Brovia Sori del Drago Barbera d’Alba 2021
Super rich and ultra-textured, this 2021 Barbera showcases its ripe vintage in an explosion of cherry, plum, and pomegranate fruit. Savory earth, saddle leather, blue flower petals, warm baking spices, and mocha provide secondary interest. There’s terrific balance between this wine’s rich dry extract, zingy acidity, and nuanced tannins. Enjoyable to the end of the decade, this steel-aged Barbera is the real deal.
About Fratelli Brovia
Brovia, founded in 1863, sits in the heart of Castiglione Falletto in Barolo. This family-owned-and-operated estate has outlasted multiple wars, phylloxera outbreaks, and political turmoil, quietly crafting traditional Barolo that both stand the test of time and don’t strain your wallet. Giacinto Brovia took control of the estate begun by his grandfather in 1953, and since then, this 47-acre estate has worked to preserve a sense of terroir and to honor tradition in their wines. These days, Giacinto’s granddaughters, Cristina and Elena, run the estate with Elena’s husband, Alex; along with their team, they rely upon the knowledge passed down by their family, as well as their formal enological training, in making Brovia’s various traditional Piemontese wines.
About Montevertine
Just under 50 acres located in and around the rolling hills of Radda in the Chianti Classico region, Montevertine has made a powerful impact on the global... wine landscape with its cult mono-varietal bottling, Le Pergole Torte, but even more than that glowing achievement, Montevertine has exerted a kind of gravitational pull over the entire Chianti region because of its staunch adherence to traditional indigenous grapes, especially Sangiovese. Founder Sergio Manetti wasn’t looking to shift the Tuscan winemaking landscape when he bought the lands that would become Montevertine in 1967, but he planted about five acres of Sangiovese, made some wine for friends, and sent a couple of bottles off to Vinitaly as a lark. The wine was a hit, and Montevertine was born. Today, Montevertine, helmed by Sergio’s son, Martino, spans nine organically tended vineyard parcels, with the majority planted to Sangiovese, and it crafts three wines. Montevertine’s position has shifted from new guard to vanguard, and wine-lovers around the globe await every new release with bated breath.Fontodi Vin Santo del Chianti Classico 2012 375ml
Rich, opulent, and wonderfully complex, this organic Vin Santo from Fontodi offers terrific complexity, profound aromatics,... and a decadent drinking experience. Layers of dried figs, apricots, and raisins are dusted with cocoa powder and baking spices, drizzled with salted caramel, and shot through with orange zest and marmalade in this important Vin Santo. A blend of Malvasia and Sangiovese, Fontodi’s Vin Santo gives a nice balance among its elements — silky tannins, fresh acidity, juicy fruits, salty minerals, and lingering sweetness.
About Bartolo Mascarello
Bartolo Mascarello was an intractable defender of traditional Barolo, the “last of the Mohicans,” in his words. Bartolo made Barolos that... gorgeously embodied their vintage and their terroir, and these supple, powerful, and nuanced wines have captivated their fans for generations. Since Bartolo’s passing in 2005, his daughter Maria Teresa Mascarello has helmed the cantina at 15 Via Roma, the legendary site of the Bartolo Mascarello estate since its founding in 1918, and under her leadership, Mascarello’s Barolo, Dolcetto, and Barbera have grown even finer, subtler, more detailed, and spellbinding. While the Mascarello estate sports enviable holdings in Cannubi, San Lorenzo and Rué, located in the commune of Barolo, as well as in La Morra’s Rocche in the commune of La Morra, it still has never released a cru wine. Blending, Bartolo believed, provided balance, especially in challenging vintages. Maria Teresa sees no reason to change her father’s ways (or those of his father, and his before him). After all, there’s no improving upon perfection.
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