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AZIENDA AGRICOLA SORDO GIOVANNI Rocche di Castiglione, Barolo DOCG

AZIENDA AGRICOLA CASCINA PUGNANE Bussia , Barolo DOCG

Ca' Rome' Romano Marengo Maria di Brun Barbaresco DOCG Garnet red in the glass, the nose is complex and ample showing aromas of violet and underbrush. Full, velvety and very balanced. Because of its structure and body, it pairs well with meat, game and cheese. The Rio Sordo vineyard is located in the Barbaresco municipality. The soils are known as white marl of Saint Agatha and go back to the Tortonian-Messinian period. Maceration lasts 20 days using a traditional method of maceration called steccatura at a temperature that never exceeds 30°C. This method involves wedging stocks into the vat to hold the cap (grape skins and pulp) down below the surface of the juice. This slow, gentle extractraction coaxes the signature tannins from the Nebbiolo grape skins. Aged for 30 months in 25 hectolitre Slavonian oak barrels with a portion of it part aged in barrique. The wine is further aged in-bottle for at least 12 months.

ARPEPE Sassella Stella Retica , Valtellina, Valtellina

Boroli Barolo Classico is the estate’s benchmark Barolo, a traditional blend of their best Nebbiolo vineyards in Castiglione Falletto, capturing the commune’s mix of structure and fragrance in one bottle. East-, west- and south-west-facing clay-limestone parcels with touches of sand are harvested by hand in mid-October, then divided into micro-parcels so each plot is fermented and aged separately before blending. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel with 10–12 days on skins and a further 20–25 days of submerged-cap maceration, followed by at least 18 months in large Slavonian oak and a year in bottle before release, giving a supple but ageworthy frame. In the glass, recent vintages show bright red colour, scents of fresh wild berries, rose, sweet liquorice and gentle spice, with velvety tannins, good line and a harmonious, savoury finish – a classic, “all-round” Barolo that drinks well in its first decade yet has the stuffing to go further in a good cellar.

In 1904 a co-operative winery called Ai Vino Delle Langhe was founded and a young man who worked there was Alfred Prunotto. Prunotto took over the estate in 1922, giving it his own name and today it is run under the umbrella of the famous Marchesi Antinori family. Located in Alba the estate tends around 50 hectares of vineyards throughout the Langhe and Monferrato. This Nebbiolo is garnet red in colour with ample and complex aromas of violets and berry fruit, full and velvety in flavour and very balanced. Its structure and body make it an ideal match for meat and game dishes and for cheese.

The Estate produces just 900 cases of this succulent, dark cherry and anise-scented Barbaresco. Like all of the Rocca family's Barbaresco, this is a single cru wine. It hails from a south facing, single site in a cru called Montersino (in the Treiso commune). One day it may well be labelled according to its cru. The altitude here is 310 metres and the soil is a mixture of clay and limestone. It's 100 per cent Nebbiolo of course, from another super vintage, and matured exclusively in large, 20 hectolitre, Austrian coopered Botti for two years. Succulent, pure and meticulously crafted, there is a wonderful core of dark cherry, lavender and tobacco scented fruit and fine structure to balance the fleshy texture. Nebbiolo in all its atmospheric glory.

This is Ciabot Berton's signature wine and a blend of 3 great Cru vineyards, creating a complex alluring wine with aromas of leather, tar and roses. The palate is powerful with rich dark fruit. Typical of the 2007 vintage, it is a Barolo that is stunning now due to its elegance, but will continue to cellar very well.

Tyrrell's Vat 8 is the archetypal blend of tradition and modernity. With a strong history in both the Hunter Valley and Hilltops regions, Tyrrell's are able to showcase the very best in modern Australian winemaking. The Vat 8 consists of a majority Hunter Valley Shiraz the lends beauty, flavour and ripeness and a small parcel of Hilltops Cabernet which supports the Shiraz with power and structure. Elegant and pristine early, this is a wine that will enjoy some time in the cellar to further develop it already obvious complexity.