Italian Wine

If you find yourself at café table in Alto Adige around 6pm on a crisp, mountain, summer night, this is what you drink (well, if you’re not having a spritz). Vinous captures it nicely: The 2023 Kerner is delicately... Read More

Owned by Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini since 2003, Altesino has been one of Montalcino’s leaders since the zone exploded into international prominence in the 1970s. The wine style is traditional, with all large, Slavonian oak,... Read More

From the only producer with 100% of their vines in the Grand Cru of Montosoli and one of the original 13 Brunello estates, a wine tempting now and drinking through 2040. As Wine Advocate says, Baricci's wines are some of the... Read More

Just what you’d hope for in $20 Prosecco, but for less! This is crisp, clear and very fresh with pretty apple and yellow pear fruit accented by notes of thyme and wild herb. The tiny bubbles give the wine a creamy feel that’s... Read More

Giuseppe Beppe Caviola is one of the most important consulting oenologists in Italy, and his work at this, his own, personal, estate is exceptionally impressive. Twenty year-old vines and 400 meters elevation support low yields... Read More

Lower ABV Christian Bellei is, as Vinous said recently, one of the true Lambrusco di Sorbara masters. A 4th generation Lambrusco maker, Bellei continues his father's innovation of making Lambrusco in the Champagne method -... Read More

A fresh, generous, Chardonnay with no oak and loads of flavor. You’ll enjoy the Golden Delicious apple, persimmon and fresh yellow citrus aromas and flavors and the way the wine feels creamy without any sense of weight or... Read More

As always, an utterly delicious blend of Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay and a splash of Sauvignon Blanc delivers a compelling blend of richness and vivacity, fruit and minerality, and purity and power. Slow fermentation in cool stainless... Read More

As Wine Advocate said in their 93 point review of the 2021: "Here's a wine to stock in your refrigerator for easy access when needed." One taste, and you'll discover the need recurs frequently.

Always one of our favorite Pinot Grigio’s has and even more compelling blend of depth, richness, vibrancy and cut in 2023. It’s grown by the 143 member/farmers of the Terlano cooperative winery (founded 1893!), each... Read More

Here's a fun twist! Essentially, this is a Negroni in a bottle, but at a lower alcohol level. Instead of mixing gin, Campari and vermouth, Cappelletti has made a single, wine-based, blend flavored with the things that make... Read More

Bellone was the dominant grape of this hills and valleys of Lazio, the region around Rome, in antiquity, made into a strong, sweet, nutty-brown wine consumed Roman elites at day-long symposia. After phylloxera, it was nearly wiped... Read More

West of Montalcino, Monteccuco balances inland Tuscany warmth with altitudes of more than 1,000 feet. That balance of sunny ripeness with freshness shows nicely here in this blend of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Ciliegiolo and 15% Montepulciano... Read More

Organic/Bio From its very first release from vintage 1980, Rampolla’s Sammarco has consistently delivered as one of Italy’s most outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon-based “super-Tuscan” reds. And we’ve... Read More

From the finest Fiano producer in Campania, a perhaps even more impressive Taurasi red. The Wine Advocate's 94+ review of the 2019 gives you a good idea of what to expect: Impeccable with generous ripeness that never feels... Read More

Located right next door to the Asti wine region, the vermouth is 100% Piemonte, from the base wine being the local Cortese grape (same grape as Gavi DOC) to the local Piedmontese botanicals. Giulio Cocchi knew what he was doing... Read More

Lower ABV If you don’t know Arneis, then this is the perfect introduction to the white grape of Barolo and the sandier vineyards of the Roero hills next door. And if you do know Arneis and are used to paying $20-$25 for... Read More

“Ripasso” means a fully dry Valpolicella wine is poured over the pressing from Amarone where the remaining sugar there triggers a second fermentation that enriches and darkens the wine. Here it added intensity to the... Read More

Lower ABV The kind of excellent value in all-purpose, clean, fresh, and delicious Pinot Grigio that's getting harder and harder to find. Importer Lia Tolaini-Banville sources fruit from across the Veneto and ferments it cool... Read More

Always built to show well on the early side, the 2019 Barolo Lecinquevigne benefits from Damilano's plump and nicely fruit-filled house style. As Suckling says in the 93 point review, Very perfumed and pretty with ripe berry,... Read More

Organic/Bio Year-in, year-out, one of our very favorite Rosso di Montalcino... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV No way you try this blind and guess it sells for <$20. Because it shouldn’t and only does because importer Lia Banville-Tolaini owns the vineyard and winery and uses it to craft this “door... Read More

In a great vintage when the top wines are going to need years to show their very best, winegrower Olga Peluso focused on both capturing the essence of the beautiful growing season and letting us enjoy it now. Big, rich, black... Read More

More pretty than powerful in 2018, and better for it! Give it an hour or two of air tonight for the perfume to really come up and do hold some for 10 years or so and let it really unfurl.