I’ll be writing an in-depth report regarding my time at Maison Anselmet, in particular, my time with Renato Anselmet the man that started this excellent winery on its way in 1978 when friends convinced him to bottle some wine for them to purchase, as well as the wines he was already making for himself, but…
Category: Producer Visits
Podere Salicutti – humility and genius
At this year’s VinItaly, I had a chance to spend some time with Francesco Leanza, after 20 minutes of talking about some his past vintages that I’ve enjoyed, I also had some time to taste his newly released wines. My experience with the Podere Salicutti wines prior to meeting him prepared me, if just a…
2010 Il Palazzone Brunello di Montalcino Riserva – sheer joy
If you’re lucky enough to be one of the few people on the planet that owns this wine, congratulations, you’ve hit pay dirt, as they say. The air is rather thin here, not so many have risen so high. From the very first smell, and right through to the final sip, you’re patently aware of…
2007 Az. Agr. Montevetrano IGT
It was only two months ago that I spent a perfect spring afternoon with Silvia Imparato, the vision and force behind the wines of Montevetrano. My time with her, roughly three hours, fills my heart and mind to this day, to this minute. Silvia is an astonishing woman, larger-than-life, a blend of education, wit, ambition,…
G.B. Burlotto – 2013 Barolo wines, and more
I’d contacted Fabio Alessandria, winemaker at G.B. Burlotto, several months in advance of my trip to Langhe – I know how busy he is, not only in the vineyards/cellar, but also marketing the wines in London, New York City, etc. And even though I saw Fabio on 2 April, at the Grandi Langhe 2017 event that morning…
San Giusto a Rentennano, Part III
Bettina leads us to the tasting room, which is to say we’re exiting the (former Monastery) and headed a few steps away to the detached tasting room. When wine geeks think of a perfect place to have a wine dinner or have a private tasting, this is what they think about. Great space, which would…
San Giusto a Rentennano, Part II
Bettina walks me through the various rooms (barrel storage/ageing, etc.), and explains the history of the building as well. Since I was a fan and student of history well before I discovered wine, and since I’ve seen pretty much every type of barrel/ageing room there is, I really just focused on her description of the…
Really impressed with this – 2011 Cascina Chicco Roero Riserva Valmaggiore
It’s not often (enough!) that I’ve got a glass of wine that makes me repeat, like a broken record (dating myself here, oh well) exclamations, like wow!, and fantastic!, or really?, that’s amazing!; this was one of those wines/experiences. (below: inside a part – there are more than half a dozen – of the old…
Mature beauty – 1997 La Rasina Brunello di Montalcino
It’s been far, far too long since I’ve enjoyed a wine from La Rasina. That said, the bottle I enjoyed yesterday more than made up for a prolonged absence. Sangiovese, as you probably already know, can be many things; fresh and young, mature and graceful. And, to be clear, these are not things specific to…
2004 San Filippo Brunello di Montalcino Le Lucére
Scores and reviews/descriptors for this wine have been all over the place since this wine’s release (and afterward, too). Some said drink now, other said hold. One critic in particular was far removed from all the others, with his lofty score that that created a price bump on release. However, the only thing worth commenting…
ItalianWineReviews.com 