2015 Italy

This savoury rosé is crafted from hand-selected grapes from some of the cooler areas of the Monte Bernardi vineyards. This gives a well-structured wine offering a plethora of aromatics, great elegance and firm minerality.  Mostly Sangiovese with a pinch of complementary Chianti grapes (Canaiolo, Malvasia and Trebbiano), this rosé will delight at any table. Drink now to 2020
Stefania Masin, Buying Assistant (April 2019)

Aromas of cool stone fruit and citrus, with a hint of bay leaf and white stone. Crisp and salty on the palate, with a mineral backbone and a concentrated lemony apricot core, with a hint of mandarin skin. Very fresh and energetic, with added complexity and concentration from older vines. 6 months on lees add a creaminess to the texture. Long, saline finish.

This is a new wine for Marcarini, using selections from the crus La Serra and Brunate. The effect is to intensify the two senior wines, of which the production is now smaller. Think of this a little like a “second wine”. It sees a lighter maceration, but is aged exactly like the crus, with 24 months in large old botte. The 2015 has a fine, creamy texture and a deep, satisfying finish. Drink 2022-2035.

A masterful assembly from across Alessandria’s different vineyards, 85% of the fruit comes from its five Verduno sites, showing all their red fruit, floral notes and finesse. The remaining 15% comes from younger vines in their Monforte cru of Gramolere, providing the savoury notes, spine and structure. This wine is considerably more than the sum of its parts. Drink 2022-2035.

Tzingana means “gypsy” in Tuscan dialect; it is a classic Bordeaux blend with its soul rooted in Tuscany. Unusually, Monte Bernardi harvests and vinifies the grapes – Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot -together, believing it to give the wine greater depth and harmony. The result is rich and full-bodied with layers of cassis and dark cherry fruit, but with a freshness and elegance which is typical of Monte Barnardi’s wines. Perfect with game ragù, a Florentine steak or rich mushroom dishes. Drink now to 2030.
Matt Smith, Wine Buyer (summer 2019)

This was also bottled last July but won’t be shipped until September 2019. Volumes are also much reduced with stricter fruit selection, cutting production from around 24,000 bottles to 9,000. Manuel compares the 2015 to ’10, ’06 and ’04, describing it as a vintage of elegance, being neither too hot nor cold, and effortless ripening. With a fabulous attack and intensity, this is rounder and more voluminous than La Serra. The tannins are enticing; fine, ripe and sensual. Drink 2025-2045.

A fabulous nose of red cherry and plum fruit is tempered by spice and hints of new oak. The wien is palate-filling and full-bodied in the mouth, with notes of ripe red, autumnal fruit, leather and spice, all kept in check by great acidity and the ripest of fine-grained tannins. As lovely as this is now, some time in the cellar will only render it more complex and mellow. A delightful wine. Drink 2021-2035+.
Chris Pollington, Private Account Manager

This wine is a bin-end, discounted by 20%.
Named after Davide’s mother, this is no ordinary Langhe Nebbiolo. Giovanni Rosso owns just over a hectare in the legendary Vigna Rionda cru. In 2011 Davide replanted two thirds of this vineyard which had become exhausted, preserving the remaining healthy 70-year-old vines for his iconic Barolo Vigna Rionda. The fruit for this wine comes from those replanted, young vines. The result is a serious wine befitting its vineyard heritage, with a dark core of blueberries, dark cherries and spice, and grippy tannins. Drink 2020-2035.
Matt Smith, Buyer (March 2019)

Davide Rosso makes this Langhe Nebbiolo from the younger vines in Vigna Rionda – one of Barolo, and indeed Piedmont’s, very best vineyards. Vigna Rionda is to Serralunga d’Alba what La Romanée-Conti is to Vosne-Romanée.
This “entry-level” expression offers a “mini” Vigna Rionda Barolo – with pretty aromas of strawberry, cassis and raspberry. Cool and crunchy fruit fills the palate, which is focused and energetic, with lively acidity, silky tannins and a captivating nervosity. Poised, with a saline finish – this is a remarkable expression of a truly special vineyard. Drink now to 2025.

Davide owns 2.5 hectares on the southeast-facing side of this cru. The sun only hits this site in the morning, producing wines often lighter in colour than his others. The soils are rich in clay, giving more generosity to this expression of Serralunga. Bright and red-fruited, there’s an appealing lift of spice on the nose, with a rich, fleshy, enveloping palate of red cherry and herbs. It’s very pure and focused, with supple and honed tannins. Drink 2024-2040.

Serra, lying a stone’s throw from the Rosso winery, is one of the coldest vineyards in Serralunga, east-facing and terrifyingly steep. The combination of poor, calcareous soil and its easterly exposition gives wines of incredible finesse which are often austere and structural in youth. The 2015 is typical of the vineyard, with a very bright, almost crunchy profile. Sour cherry and balsamic notes give way to savoury, meaty flavours and fine, porcelain tannins. Drink 2024- 2040.

Alessandro’s view – and few would disagree – is that, along with Brunate, Rocche dell’Annunziata is the other great “Grand Cru” of La Morra. Its 30 hectares is shared amongst 16 different owners, and Alessandro has just seven rows of 35-year-old vines totalling 0.3 hectares. This year he produced 1,900 cases of standard 75cl bottles and just 60 cases of magnums. The wine offers a wonderful step up in quality from his other wines, with a magisterial bouquet, offering a noble expression of rose and lavender. The palate is superbly detailed and classical tannins grasp the finish, further elevating the star quality. Drink 2025-2045.