This Week's Must-Try Wines from Vinous
Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Grésy
Gaiun Martinenga Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2016
The 2016 Barbaresco Gaiun Martinenga packs a serious punch. The rich style of this site married to the classicism of the year results in a Barbaresco that is going to need a bit of time to come around. Gaiun is often plush and voluptuous. In 2016, large-scaled tannins wrap around all of that fruit intensity, adding a very appealing dimension of structure. Sweet red cherry, cinnamon, mint, cedar, rose petal and blood orange build into the complex, layered finish. I have seen the Gaiun age effortlessly in its top vintages. I have no doubt that it will be the case here as well. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, October 2020) — 4 years ago
Bruno Rocca
Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2017
The 2017 Barbaresco is pliant, open-knit and very easy to like. Sweet red cherry, orange peel, cinnamon and star anise give the 2017 a decidedly exotic quality to play of its curvy personality. All the elements come together so effortlessly. The 2017 is beautifully done. This is such a pretty wine. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, October 2020) — 4 years ago
Azienda Agricola Ronchi
Barbaresco 2016
The 2016 Barbaresco Ronchi, the estate’s top selection, marries elegance with power so well. Freshly cut flowers, mint, sweet red berries, anise and blood orange confer freshness that plays off the wine’s dense, expansive fruit. A rush of sweet raspberry, cherry and rose petal punctuates the exuberant finish. The 2016 is a fabulous wine from a property that has been on the ascent in recent years. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, October 2020) — 4 years ago
Piero Busso
San Stunet Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2016
Busso’s 2016 Barbaresco San Stunet is a very pretty wine. Sweet dried cherry, spice, mint, star anise, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco open first as this aromatic, translucent Barbaresco opens in the glass. Light on its feet and ethereal, the 2016 is inviting, but also a bit more ethereal than Busso fans are used to. Despite the mid-weight style, the alcohol (15%) is at the limit of being intrusive. I would prefer to drink it over the next decade or so. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, October 2020) — 4 years ago
Luigi Giordano
Cavanna Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2016
The 2016 Barbaresco Cavanna is bold, punchy and full of character. I suppose technically, the Cavanna is a bit rustic, but there is just so much personality in the glass that I am willing to look past some of the more angular contours. Readers will find a deep, vibrant, old-school Barbaresco that offers a good bit of intensity as well as brawn. A burst of red berry fruit, iron, cedar, smoke and anise punctuates the substantial, super-expressive finish. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, October 2020) — 4 years ago
Cantina del Pino
Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2016
The 2016 Barbaresco is a knock-out. And it is, for lack of a better word, the entry-level wine in this range. Freshly cut flowers, mint, cinnamon, red berry fruit and orange zest are some of the notes that lift from a Barbaresco that is all class. There is plenty of structure, but the purity of the fruit is so striking that the tannins are not especially noticeable. The 2016 is a stunning wine, that’s all there is to it. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, October 2020) — 4 years ago
Moccagatta
Bric Balin Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2017
The 2017 Barbaresco Bric Balin is the product of a very challenging growing season marked by hail, frost and a hot, dry summer, conditions that left the wine with drying tannins that are still evident. Even so, the 2017 has developed nicely. New oak accents that were strong last year have softened, while the wine retains good freshness. Dark cherry, plum, mocha and spice linger. All things considered, this is a solid effort, but readers have to be willing to look past the gritty tannins. I would open the 2017 well in advance. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, October 2020) — 4 years ago
Castello di Neive
Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2017
The 2017 Barbaresco is a terrific wine to drink now and over the next decade or so. Ample and creamy, the 2017 is so inviting. Sweet red cherry, crushed flowers, mint, cedar, rose petal and blood orange give the 2017 an exotic character that is so appealing. Another year or two in bottle will help the tannins soften. This is nicely done. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, October 2020) — 4 years ago
Cantina del Pino
Albesani Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2016
The 2016 Barbaresco Albesani is the most reticent wine in this range. I have seen that before with this wine, only to see it blossom with a few years in bottle. Powerful and tightly wound, the Albesani is a Barbaresco to cellar for at least a few years. At this stage, it is all acid, tannin and brawn. Super-classic in the best sense of the term, the 2016 really only starts to blossom with about 24 hours of air! All of the classic Albesani breadth and inner sweetness is there, it just needs time to reveal itself. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, October 2020) — 4 years ago
Delectable Wine
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Pio Cesare’s 2016 Barbaresco is, quite simply, everything Barbaresco should be. Medium in body and translucent, with a firm backbone of youthful Nebbiolo tannin, the 2016 is captivating from the very first taste. Rose petal, lavender, mint, blood orange and red berry fruit open effortlessly. This is textbook Barbaresco. I loved it. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, October 2020) — 4 years ago