Showing 1-27 out of 27 items
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Giuseppe Mascarello & Figli,
Ready, but will keep,
Following up their particularly successful 2003s, Mauro and his son Giuseppe Mascarello have produced a dazzling 2004 Santo Stefano di Perno, a brilliant single-vineyard wine from the iron-rich sandstone and marl soils of Monforte d'Alba. Ribes leaf and sage-scented notes enthral the nose while the palate rings with lift and finesse. Wow!
David Berry Green, Fine Wine Buyer
David Berry Green, Fine Wine Buyer
Roberto Voerzio,
Ready, but will keep,
Youthful colour, mint oil and truffle on the nose with dark cherry fruit. Palate has the characteristic gloss that you expect from Voerzio with the succulent but structured tannic grip and fresh acidity reigning it in beautifully. There are notes of black tea and a sauvage character that adds interest and length to the palate.
Matthew Tipping - Private Account Manager
Matthew Tipping - Private Account Manager
Isole e Olena,
Ready, but will keep,
Isole e Olena's 100% Sangiovese Super-Tuscan is always a delight with its notes of rich, ripe black cherries married to subtle French oak. The 2004 is sublime with great power and structure combining with the lush fruit and spice on the palate. The finish is long and elegant with fine tannins. A great classic for the future.
Chris Pollington - Fine Wine Team
Chris Pollington - Fine Wine Team
Corte Sant'Alda, Veneto,
Ready, but will keep,
From this terrific vintage, Marinella's Amarone combines brilliant biodynamic pace and crunchy (certified) organic black, licorice fruit purity, all seamlessly woven together. Thanks to her breezily high vineyards and chalky soils, Marinella's wines are renowned for their minerally elegance. A blend of Corvina Veronese (40%), Corvina Grosso (30%) and Rondinella (30%), fermented and aged in large 40hl oak barrels, this excellent wine would benefit from further ageing till 2014 but would be great even now, with decanting, along with a haunch of venison.
(David Berry Green )
(David Berry Green )
Luciano Sandrone,
Ready, but will keep,
The 2004 Barolo Le Vigne is one of the darkest, most intense Le Vignes I can remember tasting. In this vintage, the fruit is especially somber, the legacy of the late harvest season. Black cherries, plums, cinnamon, flowers, mint and leather meld together in a sumptuous, exceptionally polished Le Vigne that will continue to drink well for many years. Le Vigne is often slow to get out of the gate, which appears to be the case with the 2004 as well. 96/100
Antoni Galloni - Vinous - May 2015
Antoni Galloni - Vinous - May 2015
Vigneti Luigi Oddero, Piedmont,
Drink now,
As you’d expect from a traditional producer, faithfully respecting the ‘vitigno’ (grape variety) Nebbiolo, the vineyard (Rocche dei Rivera) and the ‘annata’ (vintage), Luigi Oddero produced a textbook wine from this vertiginous vineyard. 2004 was decidedly cooler, more classical than the hot 2003, in the same vein as 2006 and 2008, with more sapid, liquorice notes. The palate remains as fluid, feminine and compelling as ever, if more introspective than the outgoing 2003. Drinking now but will improve further in bottle till 2020, at least.
David Berry Green
David Berry Green
Cerbaiona, Tuscany,
Ready, but will keep,
Given the tiny size of the estate, all 3 hectares of it, little wonder only 8000 bottles were made of this statuesque wine. Compared to a more sensual wine from Stella's San Giuseppe estate to the south-west, Cerbaiona's high easterly aspect, combined with a hands-off traditional botte approach, makes for a profoundly structured, cool compact yet oh so suave black cherry, licorice, & wild herb compote that will take years to unravel; expect to drink from 2014 onwards. Montalcino's finest? We think so.
Corte Sant'Alda, Veneto,
Ready, but will keep,
Marinella's finest wine, drawn predominantly from the single 'Macie' vineyard, fermented in large oak and aged for three years in 1500 litre french oak, the stunning 2004 shows both richness as well as precision. The nose evokes a rich brew of rum and raisin chocolate, and of herbs, while the palate is stunningly pure as well as decadent, seductively textured, finely wrapped for another 10 years ageing, so best drunk from 2010 till 2020. Try with goose.
(David Berry Green)
A beguiling nose of baked brioche and dried fruits (freshly made rum babas come to mind.) An impressive, rich palate follows brimming with notes of fennel, liquorice, prunes and bitter chocolate. A simply delightful, lingering finish dominated by smoky morello cherry and sweet cinnamon spice. Try it with a rare venison steak at dinner and you’ll sleep very well.
(Nicola Gilbert - London Shop Sales - 25 Jan 2010)
(David Berry Green)
A beguiling nose of baked brioche and dried fruits (freshly made rum babas come to mind.) An impressive, rich palate follows brimming with notes of fennel, liquorice, prunes and bitter chocolate. A simply delightful, lingering finish dominated by smoky morello cherry and sweet cinnamon spice. Try it with a rare venison steak at dinner and you’ll sleep very well.
(Nicola Gilbert - London Shop Sales - 25 Jan 2010)
Cascina Mario Fontana, Piedmont,
Ready, but will keep,
Mario remembers 2004 as being a vintage that required lots of work in the vineyard (similar in fact to 2009), time evidently well spent as the wine shows a bright heart of lush darker fruit, a herbal, savoury edge, a broader, fuller feel, while the firm tannins remain as fine-tuned as ever. Still getting into its stride, this is a traditional Barolo that would benefit from a couple more years in bottle before broaching, further improving till 2020 at least. One for beef.
(David Berry Green)
(David Berry Green)
Punset, Piedmont,
Drink now,
Bought straight from Punset’s cantina overlooking Neive, Marina’s 2004 Barbaresco San Cristoforo ‘Campo Quadro’ perfectly reflects this classic, slow-developing Nebbiolo vintage. It was a textbook season, coming after the baked 2003, with rain at regular intervals, giving classically ‘shaped’ Barbareschi and Baroli.
As you would hope this wine, the top of her range, commands a wonderful presence, with delicate tea leaf and almost iron-like depth. Clos de Vougeot-esque? It’s certainly very assured, complete, with a deep garnet colour, and generous with constant, savoury, salato (salty) red fruit. Very impressive, with beef.
David Berry Green
As you would hope this wine, the top of her range, commands a wonderful presence, with delicate tea leaf and almost iron-like depth. Clos de Vougeot-esque? It’s certainly very assured, complete, with a deep garnet colour, and generous with constant, savoury, salato (salty) red fruit. Very impressive, with beef.
David Berry Green
San Giuseppe, Tuscany,
Ready, but will keep,
The nail-biting is over: Stella's debut Brunello di Montalcino has finally arrived! It's certainly been worth the wait. She's captured the essence of the vintage, a great one across all of central & northern Italy, while drawing on the panoramic and biodynamic beauty of her Castelnuovo dell'Abate vineyard. A full yet fine roast coffee, briary fruit freshness of this 100% Sangiovese Grosso/Brunello wine delights the nose; compact yet generous at the same time. One's struck by the wine's suaveness, the melting tannins, the gorgeous generosity of this clove, coffee bean and brambly Brunello; the biodynamics clearly weaving its magic in keeping whole experience deliciosuly fresh. To match with game ideally, drinking from 2010 till 2020, preferably with decanting.
David Berry Green, Fine Wine Buyer
David Berry Green, Fine Wine Buyer
Showing 1-27 out of 27 items
The only word to describe this Brunello wine on the palate is massive; full bodied and spicy, packed with black and red cherry fruit, all tightly wound in a magnificent structure, fine tannins, mouth watering acidity and supporting alcohol, all in perfect balance. This is a monumental wine for the Cellar and will be magnificent in 2012-2014 and drink for a decade or two after that. A serious candidate for the best Ugolaia ever.
(Chris Pollington, Fine Wine Department)