2005 Italy

Very much in its youth, Diego and Nora's 05 Brunello, all 583 cases of it, shows only distinct, crunchy red and black cherry stone fruit, primary and at this stage deceptively straightforward. The palate is slightly more forthcoming, boasting a fine texture, a beautiful limpidity, a firm Gevrey Chambertin character, combined with a great weight and sense of majesty. Perfectly poised for lift-off. Give it 10 years at least.
David Berry Green, Fine Wine Buyer Diego Molinari was an Alitalia pilot for 25 years before retiring in the late 1970s. He and his vibrant, immaculate and designer handbag-loving wife scoured the lengths of Montalcino, looking for the perfect vineyard where they could pursue their winemaking dreams. They settled upon the small, north-easterly estate of Cerbaiona and bottled their first vintage in 1980.

Their exquisite 2005 Brunello is testament to the meticulous nature of the winemaking at Cerbaiona. Piercing aromas of cranberry, redcurrant and black cherry are abundant on the nose. There is a fine gravelly hue to the palate, which has a sumptuous velvety texture and clean, red fruit flavours. This is a pristine effort which will appeal to perfectionists.
Nicola Giacomelli, Senior Sales Executive

While vintage 2004 was darker and fulsome, Maria Teresa's 2005 lifts the soul with a spirited spicy red fruit perfume, a delicate, gentle, velvety cherry stone palate and a sublime quality that perhaps only the Cantina Mascarello Bartolo can muster. Getting ahead of the Oct 10th rain seemed key to performing well in 2005, after what was a relatively mild summer. This is perhaps an apt advertisement for the benefits of blending vineyards together, four into one; a philosophy the Cantina holds dear. An Englishman’s Barolo? It's certainly sings of finesse. Drinking till 2020, along with lamb (Maria Teresa's favourite meat).
(David Berry Green)

As ever, Le Vigne's blend of vineyards brings complexity as well as homogeneity across vintages. 2005 is now different, being darker, fuller, meatier, the classic tar and roses character shown to great effect thanks to iron-rich soils. And as ever Luciano has left no stone unturned in his quest for perfection: Le Vigne's supremely supple despite the trickier red cherry stone vintage profile. Drinking now till 2020, along with duck.
(David Berry Green)

Sandrone's wines are well into the modern style of Barolo - their modern winery is hugely impressive and couldn't be more different than some of the region's more traditional producers. The wines are impeccably well made and the 2005 Le Vigne is no exception. Full, sweet fruit envelops a firm Nebbiolo backbone, and the fruit is in turn balanced by a flashy cloak of perfectly integrated new oak. Yes, this is modern, maybe flashy, but complete in every sense.
(BBR Fine Wine)

 Luca Roagna only started vinifying this tiny wedge of a 50 yo vineyard separately in 2004. The last to be picked, it undergoes a 50 day maceration in oak to produce, even in the shy 2005 vintage, a wine of great profundity, with a sweet core of fruit and elegance.
(David Berry Green)