produttori’s Riservas, Pora is the MGA for which I have the least experience. Lack of experience with Pora aside, this is empirically an attractive Barbaresco Riserva. Still early days. Drink now through 2042. Bottle No. 5118/13333. — 7 days ago

Jay Kline

9.2

As far as I know, only Moccagatta and Quazzolo make single bottle expressions of the Cole MGA in Barbaresco. Cole is a small, southeast facing vineyard located directly west of the famous Montestefano MGA.

The 2019 pours a deep garnet with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of ripe red fruits: Morello cherry, red rope licorice, red flowers, some tar, orange peel, gravelly earth, some vanilla and gentle warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and texture is grippy. These modern touch on this a little jarring for me early on but after about 30min of air, the character of the site started to emerge and it became a lot more interesting to me. This would be a huge hit for those palates more attracted to more modern leaning producers in the Langhe. Drink now with patience and through 2039. — 4 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of 90 minutes. The 2019 “Margheria” pours a pale garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with gorgeous notes of ripe red fruit: Morello cherry, raspberry, orange zest, roses, talcum powder, dried herbs, and dry earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long, super grippy and slightly savory. Ooooof, I love Azelia’s expression of Margheria. It’s so transparent, so elegant. Drink now with patience but better after 2029 and through 2059.

For those who care: Historically, Luigi Scavino (Azelia) tended to treat their wines slightly different, dependent upon MGA. Margheria was getting their most traditional treatment being aged exclusively in Slavonian botti. FWIW, I always felt this was their most exciting single MGA bottling. Now, I believe all of their single MGA’s are treated in the similar, aforementioned fashion. The results speak for themselves. — 7 months ago

Jay Kline

9.6

Popped and poured; due to the setting, this was enjoyed over the course of an hour but I would have really preferred to have taken my time with this. I had my first experience with the 2021 Barbaresco’s from Cigliuti last December when I enjoyed the Serraboella. I found that wine to be stunning. As one could probably imagine, I was therefore, really excited to try “Vie Erte” which is sourced from the family’s modest (only a few acres) holdings in the Bricco di Neive MGA. To my palate, this takes things to another level.

The 2021 “Vie Erte” pours a beautiful ruby color with a brilliant, transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with sensational notes Morello cherry, strawberry, stone fruits, pink roses, talcum powder, camphor, sub-Alpine herbs, exotic Eastern spices, dry gravelly earth and minerals. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish lasts for minutes. This is a drop dead gorgeous Barbaresco. The nose alone is enough to send me to Elysium. There’s impeccable balance. Possibly the best Barbaresco I’ve ever had. Drink now through 2061+. — 6 days ago

Jay Kline

9.1

The Valmaggiore MGA is notable for being a distinctive hillside in Roero, just outside of the Barolo zone. The soils are sandy and make for a more elegant expression of Nebbiolo d’Alba. The 2023 pours a pale garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of tart and ripe red fruits: raspberry, strawberry, red flowers, and exotic spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. If you want your Nebbiolo fix but don’t wanna shell out for Barolo or Barbaresco, this is a smart choice. Drink now through 2033. — 7 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of three days and consistent throughout. The 2020 “Baudana” from the eponymous MGA pours a gorgeous, luminous garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with fabulous notes of fresh red roses, Morello cherry, dried herbs, Eastern spices, and dried earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and super elegant. My, my how I love the 2020 vintage in Barolo. They are so easy to enjoy in their youth ever so elegant. Drink now through 2040. — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Mention “Monvigliero” around any Barolo nut and there is a better than good chance you might witness the following behavior: waxing poetic in hushed tones, sighing, swooning…possibly fainting. Monvigliero truly is the zeitgeist. For over 40 years, Comm. G.B. Burlotto (and Fratelli Alessandria before them), have quietly been making great single-vineyard Monvigliero and it was only in the last 10-15 years that the world started to catch on to the magic that was happening in Verduno. In the last handful of years alone, there have been a flurry of producers with holdings in Monvigliero that have released their own single-vineyard expression. However, what many may not realize is that Enrico Scavino and his daughters have been producing a “Monvigliero” since 2007, making them one of the first half dozen to do so. I’m only suggesting that the Scavino’s knew there was something special there well before the hype train came to the station.

Popped and poured; enjoyed with dinner and over the course of a couple hours. The 2020 “Monvigliero” pours a deep garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. The nose is gorgeous; seemingly darker fruited with blackberry, pomegranate, black cherry lozenges, roses and spice box. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin (though friendly) and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and lithe. An elegant wine and downright delicious. I think Paolo Scavino did a fabulous job of capturing the synergy of what Mother Nature gave in the 2020 vintage and the source of their fruit in the heart of the Monvigliero MGA. These are very early days for this wine but it’s already a joy to drink now but I expect this will continue a lovely evolution through 2038, easy. — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Believe it or not, Fratelli Alessandria was the very first to commercially offer a single expression of Monvigliero (1978); three years before Comm. G.B. Burlotto. That being said, both have played a role in defining the style of this, most famous MGA in Verduno.

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a couple hours. The 2010 Monvigliero pours a bright garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with lovely notes of ripe and tart, mostly red and some dark fruit: wild forest strawberries, mixed brambles, Morello cherry, pomegranate, truffle, roses, dried green herbs, licorice, some tar, forest floor and dry gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and slightly savory. I think this is in a really lovely spot and anyone who has multiples should try one during this phase of its evolution. That being said, this has a long life ahead. Drink now with patience through 2050+ — 4 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Not to be confused with the La Serra MGA from La Morra. This "La Serra" is actually from the Serra MGA from Serralunga d'Alba. Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 2026 “La Serra” pours a garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with gorgeous notes of Morello cherry, tar, red roses, talcum powder, sweet pipe tobacco, curaçao, gravely earth, new leather, and a mix of exotic spices. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and savory. This is a tremendous wine that builds with character over the course of time in the glass. Way more exciting than this was back in 2017 (when I last enjoyed this vintage of La Serra). Drink now with patience through 2046. — 5 months ago

Jay Kline

9.2

“Bricco Ambrogio” stands alone as the only MGA in the tiny commune of Roddi and it’s almost completely under vine. In fact, the most prominent geological feature in Roddi is the hill of Bricco Ambrogio. While the Lodali family were the first to bottle a single expression, back in the late 1970’s, we largely have Paolo Scavino to thank for the growth of its reputation as a source of depth and balanced Barolo over the last 20+ years.

The 2020 “Bricco Ambrogio” pours a bright, luminous garnet color; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing and predominately red fruited with notes of Morello cherry, cranberry, raspberry, rosebushes, tar, dried green herbs, cedar chest, spices, and gravely earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finishes long, grippy and spicy. A lovely Bricco Ambrogio with beautiful balance and sneaky power; arguably the benchmark for the MGA. Drinking well now in its youth (thank you 2020) but will surely gain complexity after 2030 and deliver smiles through 2040+. — a year ago