Amazing! Thick and bold, a dry after taste. Deliciously paired well with steak, veggies, and lasagna. — a month ago
“Bricco Ambrogio” stands alone as the only MGA in the tiny commune of Roddi and it’s almost completely under vine. In fact, the most prominent geological feature in Roddi is the hill of Bricco Ambrogio. While the Lodali family were the first to bottle a single expression, back in the late 1970’s, we largely have Paolo Scavino to thank for the growth of its reputation as a source of depth and balanced Barolo over the last 20+ years.
The 2020 “Bricco Ambrogio” pours a bright, luminous garnet color; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing and predominately red fruited with notes of Morello cherry, cranberry, raspberry, rosebushes, tar, dried green herbs, cedar chest, spices, and gravely earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finishes long, grippy and spicy. A lovely Bricco Ambrogio with beautiful balance and sneaky power; arguably the benchmark for the MGA. Drinking well now in its youth (thank you 2020) but will surely gain complexity after 2030 and deliver smiles through 2040+. — 5 days ago
2010 vintage. In a very interesting place. Getting worcestershire sauce and black licorice. Very savory. Dried fruit. Medium fine grain tannin. — a month ago
Mention “Monvigliero” around any Barolo nut and there is a better than good chance you might witness the following behavior: waxing poetic in hushed tones, sighing, swooning…possibly fainting. Monvigliero truly is the zeitgeist. For over 40 years, Comm. G.B. Burlotto (and Fratelli Alessandria before them), have quietly been making great single-vineyard Monvigliero and it was only in the last 10-15 years that the world started to catch on to the magic that was happening in Verduno. In the last handful of years alone, there have been a flurry of producers with holdings in Monvigliero that have released their own single-vineyard expression. However, what many may not realize is that Enrico Scavino and his daughters have been producing a “Monvigliero” since 2007, making them one of the first half dozen to do so. I’m only suggesting that the Scavino’s knew there was something special there well before the hype train came to the station.
Popped and poured; enjoyed with dinner and over the course of a couple hours. The 2020 “Monvigliero” pours a deep garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. The nose is gorgeous; seemingly darker fruited with blackberry, pomegranate, black cherry lozenges, roses and spice box. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin (though friendly) and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and lithe. An elegant wine and downright delicious. I think Paolo Scavino did a fabulous job of capturing the synergy of what Mother Nature gave in the 2020 vintage and the source of their fruit in the heart of the Monvigliero MGA. These are very early days for this wine but it’s already a joy to drink now but I expect this will continue a lovely evolution through 2038, easy. — 11 days ago
Spectacular. Decanted for about 10 hours. Full-bodied. Mocha, dark fruits, leather, tobacco, sweet cherries, raspberries. So happy I have a few bottles left. — a month ago
Opened and decanted about an hour prior to service. The 2016 San Valentino is a blend of mostly Sangiovese mixed with some local varieties. It pours a deep ruby purple with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the palate, the wine is developing with fascinating notes of ripe cherry, blackberry, exotic spices, wild underbrush, old leather and rich woody notes, some VA and dried rocky earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ viscosity. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and lovely and despite the concentration of flavors, surprisingly nimble and super versatile with the variety of fare on the table including sturgeon in a miso with noodles (it kinda blew my mind actually). Sublime. Drink now with patience and through 2036. — 2 months ago
Jeff Ryan
Primo orange wine . Bea never disappoints. — 8 days ago