Wine & Spirits - December 2020 - 90

FOCUS: BAROLO & BARBARESCO
frame flavors of ripe cherry and licorice,
making the wine approachable in its youth. §
Taub Family Selections, Boca Raton, FL
278846

95 | Gaja

$260

88 | Marcarini

$45

2016 Barolo del Comune di La Morra
(Best Buy) ^ From the estate's historic vineyards in La Morra, this is a slender Barolo,
acidity driving its black cherry and raspberry
flavors. It may flesh out with a few years of
cellaring. § Empson USA, Alexandria, VA
278831

88 | Enrico Serafino

2017 Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn ^ The low yields
of the warm, dry 2017 vintage resulted in a
powerful rendering of Sorì Tildìn. Initially
brooding, the wine opens over several hours
in the glass to reveal flavors of black cherry
and wild raspberry that swirl around a core
of bright acidity. As the wine gathers notes of
licorice, fresh mint and subtle spice, the rich
fruit resonates through a long, vibrant finish. §
Terlato Wines Int'l, Lake Bluff, IL
279003

$46

$85

2015 Barolo Monclivio (Best Buy) ^ This
wine offers flavors of warmed cherry and
brown spice balanced by an edge of amaro
bitterness. The soft tannins give it an immediate appeal. § Dalla Terra, Napa, CA

BA RBA RE S C O
279016

96 | Marchesi di Grésy

$92

2016 Barbaresco Gaiun Martinenga ^ The
long, even growing season in 2016 yielded
a beautifully floral and vibrant Barbaresco
from Gaiun, the plots that border Asili on
the western end of the Martinenga cru. This
wine's exuberant red cherry flavors rush
across the palate, propelled by mouthwatering acidity as those flavors gain notes of
orange peel, warm spice and a hint of vanilla.
The wine's elegant structure and impeccable
balance indicate plenty of aging potential. §
Dalla Terra, Napa, CA
279018

96 | Marchesi di Grésy

$130

2015 Barbaresco Camp Gros Martinenga
Riserva ^ From the Martinenga cru's western
end, adjacent to Rabajà, this Riserva is bold
yet balanced in the warm 2015 vintage. It
unfolds with lush red and dark cherry flavors accented by notes of lavender and dried
herbs. The wine's ample tannins, honed first
in barriques and then in Slavonian oak casks,
remain firm and mineral, and will maintain
balance as the wine ages over the next decade
and beyond. § Dalla Terra, Napa, CA
279006

96 | Sottimano

$117

2015 Barbaresco Currà ^ The limestone and
clay soils of the Currà cru tend to produce
wines with muscular tannins, which is why
Andra Sottimano releases this bottling later
than his other Barbarescos. The wine rested
in French oak barrels (15 percent new) for
two years, giving the tannins the firm feel
of new leather. The red-cherry flavors are
vibrant, infused with notes of cardamom and
anise. § Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY
278990

90

WINE & SPIRITS

DECEMBER 2020

94 | Piero Busso

2016 Barbaresco Albesani Vigna Borgese ^
This wine leads an impressive set of releases
from Pierguido Busso, who took over the
winemaking at this 25-acre estate in 2010.
Busso ferments all of his Barbarescos with
ambient yeasts with a submerged cap, and
ages the wines in large botti. He makes this
cuvée with fruit from 50- to 70-year-old vines
in Neive's Albesani cru, and the 2016 is captivating, lush with silky flavors of red and black
cherries. Notes of orange peel and licorice
add brightness as cool acidity propels the
flavors through a long finish. § North Berkeley
Imports, Berkeley, CA
279005

94 | Piero Busso

$120

2015 Barbaresco Gallina ^ Pierluigi Busso
ages this wine a year longer than his other
Barbarescos to soften the powerful tannins
derived from the Gallina cru's clay-rich soils.
Those chiseled tannins are still in evidence,
though they begin to relent with exposure
to air. The wine's black-cherry flavors take
on notes of licorice and dark spice, making
this delicious now if decanted. It will be even
better in five years. § North Berkeley Imports,
Berkeley, CA
278988

94 | Gaja

$260

2017 Barbaresco ^ A blend of fruit from 14 of
the Gaja's vineyard sites in the Barbaresco
and Treiso communes, this wine has firm
tannins and a dark fruit concentration that
reflects the warm, dry 2017 vintage. Yet it's
balanced and elegant, lifted by floral scents
and powered by bright acidity. § Terlato Wines
Int'l, Lake Bluff, IL
278991

94 | Gaja

$260

2017 Barbaresco Sorì San Lorenzo ^ San
Lorenzo shows a savory and woodsy side of
the 2017 vintage, combining flavors of tart
red berries and cherry compote with notes of
tobacco leaf and forest floor in a taut frame.
The tannins are dark and powdery, lacing the
lush fruit flavors together as the wine picks
up notes of warm spice. § Terlato Wines Int'l,
Lake Bluff, IL

278995

93 | Piero Busso

$85

2016 Barbaresco San Stunet ^ The Busso
family's vines in this Treiso cru are rooted
in chalky limestone soils on a windy, southeast-facing slope, conditions that preserve
freshness and acidity in the grapes. Coming
off the moderate 2016 growing season, the
wine is bold and bright, with vivid red-cherry
and blood-orange flavors along with notes of
tobacco. Firm tannins keep those flavors in
check for now, but a few years of cellaring will
bring out their full expression. § North Berkeley
Imports, Berkeley, CA
279019

93 | Giuseppe Cortese

$125

93 | Gaja

$260

2013 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà ^ This wine's
deep cherry and plum flavors derive from the
Cortese family's oldest Rabajà vines, planted
in 1953. It is muscular and fresh in this moderate vintage, just beginning to show some
savory notes to complement the lingering
warm spice. § Leonardo LoCascio Selections/
Winebow Imports, NY
278989
2017 Barbaresco Costa Russi ^ This is the
most floral of Gaja's 2017 Barbarescos, its
lavender scents leading into juicy cherry
and blackberry flavors. Silky tannins keep
the flavors aloft and allow full expression to
the notes of orange peel, licorice and baking
spice that emerge toward the finish. § Terlato
Wines Int'l, Lake Bluff, IL
278986

93 | Marchesi di Grésy

$65

93 | Sottimano

$83

2017 Barbaresco Martinenga ^ From the
warm, dry 2017 vintage, this wine is impressively nuanced, with delicate floral scents,
pliant tannins and plush red fruit. A selection
off 35- to 40-year-old vines, the wine aged for
a year in barriques (30 percent new) and then
in Slavonian oak casks. It's appealling now,
though the wine has the freshness to age well,
too. § Dalla Terra, Napa, CA
278982
2017 Barbaresco Cottà ^ This wine's flavors of
dark cherry and spice are penetrating, deepend by earthier notes of tobacco and forest
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/piero+busso+st+stunet+s+stefanetto+docg+barbaresco+piemonte+italy/2016
Wine & Spirits - December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - December 2020
