2009 Italy

The complexity of this classic Barbaresco is the result of combining Nebbiolo from 14 estate-owned vineyards. A wine of infinite finesse, it displays the hallmark Barbaresco nose of forest fruits, plums, licorice, mineral notes, coffee and tar. Gaja Barbaresco is known for its dense structure, full-bodied and complex finish rich in silky tannins. Each Gaja Barbaresco is the expression of its vintage and has a long ageing potential.

It is fascinating to see how site and soil composure can play such a role is determining the fruit character and quality of the final wine. Roagna’s 0.22 hectare plot in Asili sits high up on a well-ventilated, sand and limestone site overlooking the river Tanaro below, which combines to give us a beautifully fine, scented, spicy red fruit nose, all prim and pretty, with prefect poise. Harvested on the 10th October 2009, it’s packed with intricately detailed groseille (red currant) essence fruit and pulsates with exciting energy. Very fine.
David Berry Green

Luca Roagna has captured the pure essence of one of Barbaresco’s aristocratic vineyards. This is the Musigny of Barbaresco, with the 50-plus year old vines producing a wine with an ethereal cherry and raspberry-infused nose. The wine has a powerful grace to it, with a sense of the sweet red fruit mid-palate before layers of black tea, crushed herbs, hints of mint and sandalwood add complexity. A star and a wine that will drink for 20 or 30 years should you choose.
Matthew Tipping - Private Account Manager

Crushed flowers, tobacco, mint, licorice and dried cherries lift from the glass in Pira's 2009 Barolo Pira Vecchie Viti. Interestingly, within Roagna's range the old vines in Pajè confer power, but here they seem to add finesse. Sweet tobacco, menthol and worn-in leather add nuance on the open, expressive finish. The 2009 Pira Vecchie Viti is a bit more forward than the straight Barolo Pira. It will be interesting to see how both wines age.
Antonio Galloni - vinousmedia.com - Sept 2014

Planted in 1948, the old vine (Vecchie Viti) Barbaresco Pajé vineyard, close to the village of Barbaresco itself, shows a darker, broodier, much more savoury, structured earthy character (tasted just before bottling, in July 2014, along with the other 2009s). It’s very redeeming, with gorgeous polposo (pulpy) sage and almost brambly fruit. Such presence and complexity. Patience required.
David Berry Green

Only 1,880 bottles were made of this immense but true, dark-cherry, garnet gem. The profound nose is layered with notes of pomegranate, loganberry, tamarind, fig, over-ripe cherries, dates, and dried herbs. The full, dry palate swells with chocolate, date and dundee cake: it's succulent, fleshy, decadent, yet with a light touch and sense of humbleness.

Zeno Zignoli does everything himself, from ploughing the vineyards with a couple of horses to making the wine, helped by his boys Tommaso and Leonardo, and wife Antonella. The wines are traditionally-made, from fruit grown on the white, calcareous, Lessiniastone soils that characterise the Fumane terraces, trellised largely on high pergola

Richer, more obvious in its fleshy, raspberry charm, this is very inviting, sensual, creamy even. Darker and broader in colour, the palate is generous and sumptuous, with an almost raspberry-ripple richness. The texture is one of crushed velvet, of sweet currants and heady fruit; in a word – lush.

One of Montalcino’s oldest estates, dating back to the time of the Medicis, Lisini is known more recently as one of the founding fathers of the Brunello di Montalcino Consorzio of the 1960s. The Clementi-Lisini family, at the 154-hectare property near Sant’Angelo in Colle (20 hectares are under vine), make a thoroughly traditional range that builds on ancient Eocene sand, clay and iron-rich soils; wines that were first bottled in 1967. Oenologist Filippo Paoletti stands guard over the estate’s pre-eminent position.

Another warm season, 2009 started well with a deep, long, snowy winter that gave way to a wet spring, and then a hot summer. The Borgogno family blended their west and east vineyards together for this Riserva, which was bottled in November 2014 after five years in large Veneto botti. Consistent with the vintage, their 2009 Cannubi Riserva is a sumptuous, strawberrypatch wine, pure and silky. Drinking now but will benefit from time in bottle.

Lying in the heart of one of Barolo’s most famous vineyards, Cannubi, this small, traditional, fifth-generation family-owned cantina dates back to 1897. Brothers Serio and Battista Borgogno set about developing the cantina during the 1960s and 1970s, when the emphasis was largely on quantity not quality, buying in fruit or wine to fill their outsized winery. Today the baton has been passed to Serio’s daughters Anna and Paola and in turn their offspring Emanuela and Federica respectively. Anna’s husband Marco is making the wine, aided by Emanuela and since 2012 by oenologist Luca Sarotto. These days the focus is increasingly on their Cannubi plots, facing south, north, east and west, while they continue to buy some fruit in for a separate white-label range. Vinification is traditional, fermenting in large wooden vats, before racking to Slavonian oak botti of up to 52 hectolitres for traditionally long élévage. Bottling takes place without fining or filtering.

Very different in character to Marina’s Basarin Barbaresco, her San Cristoforo, Campo Quadro, to give it’s full name, reflects the vineyard’s cool, breezy position high up above the cantina, with a pale red, more perfumed, slight, hay, tiny red berry, and sandalwood aromas, even in the hotter 2009 vintage. It’s much racier than Basarin, more ethereal, more ‘Volnay’ (to Basarin’s ‘Beaune’); the longer, later hang-time conferring more complexity and ultimately more ageing potential. A very graceful wine with only 400 cases made.
David Berry Green

New to our list last year, Punset has become a firm staff favourite virtually overnight. With great energy of fruit on the nose, it has a lifted aroma with more rose than tar and loads of ripe red fruit. Lovely and cool, yet mouth-filling on the palate, the wine has fleshy, dense red fruit balanced by ripe, rounded tannins. This is the essence of Barbaresco. It will need a few years in the cellar, but will be a real treat when it’s mature.
Chris Pollington - Private Account Manager

The 2009 Barolo Pira is another pretty wine. Next to the 2009 Pajè, its rough equivalent in the range of Barbarescos, the Pira is a bit fresher and brighter, with redder tonalities in its fruit and lively, piercing acidity that is going to need a few years to integrate. Pine, crushed flowers, mint, anise and crushed rocks are all layered into the finish. There is so much to like here.
93+/100 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com, Aug 2014

Santo Stefano di Perno differs from the other two Baroli in that it’s found in the village of Monforte d’Alba, meaning more iron rich sand, higher up and comprising a larger percentage of old vines. So while Villero can be drunk almost from the off, this wine needs more time. This is reflected in Santo Stefano’s slightly dark hue, a nose of sweet strawberry and hay, the palate compact, measured, at its heart a kernel of sapid, herbal, almost balsamic sweet fruit; the tannins molten but present, underpinning it all. Sunnier than the sapid 2008.
David Berry Green

Compared to the darker, denser ‘Cerbaiona’ IGP, the 2009 Brunello di Montalcino is far more relaxed and open-hearted. It has suave redcurrant and wild herb notes, and lots of fleshy pleasure from the succulence and warming sun. Very laid-back, charming with sensual strawberry patch fruit. Just getting into its stride.

Marcarini’s Barolo Brunate remains rock year in, year out, classic credentials for Vigna Grande (‘Grand Cru’) status sometime in the future. A wine born of a traditional approach, both in the vineyard (normal yields, no bunch decapitation or concentration) and followed by a long 50 day skin maceration in cement prior to bottle grand affinamento (‘elevage’). Harvested after La Serra on 15 – 17 October, this Brunate – planted in 1985 and 1986 - oozes terroir, reflecting back the hot days, cold nights microclimate that transforms into a darker, fuller, more compact wine (vs. La Serra) with broad balsamic, tamarind, quinine, strawberry notes, plenty of tea ‘sfumatura’ (nuance), a generous lush, almost syrupy texture and emphatic mouthfeel. Needs time.
David Berry Green

Balsamic notes prevail on the nose of this wine, followed by aromas of ripe fruit and spices. On the palate the first sensations are velvety, with soft tannins and much finesse. The finish and aftertaste are well supported by the mineral notes which give it a lovely length and persistence, while the vineyards are situated on rocky, slightly limestone soil. Benchmark plus Bolgheri!
David Berry Green

The 2009 Antinori Solaia is similar to the 2007 in its volume and richness, but it is less extroverted. This is another gorgeous Solaia that will drink well pretty much during its entire life. The warm year yielded a racy Solaia with no hard edges and fabulous overall balance.
Antonio Galloni - Dec-2013

Il Poggione is a winery steeped in history with its origins dating back to the late 1800s. Owned by Leopoldo and Livia Franceschi , it is situated below the beautiful hilltop town of Sant’Angelo in Colle, a part of the Brunello di Montalcino appellation characterised by a temperate, yet well-ventilated micro-climate. This benefits the grapes by maintaining refreshing acidity levels and extending their ripening time.

Father and son winemaking team Fabrizio and Alessandro Bindocci coax the best from these privileged vineyard sites; they are also proponents of a traditional wine-making style which includes submerging the cap with frequent pump overs (for more colour and tannin extraction), and ageing in large casks (so that wood flavours remain subtle and do not interfere with the natural expression of the Sangiovese and the Sant’Angelo terroir).

In the best vintages the wines demonstrate extraordinary development in bottle. Even better, prices have remained very reasonable, considering the superb quality of the wine. Poggione’s straight Brunello is one of the most fairly-priced, cellar worthy wines of the appellation. This is a benchmark property for fine, traditionally made Brunello capable of ageing superbly.
Chris Pollington- Private Account Manager