The 2008 Lacrima Christi del Vesuvio Rosso (Piedirosso, Aglianico) flows with the essence of cracked black pepper, spices, earthiness, wild cherries and herbs on a deceptively medium-bodied frame. There is a lot going on here, especially at this level. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2016.

Wine Advocate Rating: 90

[Issue: erobertparker.com Sept/09]

Blackberry and milk chocolate aromas follow through to a medium body, with silky tannins and a fruity finish, with a hint of fresh herb and mushroom. Solid as always.

Wine Spectator Rating: 90

[Issue: Sept 30/08]

Deliver currant, toasty oak and coffee aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a lot of rich fruit. Very polished and attractive. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best after 2012. 5,265 cases made. #46 in Wine Spectator's TOP 100

Wine Spectator Rating: 93

[Issue: Oct 31/09]

Speri is an excellent producer from the Classico zone with overhead trained vineyards. Careful fruit selection occurs to guarantee the quality and intensity of this fresh ripasso. You will get tones of cherry, spice and coffee.

Wine Enthusiast Rating: 90

[Issue: 10/01/09]

Bright, full red. Racy aromas of red cherry and ripe raspberry, nicely lifted by a floral note and a hint of mint. Then rich and weighty in the mouth, showing plush, sweet flavors of ripe red cherry, brown spices and plum liqueur. There's something vaguely jammy and exotic about this silky, rather full-bodied, yet serious Rosso. Finishes with very good length and a creamy-sweet appeal and lovely purity.

Int'l Wine Cellar Rating: 90

[Issue: Oct 09]

The just-bottled 2007 Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco offers up generous fruit along with menthol, spices and hard candy, showing notable intensity while retaining an essentially mid-weight style. Round, suave tannins add to the long and refined finish. This is a wonderful vintage for Perbacco. In 2007 Perbacco is made from parcels in Bricco Boschis, Ginestra and Mosconi (aged together), Liste, Brunella, Crocetta, Pernanno and the youngest vines in Fossati, Ravera (planted in 2000) and Scarrone (planted in 2003). I tasted the 2007 Perbacco from tank in its final blend just prior to bottling and then a few days after it was bottled. Both times it was outstanding.

Wine Advocate Rating: 90+

[Issue: #0310 / March 10]

The estates 2007 Ateo is Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot now that the Sangiovese has been eliminated from the blend. Although the wine is made from international varieties here those grapes speak with a distinctly Tuscan accent. Plummy dark fruit leads to sweet herbs, spices, earthiness and minerals as this rich, deep wine opens up in the glass. This is one of the few 2007s that will actually benefit from another year or so in bottle. It is gorgeous stuff! Anticipated maturity: 2011-2019.

Wine Advocatae Rating: 91

[Issue: #188 / April 10]

The 2007 Langhe Nebbiolo is simply beautiful. Medium in body, it floats on the palate with red cherries, flowers, spices and minerals, showing an ethereal, delicate personality that is utterly convincing. The fruit blossoms nicely on the palate, with an attractive roundness that balances that tannins exceptionally well. This entry-level red is the hidden gem in La Spinetta’s line-up, and it is highly recommended. La Spinetta’s Langhe Nebbiolo is made from young vines in the Starderi vineyard and spends 12 months in French oak. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2017.

Wine Advocate Rating: 91

[Issue: #187 / Feb 10]

Focused aromas of ripe blackberry and currant follow through to a full body, with fine tannins, fresh acidity and a clean, polished and silky finish. A red that pleases from start to finish. Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best after 2011. 15,000 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 91

[Issue: Oct 31/09]

Fabulous aromas of blackberry, dark chocolate and flowers follow through to a full-bodied palate, with supersilky tannins and amazing richness and subtlety. Goes on for minutes on the palate. Best from 2010 through 2015.

Wine Spectator Rating: 93

[Issue: Oct 15/09]

Very grapey, with tar and berry aromas. Full-bodied, with soft, caressing tannins. There's loads of fruit in this red, but it's not overpowering. Generous yet balanced. Drink now. 500 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 90

[Issue: Dec 15/09]

Beautiful blackberry and black cherry aromas follow through to a full body, with soft, solid tannins and a long, flavorful finish. A well-structured Chianti Classico.

Wine Spectator Rating: 90

[Issue: Oct 31/07]

Aromas of forest fruit and fresh mushroom follow through to a full body, with silky tannins and a mahogany, berry and bitter chocolate aftertaste. Best after 2009. 2,500 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 90

[Issue: Oct 31/09]

Gorgeous aromas of mineral, spearmint, licorice and blackberry. Full and very long, with loads of fruit and supersilky tannins. Very good value. Sangiovese and Merlot. Best after 2010. 790 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 93

[Issue: Oct 31/07]

The 2006 Chianti Classico Riserva is a good deal firmer and fresher than the 2007 Chianti Classico, as one might reasonably expect. The fruit moves towards the darker end of the spectrum and a dash of French oak contributes structure. Licorice and new leather nuances add complexity on the finish. As delicious as this is, it isn’t significantly better than the straight 2007 Chianti Classico. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2016.

Wine Advocate Rating: 90

[Issue: #184 / Aug 09]

A refined, elegant young red, with superclean black fruit, black cherry and a good dose of new oak that gives a vanilla edge to the fruit on the medium-to-full palate. This is superintense. Needs time. Best after 2009. 1,190 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 91

[Issue: Oct 15/08]

Offers raisin and spices on the nose, with light prune notes. Full-bodied and chewy, with lots of fruit and a long finish. Needs time to open. A solid Amarone. 1,200 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 90

[Issue: Web only 2010]

The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Maestro Raro rounds out Felsina’s lineup in this important vintage. A perfumed wine, it reveals layers of flavors that continue to open as the wine sits in the glass. Sweet tobacco, flowers, minerals, menthol, cherries and plums all flow from this structured, beautifully balanced expression of Cabernet Sauvignon from Chianti Classico. The big, building tannins suggest additional cellaring will be beneficial. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2022.

Wine Advocate Rating: 91

[Issue: #177 / June 08]

Shows sweet berry and perfume on the nose, with rose and raspberry. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a milk chocolate, berry and vanilla aftertaste. Big and chewy. Yet balanced and very pretty.

Wine Spectator Rating: 92

[Issue: July 31/09]

The 2005 Barolo is gorgeous in its perfumed red berries, flowers and spices. This accessible, mid-weight Barolo offers tons of elegance in a delicate, accessible style. The tannins could use a touch more polish, but bottle age should help. The overall balance here is commendable at this stage. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020.

Wine Advocate Rating: 92

[Issue: #184 / Oct 09]

The 2005 Montepulciano dAbruzzo Binomio is a huge, super-ripe and sumptuous red that reveals an extreme yet varietally true expression of Montepulciano in its layers of jammy dark fruits, tobacco, chocolate, earthiness, minerals and French oak. A sensual core of fruit is wrapped around the barely perceptible tannins in this racy, full-throttle wine. I am not sure how long the Binomio will keep, but it is sure to offer a thrilling ride over the next few years. The Binomio is aged in French oak barrels. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2013.

Wine Advocate Rating: 92

[Issue: #182 / April 09]

65% Nebbiolo, 35% Barbera. This is a lovely, engaging effort with floral aromatics, a soft, expansive core of fruit and well-integrated oak. As is characteristic of the vintage, this is a smaller-scaled wine, but it is also beautifully proportioned in that context.

Wine Advocate Rating: 91

[Issue: #173 / Oct 07]

Prune, tar and dried spices on the nose follow through to a medium-to-full body, with chewy tannins and a long finish. Outstanding for the vintage. Needs a little bottle age to soften. Best after 2012. 3,250 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 90

[Issue: June 15/10]

The 2006 Barbaresco Martinenga is utterly gorgeous in this vintage. The wine reveals the tell-tale mid-weight style of the house, but there is also surprising muscle behind the fruit. Sweet red cherries, roses, licorice, berries and spices are some of the notes that linger on the pure, sensual finish. Today the tannins come across as a touch potent, so a few years of bottle age seems wise. This is as graceful and elegant as Barbaresco gets. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024.

Wine Advocate Rating: 92

[Issue: #185 / Oct 09]

The 2005 Brunello di Montalcino is soft and pleasing in its generous dark fruit and expressive bouquet. Plums, flowers and spices frame the long finish. In 2005 the straight Brunello is particularly successful, no doubt in part because it contains the fruit from Cerretalto, which was not made that year. Interestingly, this is a wine that doesn’t usually attract much attention. Value-conscious buyers should be on the lookout for deals on this gorgeous 2005 Brunello. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.

Wine Advocate Rating: 92

[Issue: #188 / April 10]

The estate’s 2006 Avvoltore is a stunner. This dark, brooding beauty offers tons of depth in its ripe dark fruit, menthol, spices, new leather and roasted coffee beans. Despite its muscular, firm personality, there is more than enough richness in the fruit to provide balance. Avvoltore is 75% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Syrah aged in French oak. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2021.

Wine Advocate Rating: 92

[Issue: #177 / June 08]

This is impressive for the vintage, with loads of crushed berries and spices, as well as hints of leather and flowers. Full-bodied, with soft and silky tannins and a long finish of sweet fruit. Rich and exciting. Better than the 2001. Best after 2010. 8,000 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 94

[Issue: Web only 2009]

The 2006 Fontalloro is much more sweet and open than the firmer Rancia. Enticing, expressive aromatics lead to an expansive core of fruit. Round, finessed tannins give the wine an additional level of polish. Today the Fontalloro is fleshier and more ready than the Rancia. There is superb purity to the fruit and wonderful overall balance. Tar, smoke, licorice, and grilled herbs come to life on the finish. Fontalloro is made from vineyards in both the Chianti Classico and Chianti Colli Senesi appellations. Simply put, this is a great, majestic Fontalloro. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2018.

Wine Advocate Rating: 94

[Issue: #184 / Aug 09]

The estate's top bottling, the 2005 Cepparello, is another strong effort. Classy and elegant, it possesses well-delineated vibrant dark red fruit intermingled with toasted oak and minerals. It remains quite fresh and will require a few years of bottle age to develop its full range of aromas and flavors. That said, it is a smaller-scaled Cepparello that should mature earlier than the superb 2004. Cepparello is 100% Sangiovese aged in French oak. Once again, Paolo De Marchi has turned out a superlative wine. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.

Wine Advocate Rating: 92

[Issue: #177 / June 08]

Dark ruby in color, with beautiful aromas of currant, mint and crushed berries. Complex and subtle. Full-bodied, with ultrapolished tannins and gorgeous fruit. This goes on and on. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best after 2012. 1,500 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 93

[Issue: Oct 31/08]

The estates 2004 Brunello di Montalcino Pianrosso possesses striking depth as endless layers of sweet, perfumed fruit emerge with tons of grace. This, too, is an intense, full-bodied wine. The balance here is utterly exceptional, and the wines sheer plumpness makes for a highly rewarding glass of Brunello. Succulent dark cherries, spices, underbrush, minerals and new leather come to life as the wine sits in the glass, yet this remains a backward, structured Brunello in need of serious bottle age. The Pianrosso is a terrific effort from proprietor Paolo Bianchini. Ciaccis Pianrosso is an old-vines selection that spent 36 months in Slavonian oak.

Wine Advocate Rating: 94

[Issue: #183 / June 09]

Rich and full-bodied, with lots of currant, tobacco and vanilla on the nose. Soft and silky, with fruit-coated tannins and a long, fruity finish. Caresses the palate with fruit and licorice flavors. So drinkable, even now. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best after 2008.

Wine Spectator Rating: 92

[Issue: Oct 31/07]

he 2005 Barolo Bricco delle Viole is insanely beautiful. A sweet, inviting bouquet leads to roses, cherries, raspberries, flowers and spices. The wine possesses gorgeous inner perfume and wonderful depth as it hovers on the palate with a Burgundian sense of weightlessness. This is an emotionally moving, delicate wine of the highest level. The 2005 Bricco delle Viole is quite approachable today, but it is likely to close down a bit in bottle, so readers will want to taste it upon release and then forget about any remaining bottles for a while. There is purity to the fruit that recalls Giacomo Conterno’s Barolo Cascina Francia without that wine’s heft. In 2005 the growing season was a bit warmer than in 2004, and this high-altitude vineyard is one of a handful of sites that did better in 2005 than in 2004. Simply put, this is a marvelous bottle of Barolo! Vajra is one of Piedmont’s best kept secrets. Here readers will enter a world of sublime hand-crafted, artisan wines of the very highest level. Aldo and Milena Vajra’s passion comes through in spades in these terrific new releases, which I can’t recommend highly enough.

Wine Advocate Rating: 95

[Issue: #185 / Oct 09]

The 2003 Barbaresco Riserva Baluchin is a very pretty, elegant wine layered with perfumed dark cherries, minerals, spices, flowers and menthol. Deceptively medium in body, the wine possesses tons of intensely aromatic ripe fruit. Only the firm 2003 tannins detract from the balance, otherwise this is an exceptional Barbaresco in every way. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.

Wine Advocate Rating: 91

[Issue: #184 / Oct 09]

The 2005 Barbaresco Serraboella is an intense wine bursting with primary dark fruit and sweet toasted oak. The tannins remain fairly imposing, but the fruit is also fresh, suggesting the wine will age gracefully. This imposing Serraboella is impressive for its breadth and concentration. The wine was aged in a combination of 20-hectoliter casks and smaller French oak barrels. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022.

Wine Advocate Rating: 92

[Issue: #179 / Oct 08]

The 2005 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova is quite a bit darker and richer than the straight Brunello. Cherries, plums, spices and French oak meld together beautifully in this silky, textured red. In 2005 the Tenuta Nuova boasts fabulous overall balance in a fairly restrained style for this bottling. Kirsch, roses and spices linger on the dark, enveloping finish. This is a terrific effort from Casanova di Neri. The Tenuta Nuova is made from vineyards in Le Cetine and Pietradonice, both located in the southern part of Montalcino. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2022.

Wine Advocate Rating: 93

[Issue: #188 / Apr 10]

The 2003 Amarone della Valpolicella offers up dark plums, wild cherries, spices and licorice in a medium-bodied style. This is a wine that straddles modern and traditional styles, with subtle notes of French oak that add complexity and weight to what is an essentially classic interpretation of Amarone. The tannins are refined and nicely balanced, yet the wine falls a touch short on the finish. Still, this is a beautiful Amarone to enjoy over the next few years. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2013

Wine Advocate Rating: 91

[Issue: #185 / Oct 09]

There's lots of bright fruit, with raspberry, blackberry and a hint of flowers. Full-bodied, with very silky tannins and a long balance of fruit and vanilla character that turns to licorice and berries. Best after 2011. 1,500 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 97

[Issue: Dec 15/07]

Wonderful plum and blackberry notes, with Indian spices. Full-bodied, with powerful, chewy tannins and a dense, rich depth of fruit. A long, solid and powerful wine. Beautiful. Best after 2013. 250 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 96

[Issue: Sept 30/09]

The 2004 Barolo Cannubi possesses superb depth, clarity and inner perfume, with layers of fruit, sweet spices and menthol that develop in the glass as this magical wine gradually reveals its sublime personality and remarkable texture. Well-integrated oak, ripe, silky tannins and a finish that lasts forever round out this beautiful wine, which was simply stunning on both occasions I tasted it. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2022.

Wine Advocate Rating: 95

[Issue: #174 / Dec 07]

Raisin and dried fruitcake aromas follow through to a full body, with soft, velvety tannins. This is big and juicy, with plenty of fruit and attractive tannins. There's plenty of new wood as well. But it all comes together beautifully. Best after 2011. 1,000 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 93

[Issue: June 15/10]

The 2006 Pietradonice (Cabernet Sauvignon) explodes from the glass with the essence of blackberry jam, French oak, grilled herbs and cassis. This super-ripe, opulent wine offers tons of elegance and finesse in a full-bodied style. The tannins are firm but ripe, and beautifully balanced by the wines radiant, warm fruit. This is a gem from proprietor Giacomo Neri. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2026.

Wine Advocate Rating: 93

[Issue: #183 / June 09]

Complex aromas of plum, citrus fruit and dried mushroom follow through to a full body, with ripe, velvety tannins and a long, fruity finish. This is tannic as well. So give it some bottle age. Has impressive concentration. Best after 2012. 950 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 94

[Issue: Sept 30/08]

Pure fruit here with lots of currant and berry. Full-bodied, with loads of fruit and velvety tannins. Long and delicious. Needs time. Best after 2009. 2,500 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 97

[Issue: April 30/06]

This is really serious, with a wonderful complexity of ripe fruit, licorice and cedar. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and a long finish. Wood is dominating now but it's a beauty. One of the new garage wines in the region. Best after 2010. 330 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 95

[Issue: Apr 30/06]

Dark color with intense blackberry, chocolate and lightly toasted oak. Full-bodied and ultravelvety, with caressing tannins. Vanilla, chocolate and berry. Goes on for minutes. Best after 2010. 4,830 cases made. Wine Spectator #1 wine of the year in 2006.

Wine Spectator Rating: 97

[Issue: April 30/06]

The 2001 Serpico, impenetrable and inky, staggeringly rich in both aroma and flavor, offers ultra-ripe but perfectly fresh berry fruit, cloves, cinnamon, and chocolate, and mouth-coating, deep-pile tactile sensations which combine iron power and a enveloping, voluptuous texture, infinitely deep and long. I would be amazed if this wine did not last thirty years.

Wine Advocate Rating: 98

[Issue: #154 / Aug 04]

Black hued, with intense aromas of crushed berries and licorice with hints of oak. Full-bodied, with loads of fruit, velvety tannins and a long, long finish. Superb. One of the best Brunellos I have had in a long time. Best after 2010. 2,500 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 98

[Issue: Apr 30/06]