Hors Bordeaux 2025: Italy releases’ tasting notes

db’s Bordeaux correspondent Colin Hay assesses the Italian wines being released during of the 2025 spring hors Bordeaux campaign, both red and white.

Italian releases (red)

	Vintage	Region	Rating
Marchesi di Grésy Barbaresco Gaiun Martinenga Riserva	2020	Piedmont	96
Marchesi di Grésy Barbaresco Camp Gros Martinenga Riserva	2020	Piedmont	97
Michele Chiarlo Barbaresco Faset	2022	Piedmont	94+
Michele Chiarlo Barolo Cerequio	2021	Piedmont	95
Ceretto Barbaresco Bernadot	2022	Piedmont	95
Ceretto Barolo Brunate	2021	Piedmont	97
Ceretto Barolo Bricco Rocche	2020	Piedmont	97+
Ceretto Barolo Riserva Cannubi San Lorenzo	2014	Piedmont	NYT
Borgogno Barolo Riserva Liste	2019	Piedmont	97
Borgogno Barolo Riserva Annunziata	2019	Piedmont	98
Borgogno Barolo Riserva Cannubi	2019	Piedmont	98+
Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino	2020	Toscana	92
Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Ripe al Convento	2019	Toscana	94+
Talenti Brunello di Montalcino	2020	Toscana	94
Talenti Piero Brunello di Montalcino	2020	Toscana	95
Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino	2020	Toscana	99
Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	2019	Toscana	100
Lucente	2022	Toscana	92
Luce della Vite	2022	Toscana	93
Luce Brunello di Montalcino	2020	Toscana	95
Luce Lux Vitis	2021	Toscana	95
I Sodi di San Niccolo (Castellare di Castellina)	2021	Toscana	96
Alberelli di Giodo Nerello Mascalese	2022	Sicily	94+
Giodo La Quinta	2023	Toscana	93+
Giodo Brunello di Montalcino	2020	Toscana	96+
Il Pino di Biserno	2023	Toscana	92
Biserno	2022	Toscana	96
Le Volte Dell’Ornellaia	2023	Toscana	91
Le Serre Nuove Dell’Ornellaia	2022	Toscana	93
Ornellaia	2022	Toscana	98
Guado Al Tasso (Antinori)	2022	Toscana	NYT
Tignanello (Antinori)	2022	Toscana	NYT
Cont'Ugo (Antinori)	2023	Toscana	NYT
Marchese Antinori (Antinori)	2023	Toscana	NYT
Dal Forno Valpolicella DOC Superiore	2018	Veneto	97
Dal Forno Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG	2018	Veneto	98

*NYT – not yet tasted Barbaresco Gaiun Martinenga Riserva (Marchesi di Grésy) 2020 (Barbaresco; 100% Nebbiolo; from the famous hemispherical monopole with a largely southern exposure at an altitude of 230 to 290 metres; 15% alcohol). The first vintage of this famous wine to be bottled as a Riserva. Smoky and slightly mysterious at first. Delicate but highly refined. Floral and herbal, with a pronounced lavender note more and more prominent with aeration. Black tea leaf. Sour cherry. Espresso coffee bean. In the mouth, this has the most gracious silky limpid texture; very subtle and beautiful. There’s a considerable tannic presence here but it is so well disguised by the fine calibre of the granularity – the tannins are like beads of rolled glass conveying the wine to its destiny. Exquisite, above all texturally. Tactile and engaging. 96. Barbaresco Camp Gros Martinenga Riserva (Marchesi di Grésy) 2020 (Barbaresco; 100% Nebbiolo; from the famous hemispherical monopole with a largely southern exposure at an altitude of 230 to 290 metres; 15% alcohol). A little more intense, but with quite a similar profile aromatically: crushed red berries and dried herbs accompanying the lovely lavender and rose petal florality. A hint of tomato consommé too. Rose hip. Fuller and just a touch more ample, but that too is disguised because of the additional vertical depth and range. This is very substantial for Barbaresco but it certainly retains all of the refinement of the very best wines of the appellation. The best I’ve tasted from here. 97. Barbaresco Faset (Michele Chiarlo) 2022 (Barbaresco; 100% Nebbiolo; from Michele Chiarlo’s 1 hectare holding in the Faset MGA; 14% alcohol). Lovely, bright, lifted and aerial. Fresh and herbal with a pleasing hint of roasted coffee beans, black tea leaf and wild herbal notes. There’s eucalyptus and maybe a little hint of TCP and a dusty earthy undertone. Lithe and sinuous in the mouth, with lots of intensity and yet a glacial mid-palate. Crumbly tannins build towards the finish. A great vintage of this wine and excellent value. Sapid and refreshing. 94+. Barolo Cerequio (Michele Chiarlo) 2021 (Barolo; 100% Nebbiolo; from Michele Chiarlo’s 1 hectare holding in the iconic Cerequio vineyard; 14% alcohol). Much fuller and pulpier with more intensity and less vertical lift. Cerequio is less aerial, but richer and more polished and weighty. It is cool at the core, an impression reinforced by the sense of compact concentration. Serious and rather gorgeous with a darker note to the cherry and berry fruits. Very fresh and lithe and sapid with redolent Nebbiolo tannins – very fine – indicating its potential for longevity. 95. Barbaresco Bernadot (Ceretto) 2022 (Barbaresco; from Ceretto’s 4.84 hectares in the Bernadot MGA; 100% Nebbiolo). Pure and ultra-refined with a lovely gracious attack and mid-palate. Black tea leaf, green tea, rosehip and a dustier earthier note too. A hint of freshly scratched leather and a waft of lavender. Fluid, lithe and yet this has impressive density and concentration. Quite ample, rendering this more glacial than you might imagine. Excellent with a lovely tannic pinch to form a beautiful fantail on the finish. 95. Barolo Brunate (Ceretto) 2021 (Barolo; 100% Nebbiolo; from Ceretto’s 5.60 hectares in the Brunate MGA; 14.5% alcohol). Instantly more lifted, aerial and herbal. Roasted espresso beans, rosehip and rose petals. Crushed cherries – red and darker. A hint of wood smoke – but very delicate. A touch of soft leather too. On the palate this is so svelte and refined – layers of silk billowing in the breeze. Delicate, elegant, refined and truly gracious. Very suave. But also intensely juicy. The best vintage of this that I’ve tasted and a tribute to the focussed precision of the wine-making. 97. Barolo Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) 2021 (Barolo; 100% Nebbiolo; from Ceretto’s holdings of this iconic MGA of just 1.46 hectares; 14.5% alcohol). Darker in the glass, both in hue and in colour density, but actually more closed than the other Ceretto wines. Subtle, and intensely herbal. Dried garrigue and wild Italian herbs – marjoram and oregano, thyme and a hint of lavender. Eucalyptus too and a slight medical herbal note. Leather – my old school satchel! Darker berry fruits and dried cherries. Maybe a little Japanese salted plum. Tense and as the tannins grip there’s a second flush of florality. Another brilliant wine from Ceretto in this vintage. Very composed yet bright and dynamic too. 97+. Barolo Riserva Cannubi San Lorenzo (Ceretto) 2014 (Barolo; 100% Nebbiolo; there are just 0.25 hectares of this and it is available only in magnum; 14% alcohol). Due to the tiny size of the release this was not made available for tasting. NYT. Barolo Riserva Liste (Borgogno) 2019 (Barolo Riserva; 100% Nebbiolo; though Borgogno own 6.75 hectares of the Liste MGA, very little of that make it into the Riserva; 14.5% alcohol). Intensely fruity and yet also the most delicate of the three Riservas from Borgogno in this vintage. Perfectly ripe pure red berries – loganberry and raspberry plucked from their husks and gently crushed. A little wild strawberry. But also an intriguing hint of tomato consommé and tomato stem. A wisp of smoke; the memory of the embers of the fire. Leather. Orange blossom. With more aeration, a note of truffle. Naturally sweet aromatically. This is broad-framed and ample on the attack, really pushing at the cheeks before the tannins grip and pull this back towards the spine. Glacial, crystalline and very pure and focussed. Plunge-pool cool at the core, but not the glassy coolness of a wide surface lake, more that of a deep well or a fathomless underwater cave. 97. Barolo Riserva Annunziata (Borgogno) 2019 (Barolo Riserva; 100% Nebbiolo; the first Riserva release from Borgogno to be sourced from 0.9 hectares of the 2.5 hectares recently acquired in the prestigious Annuziata MGA in La Morra; 14% alcohol). Incredibly complex aromatically and utterly beguiling. At first we have classic leather and cherry stone, then the dry herbal and more floral notes appear – rose petals, lavender and wild rosemary. There’s sandalwood and clove too. Ample and searingly fresh on the attack, this is massively framed but very open in texture with a great sense of layering and of fresh sapidity welling up from below like ocean up-currents sourced from the depths. Very tactile and with great tension and precision. Yet seriously succulent and juicy. The wine-making here is exceptional and it’s wonderful to see what it brings to this fantastic terroir for the first time. 98. Barolo Riserve Cannubi (Borgogno) 2019 (Barolo; 100% Nebbiolo; Borgogno’s plantings in this iconic MGA amount to 1.30 hectares, but little of that makes the selection for the Riserva; 14.5% alcohol). More intense still and, if anything, more classical. Very Borgogno with that combination of wild and more medicinal herbal notes. Eucalpytus, marjoram, clove (as with the Annunziata) and maybe a little fennel and even nutmeg. Juicy once again, but the layers are more compact and denser than in the Annunziata Riserva. Sumptuous and glistening in the mid-palate and that same sensation of freshness welling up from below. Texturally fascinating. This finishes with rose petals and blossom, a hint of patchouli too. A vin de garde (of course) but so accessible already for a Borgogno Riserva. The wine-making here is now on a whole new level. 98+. Brunello di Montalcino Castelgiocondo (Frescobaldi) 2020 (Brunello di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese; 14.5% alcohol). Plump, plush, dense and quite compact. Less oaky than it often is, which is a distinct positive for me. Dark plum fruits. A hint of warm spices. Leather and coffee bean. Very compact and spherical at the core. A nice shape in the mouth. Very nicely made but lacking a bit of complexity. 92. Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Castelgiocondo Ripe Al Convento (Frescobaldi) 2019 (Brunello di Montalcino Riserva; 100% Sangiovese; from Castelgiocondo’s highest parcels at around 450 metres of altitude on a southern slope; 14.5% alcohol). Rich and full, deep and impressive – rather more so than the non Riserva. This has a pleasing intensity with the concentration coming from the dark stone fruits. Exotic and spicy but never evidently oaky. Lithe and sapid in the mid-palate. Incense and cinnamon and nutmeg. Spherical at the core, dense and compact. This is quite saline on the finish and juicy with just a hint of dryness shading into the tannins right at the end. 94+. Brunello di Montalcino Talenti 2020 (Brunello di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese; from Talenti’s 16 hectares in Brunello; 14.5% alcohol). Always impressive, as it is here; and all the more so given its likely price point. Aromatically enticing; intense and yet focussed. Coffee. Dark plummy fruits. A little spice. Cinnamon. A touch of leather. Juicy with soft tannins that integrate themselves with the acidity to form little breakers rolling onto the shore to form the finish. 94. Brunello di Montalcino Talenti Piero 2020 (Brunello di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese;  from the 1.95 hectares of Talenti’s Piero vineyard, very close to the winery; 15% alcohol). This brings a step up in intensity. We are really in the spice box here or the spice bazaar. Cherries and dark plum stoned fruits. This is intense on the attack, quite viscous at the core and with a lovely shape and evolution over the palate. Glossy and rich yet sapid and svelte with lovely beady tannins. Just a little oaky on the finish but that will pass with patience. 95. Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino 2020 (Brunello di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese; certified organic; 14% alcohol). Ethereal and utterly beguiling, this has me in raptures just as the 2019 did almost a year ago. A wine that is highly expressive aromatically, yet which is constantly evolving and revealing more of its charms as it inhales, breathes and opens. You’re drawn back to it time and again and each time it gives a little more. There are subtle warm spice notes, an elegant and delicate florality, there’s a hint of iodine and marine salinity – half oyster shall, half nori – and there’s a beautiful assortment of red berries and a little cherry too. Above all one has an almost physical sensation of the gentle warmth of the summer sunshine – like walking on the edge of the shore at the point where the cooling breeze off the sea intermingles with the heat reflecting off the sand. This has a most beautiful shape and form in the mouth too, so sleek, so lithe, so gently caressing and yet the beady tannins are a constant presence – here like little glass rollers on which the purity of the fruit is gently conveyed. Utterly divine. 99. Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2019 (Brunello di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese; certified organic; 13.5% alcohol). A legend in the making, this is sumptuous. Slow to reveal its charms at first, this is the Brunello equivalent of Cheval Blanc; a little more open and expressive when re-tasted just before the March releases. Pitch perfect poise, elegance, charm, finesse and delicacy. One of the most beautiful aromatic profiles of any Italian wine I have ever encountered. It’s incredibly floral – violet, lavender, peony and a mix of dried flesh-pink rose petals and fresh yellow rose petals (I’m back in my grandfather’s garden). Patchouli and confit floral notes too. There’s a dusty, earthy element too and a little cinnamon, freshly grated. In the mouth, there’s more amplitude here than the slightly more structured 2020 Brunello itself. The effect is to give the fruit, still generously enrobed in its floral pink silk pyjamas, more space to dance and glide and express itself. There’s amazing freshness, a milles feuilles sense of layering and a seemingly endless finish stretching all the way to a distant vanishing point. Incredible. 100. Lucente 2022 (Toscana IGT; Merlot & Sangiovese; aged for 12 months in a combination of new and used oak barrels; 14% alcohol). Less oaky than it used to be and more classical for that, with a little hint of graphite and cedar and a plump and plush dark berry fruit now much more the centre of the spectacle. Pure and focussed, with a pleasing precision. I really like this. It might be simple but it’s texturally very accomplished. Yes, it loses a little of its shape on the finish when the grain of the tannins picks up too. But there is a lot of wine her for the (likely) price. 92. Luce della Vite 2022 (Toscana IGT; Merlot & Sangiovese; 15% alcohol). Spicy and slightly sweet-scented with the secondary elements from the wood more evident than in Lucente. Spice box, cinnamon, sage and crushed dark berry and stone fruits – more and more of the latter in fact with gentle aeration. A hint of cedar too. Quite sweet on the palate and I notice a little the alcohol on the finish. But the mid-palate is fluid and quite dynamic, despite the viscosity. Just a touch of dryness on the finish. 93. Luce Brunello di Montalcino 2020 (Brunello di Montalcino; 100% Sangiovese; aged for 24 months in oak barrels, 80% of which were new; 15% alcohol). Incense and spice box. Leather. Flint. Pencil shavings. A rather more classical version of this wine, with less evident use of oak – as for the entire Luce/Frescobaldi range of wines this year. Full and rich, with a pronounced and deep dark spherical core. The tannins are very present and still a little unresolved, making the depths of the mid-palate at this stage a little un-delineated and impenetrable. But that is really just a matter of time. I much prefer this style of Luce. 95. Luce Lux Vitis Brunello di Montalcino 2021 (Toscana IG; Cabernet Sauvignon & Sangiovese; aged in 100% new French oak barrels for 24 months; 15.2% alcohol). Bright black cherries generously enrobed in exotic spices but leaving just enough space for a hint of cedar too. Aromatically, though, I still find this just a little confused. It will need time for the elments to integrate and resolve themselves. Quite toasty – aromatically and even more so on the palate. Here, for now ,the oak is a little dominant. But I like the chewiness of the bright cherry fruit. There’s a subtle change in direction here and that, for me, is welcome. 95. I Sodi di San Niccolo (Castellare di Castellina) 2021 (IGT Toscana; 85% Sangioveto – a special clone of Sangiovese with thinner skins; 15% Malvasia Nera – which softens the big tannins of the Sangiovese; aged in oak, 50% new, 50% first and second use for 24-30 months; 14% alcohol). The harvest finished here on October 20, almost three weeks later than in 2020 – and the extended hang-time really takes this to another level. Vibrantly red-fruited as is ever more evident when this is tasted in the context of a little vertical (where the other recent vintages are all darker in their fruit profile). The altitude here is crucial to the freshness and that, in turn, is what holds this wine together. Fuller and richer than the 2020; indeed, this is more voluminous than any previous recent vintage. Compact and quite powerful, dense and charged at the core. Full, but essentially soft. Chocolate and quite a distinct floral component – peonies and gladioli. There’s also a hint of medicinal herbs and a touch of TCP and iodine. In the mouth this is voluptuous. Supple, plush and with the highly tactile fine-grained spherical tannins providing considerable layering. This is quite sunny (solaire) in personality for I Sodi San Niccolo, with plenty of liquorice. On the finish there is something very ‘Sangiovese’ about the touch of the tannins that brings an additional sense of detail and pixilation. They seem also to collect in the lower layers accentuating the sense of depth. Very impressive for the vintage and quite serious, this is a wine that will need time to fully express itself aromatically. A Super Tuscan made in a way more Super by climate change. 96+. Alberelli di Giodo Nerello Mascalese 2022 (Terre Siciliane; 100% Nerello Mascalese from the upper planted slopes of Mount Etna at 950 metres above sea level; just 9000 bottles produced). An exquisite wine that is both so essentially expressive of its terroir and yet that also screams ‘Giodo’ in its clarity, focus and precision. This is incredibly luminous and the tannins are like little beads that seed a process of crystallisation in the mid-palate. Spicy, but with wild herbal notes too – eucalyptus oil, wild oregano and marjoram, maybe a little sage. The fruit is bright and crisp and crunchy – redcurrants and raspberries popping in the mouth spraying sapid fresh juice across the palate. There’s also a ferrous-manganese note to the minerality (though I suspect it comes from something altogether more volcanic). So fresh and so quaffably refreshing. As for the white, one can almost taste the altitude and the freshness of the nights that it locks into the grapes. Top value! 94+. Giodo La Quinta 2023 (IGT Toscana; 100% Sangiovese; 13.5% alcohol; introduced on la place in 2020; certified organic; sourced from Giodo’s beautifully situated 3 hectares in Montalcino between Sant’Angelo in Colle and Sant’Antimo). Another typically brilliant wine from Carlo and Bianca Ferrini and their (small) team at Giodo that is likely to prove exceptional value for money. Tasted at Vinexpo and then again from a sample provided by the property, with similar notes. This is meatier, spicier and altogether richer than the Terre Siciliane wine from the upper slopes of Etna. But it’s still defined by that Ferrini/Giodo signature freshness, litheness and crystallinity. Rosehip. Tomato ketchup – homemade from fresh Italian tomatoes – with bright red and darker berry fruits. Redcurrant. A little sour cherry note too and a scratch of cinnamon on the micro-plane grater. Black tea leaf. Sapid and juicy and oh so fresh! The textural complexity comes from the freshness. Intensely quaffable! 93+. Giodo Brunello di Montalcino 2020 (Toscana IGT; 100% Sangiovese; 14.5% alcohol). Gorgeous aromatically, with lots of wild herbal notes – lavender, wild rosemary, dried oregano and a little rose petal. In fact, more and more rose petals as this takes in the air and relaxes. The fruit is a little darker than some of the other top 2020 Brunelli – raspberry and loganberry, a little hint of grenadine and glacé cherries. There’s candlewax too and blood orange and seared clementine rind. Great intensity and viscosity on the palate, accentuated by the quite narrow frame constructed by the grainy, grippy tannins. Better even than the exceptional 2019. I love the parting note of crushed rose petals. 96+. Il Pino (Biserno) 2023 (IGT Toscana;predominantly composed of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot; 14.5% alcohol). Quite resinous and distinct because of that. Aromatically intense, with patchouli candles, violet and candied rose petals accompanying the damson and dark berry fruits. There are black cherries too with gentle aeration. Spherical in the mouth, dense and quite intense. A little sweet perhaps on the palate – one senses a little residual sugar which is a shame as I love the aromatics which carry nicely onto the palate. Sunny and characterised by the warmth of the vintage, I find this a difficult to assess. But, honestly, there’s quite a lot of wine here for the money. 92. Biserno 2022 (IGT Toscana; composed of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and a little Petit Verdot; pH 3.73; 14.5% alcohol). Impressive and stylishly composed, this elegant Bordeaux blend has much of the succulence of a fine warm-vintage St Emilion. Aerial and lifted aromatically even if it's a little introvert at this early stage. Cedar. Graphite. Subtle spring flowers. A hint of leather and pencil shavings – the inside of the my old school satchel perhaps! Pen ink too, while we’re on the theme. Cool and spherical at its core. Much less sweet than Il Pino and cooler and more suave and sumptuous for that. Nicely framed. Tender and lithe on the finish. 96. Le Volte dell’Ornellaia 2023 (IGT Toscana; 55% Cabernet Sauvignon; 40% Merlot; 5% Petit Vwrdot; 13.5% alcohol). Sandalwood. Red berry fruits. Incense. This is crystalline in texture and pure, but I also find it ever so slightly confected. Again, it’s marked a little by the heat of the vintage. Though the alcohol is relatively low, this feels sunny and warm with a touch of residual sugar perhaps. Fruit confectionary. Slightly dry on the finish. 91. Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2022 (Bolgheri DOC; 65% Merlot; 25% Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Cabernet Franc; 14.5% alcohol). Much darker and more classical, this is pure and lithe, with nice grip from the tannins and a lovely clarity in the mid-palate. Dark berry fruits and a hint of graphite. A touch of sweet spice. In comparison with the grand vin it lacks a little delineation in the second part of the palate. But this is very fine nonetheless and an impressive under-study to Ornellaia itself. 93. Ornellaia 2022 (Bolgheri; 55% Cabernet Sauvignon; 25% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Petit Verdot; 14.5% alcohol). Delicate. Poised. Classical. And very true to its identity. Perfectly pixilated red and darker berry fruits, with a little cherry stone too bringing a sense of coolness. A subtle hint of graphite with more to come. There’s still a suggestion of vanilla pod from the oak, but that’s just a reminder of the youthfulness of this wine and its long life ahead of it. Lovely texturally, with a beautiful lavender note that enters from the edges with the grip of the tannin – very beguiling. Crucially, this is very fresh on the palate too. This has a very well-defined central spine and the sense of compactness that comes with that seems to reinforce the length, stretching out the fruit all the way to a distant vanishing point. This will need a little time to come together aromatically but we have here a stunning Ornellaia in prospect. 98. Dal Forno Romano Valpolicella 2018 (Valpolicella DOC Superiore; 60% Corvina; 10% Corvinone; 5% Rondinella; 15% Croatina; 10% Oseleta; 14.5% alcohol). Much more accessible than it often is at this nascent stage. Intensely floral and plump and bulby in its florality. Peony and iris. Gladioli. Black cherry, black forest fruits and black forest gâteau. Hedonistic, just as it should be. The slightly oxidative style combined with the acidity comes as a little bit of a shock in the mouth on the attack, but this is super svelte and radiant, glistening with lots of energy and it has a shimmering beauty I’ve never found before in this wine in its youth. The florality is almost confected, but there’s something very beautiful about that – almost Jeff Koons in its kitschy glitziness! 97. Dal Forno Romano Amarone della Valpolicella 2018 (Amarone dell Valpolicalla DOCG 16.5% alcohol). This ratchets up the Jeff Koons confectionary element even further. Wonderfully kitsch but somehow classy at the same time! Intense floral notes from the parfumier’s laboratory – glitzy shocking pink rose petal with violet and lavender confectionary. Leather. Tabac. Oak smoke. On the palate this is port-like in its residual sweetness and its oxidative style. Deeply impressive, above all for the quality and crystallinity of the tannins for a wine of this kind and with such viscosity. But it’s not for every palate nor for the faint of heart. Difficult as ever to assess so young but this seems to me the best recent vintage of this iconic wine. 98.

Italian releases (white)

	Vintage	Region	Rating
Alberelli di Giodo Carricante	2023	Sicily	94
Poggio Alle Gazze Dell’Ornellaia	2023	Toscana	91
Ornellaia biano	2022	Toscana	94
Cervaro della Sala (Antinori)	2023	Umbria	NYT

Alberelli di Giodo Carricante 2023 (Terre Siciliane IGT; 100% Carricante; from a tiny vineyard of 0.9 hectares on the upper limits of the planted slopes of Etna on a, perhaps unremarkably, volcanic terroir at 800-900 metres of altitude; just 7000 bottles; vinification and 6 months of subsequent aging in steel tanks and then in bottle for 12 months; 12.5% alcohol). Wondrously crystalline, pure, energetic and shimmering – and all in a way immediately apparent from the aromatics, you don’t even need to put it in your mouth. But that would be a shame, a great shame! Bitingly fresh on the palate with an intense and vivid clarity that shouts ‘altitude’ – you can almost feel the cool nights in the sapid, juicy core of this wine. Mandarin zest, lime, linden, wild floral honey, lemon thyme and a hint of green tea – and something a little more exotic too, perhaps star fruit. I love the zesty fresh citrus notes that gather on the finish. I’d say this were quaffable, but it’s simply too vibrant and fresh for that. 94. Poggio Alla Gazze Dell’Ornellaia 2023 (Toscana IGT; 53% Sauvignon Blanc; 37% Vermentino; 7% Viognier; 3% Sémillon; 13.5% alcohol). Rich and voluptuous, with a little puppy fat, in its style. This seems more dominated by the Vermentino than you might imagine. Nail varnish (from the Vermentino). Guava. Exotic fruits. Lime zest. Candlewax. This is glossy and rich on the palate, but with just enough freshness to carry it off. Pleasing blood orange notes, with the citrus elements crucial in disrupting a little the viscosity of the mid-palate. 91. Orneillaia 2022 (Bolgheri DOC: 100% Sauvignon Blanc; 13.5% alcohol). Crystalline. Pure. Fluid. Lithe. Pear; gooseberry; a little peach skin; white grapefruit; linden; white flowers. There’s lots of tension here and that helps the freshness win out over the sultry heat of the summer. Crystalline and pure; fluid and long on the tapering finish. A technical triumph with every iota of freshness preserved. 94.

Spanish release (red)

	Vintage	Region	Rating
Alma (Bodega Contador)	2022	Rioja	94

Alma 2022 (Rioja DOC; 92% Tempranillo; 8% Garnacha Tinta; 14.5% alcohol). Tense, intense and with great fruit density in the mid-palate. Quite spicy too. Everything is super-charged here. Compact and spherical at the core. Quite oaky with classic Rioja cigar box, tobacco and dark berry fruits. Slightly confected, though, with no disguising the heat of the summer. Yet, at the same time, I find this sapid with a pleasing sense of clarity and precision. The tannins are a little dry on the finish which is where the oak returns – though it also brings with it a refreshing sour cherry note. Intriguing and certainly tense, this is very good and certainly well-made but it never quite wins me over. 94.