2009  Bruno Giacosa

2000  

"Beautiful and elegant, with silky, ripe fruit. Medium-bodied, with medium, fine tannins and a caressing finish. Very fine. Excellent value. Best after 2007. 5,400 cases made." - 90pts WS, Issue: Nov 15, 2003, Top 100: 2003, Rank: 94

2010  Castello di Verduno Barolo Riserva Monvigliero

92+ JG The 2010 Monvigliero Riserva from the Castello di Verduno is an absolutely superb wine in the making, offering up a deep and pure bouquet of black cherries, bonfire, spit-roasted gamebird, superb soil tones, licorice and a nice touch of fresh oregano in the upper register. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and nicely structured, with a sappy core, fine focus and grip, tangy acids and a long, ripely tannic and nascently complex finish. Another outstanding example of this exceptional terroir. 2023-2055+.

2016  

"The 2016 Barolo Arione is a sort of synthesis between the Cerretta and Francia. It has the red fruit profile and floral overtones of the former with a feeling of structure that recalls the later. Arione Barolos always have a distinctly wild, feral quality strong on iron and mineral notes, which is very much the case here. Logically, the 2016 needs a bit of time to soften, but it is super-impressive. It is perhaps a bit less polished than the Francia, but it also has a phenomenally long, classically austere finish. It’s the sort of wine I would like to spend a few hours with. In 2016, there is no Monfortino, so all of the Arione wine is in this bottling, unlike 2015, when a portion was blended into Monfortino." - 96pts Antonio Galloni

2014  3x750ml OWC

From Antonio Galloni at Vinous ---- "When it comes to comparisons of any kind, all bets are off with the 2014 Monfortino, a Barolo that enters the stratosphere of profound and utterly moving beauty. Seamless and elegant in the glass, with stunning aromatics and perfectly ripe tannins, the 2014 is simply breathtaking in its beauty. In 2014, Roberto Conterno waited to harvest this fruit very late. The result is a Barolo that offers the textural opulence of fruit picked at the end of the season with the aromatic depth and structure of a wine from a cool year. Most incredibly of all, the 2014 is a very tannic wine analytically, and yet the sensation is of a Barolo of softness and opulence. A rush of dark red/purplish berry fruit, blood orange, spice, tobacco and mint builds into the rapturous finish. Readers who can find the 2014 when it is released next year should not hesitate, as it will unquestionably go down as one of the greatest Monfortinos ever made." - 100pts Nov. 2019 ---- "The 2014 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is an epic wine, just as it always has been. Readers will surely be tempted to taste the 2014 now, but I would try to resist that, if possible. Usually, I recommend tasting young Monfortino upon release, when it has only been bottled for a few months and before it shuts down. Roberto Conterno gave the 2014 six years in cask (instead of seven), so the 2014 was bottled a year earlier, in the summer of 2019, which means it is now very much in the closed-down zone. Time in the glass brings out its inner sweetness and sensuality, but the 2014 is nowhere near as expressive today as it was from cask, or earlier this year when it was one of the highlights of a magnum vertical all the way back to 1970. The 2014 Monfortino is an epic, monumental wine in every way. Opening a bottle now, though, is not likely to be especially rewarding." - 100pts Oct. 2020

2012  Bricco Faset

Bricco Faset -- "The 2012 Barbaresco Bricco Fasét hits the palate with a burst of sweet dark cherry, plum, tobacco, licorice, leather and smoke. Burly and virile in style, the 2012 offers plenty of depth and intensity. I would prefer to give this strapping Barbaresco another few years in bottle to shed some tannin. The Barbaresco Bricco Fasét is a classic La Spinona wine." - 92pts Vinous

2015  

"Fresh, savory and supple in texture, delivering rose, cherry, plum, leather and wild herb aromas and flavors. Shows a hint of chocolate, but this is more about the purity of fruit. Rich and almost sumptuous, this red stays elegant, providing a vibrant structure for support. Fine length. Best from 2023 through 2043. 1,546 cases made. " - 95pts WS

2011  Palazzina

In 1968 Pino Taliano founded Taliano Guiseppe; he acquired vineyards throughout the Piedmont; his desire was to create a diverse array of holdings that could highlight the different soils, climatic conditions and traditional varietals of the Piedmont - Nebbiolo planted on the slopes of Barbaresco and Barolo on calcareous clay, Arneis on the sandy soils of Roero, Barbera and Moscato in the warmer more mild climate of Asti, and Dolcetto outside of Alba. In 1994, Pino's son Luciano took over the reigns and changed the name of the family business to Azienda Agricole of Montaribaldi. The name is an homage to the agricultural roots of the Taliano family, Azienda Agricola translates as, "agricultural business." The name Montaribaldi refers to the ancient Roman road that linked the winery to the different vineyards throughout the Piedmont, thus creating a philosophical and geographical umbrella that tied Luciano's forward looking domaine to the rich viticultural history of the region.

2016  

"An open-knit but very precise expression in which the Nebbiolo grape is able to show its delicate nuances of wild cherry, rose hip, pressed violet and cola. The wine is silky and graceful. This Villero hits all the magic spots in the classic 2016 vintage. It should be exciting to chart its progression over time. 2023-2045." - 95+pts WA

2017  

"A burst of pure cherry marks the aromas and flavors of this vibrant, elegant red. Earth, iron and tobacco flavors add depth, and this is densely structured, finding an equilibrium among the components. Needs a few years to come together. Best from 2023 through 2045. 665 cases made." - 95pts WS

2007  

This is drinking wonderfully now with so much depth of fruit and lots of juicy character. Full body, layered and intense. Plenty of dark berry and chocolate. Fantastic. Drink or hold. - 96 points James Suckling -- "This wine is released ten years after the harvest, giving consumers the opportunity to buy an older vintage of Barolo that has been stored carefully back at the winery. Older-release wines like this are becoming ever more popular in the Langhe. The 2007 Barolo Riserva Vignarionda is a powerful and exuberant expression that shows the density and the inner energy of Serralunga d'Alba. Blackberry and dark cherry lift from the bouquet to reveal pretty undertones of spice, leather and savory tobacco. Only 2,763 750-milliliter bottles, 200 magnums and 20 jeroboams were produced. This wine offers a very special taste of Nebbiolo." - 95 points Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate -- "After 10 years, this is ready to enjoy. However, despite the sweet cherry fruit, leather, woodsy and mineral flavors, there are still dense tannins. This is moving in the right direction, mellowing gracefully and lingering with a long, fresh, tobacco- and mineral-tinged aftertaste. Best from 2020 through 2034. 150 cases made, 100 cases imported." - 95 points Bruce Sanderson, The Wine Spectator