Location

Italy

Ahhh … Italy! Home of renaissance literature, philosophy, science and some of the most heart warming food in the world. From North to South it would be a fair guess to say the only thing outnumbering churches and Vespa’s are the vast areas of vineyards.

One thing is certain, you’ll never run short of choice!

First Records of Wine Production – Go back millennia!

Founding Figures – The Greek colonisation marked a shift from vine grown in the wild to planned viticulture around 800 BC the Romans dramatically expanded production around 200 BC. The Italians never looked back!

Area Planted – Around 700,000 hectares making around 19% of the world’s wine!

Number of Wineries – Soave alone is made by 3,500 producers. That’s around the same number of wineries as in all of Australia! From gargistes to industrial scale conglomerates every Italian has a winemaker in the family.

Established Regions – Every region in Italy produces wine! The most prestigious region Piedmont is home to the stunning Nebbiolos of Barolo & Barbaresco. The Chianti and Brunello of Tuscany following hot on Piedmont’s heals. These are just a drop in the ocean!

In typical Italian style the classification systems of each region vary and are often skewed by influential persons with much to gain over the quality of the industry. As always we need to rely on our taste buds as the ultimate decider of quality!

Most Common VarietiesIn his book ‘Native Wine Grapes of Italy’ Ian D’Agata documents around 500 Italian grape varieties, by no means the complete set! Around 350 of these have been granted authorized status. There’s plenty to try! We’ve seen a push to save some of the notable, rare varietals like the white Nascetta and Arneis from Piedmont. 

Whilst we have seen an ingress of French Varietals, the most notable being the Cabernet Varietals + Syrah used to make the Super Tuscans, the Italians have, by and large stayed true to their roots.

White – Whites of note: Arneis (Piedmont), Cataratto (Sicily), Fiano (southwest coast), Friulano (Friuli), Gargenaga (Veneto – the Soave grape), Greco di Tufo (southwest coast), Malvasia Bianca (throughout Italy), Moscato Blanc (Piedmont), Pecorino (Abruzzo), Pinot Grigo (Why?), Ribolla Gialla (Friulli), Trebbiano (Abruzzo), Verdicchio (Marche) and Vermentino (Sardinia, Tuscany and Liguria).

Red – Aglianico (Campania), Barbera (Piedmont), Corvina blended with Rondinella to make Amarone, Dolcetto (Piedmont), Malvasia Nera (Puglia), Montepuliciano (Tuscany), Nebbiolo (Piedmont), Negaromaro (Puglia), Nero d’Avola (Sicily), Primitivo (Puglia), Sagrantino (Umbria) and Sangiovese (Tuscany).

Up and Coming Regions – Beyond Barolo and Barbaresco, around the world we have seen Amarone, Chianti, Soave, Prosecco, Verdicchio and the wines of Puglia gain strong recognition. In recent times the increasing cost of Barolo in particular has seen exploration of Nebbiolo from Alto Piedmonte and Valtellina. At the opposite end of the country, in part due to the investment of heavy hitters like ‘Barolo Boy’ Marco di Grazie (Terre Nere) and Andrea Franchetti (Passopisciaro) the Nerello Mascelese (red) and Carricante (white) wines of Etna, Sicily have become world recognised. Nerello Mascelese being described as some as the Barolo of the South or a cross between Nebbiolo and Pinot. I prefer to call it delicious!


A Treasure Hunt for the Lost Whites of Italy!


Timorasso ~ Nascetta ~ Erbaluce

3 Italian Whites Saved from Extinction!

Of the thousands of grape varieties that exist, and even more clones of each variety, few make it into our glass.

Many have been lost. Economic reality making them not viable.

Advances in viticulture, changes in climate and the passion of a few individuals have saved a few!

For that we are thankful!


Timorasso


The Saviours

Walter & Claudio along with their shared cellarmaster ‘Pigi’ are both the saviours & masters of Timorasso! The hold some of the oldest plantings making wine of great complexity, texture. Composed & full of personality.

Walter describes his Derthona as a “Modern Antique”.

Delicious!

Vigneti Massa Timorasso ‘Derthona’ 2019

Timorasso | Colli Tortonesi, Italy

From near extinction the Massa family have saved Timorasso, for that I am truly thankful! Massa's Derthona is the perfect introduction to the variety. It's alway more complete than the 'Picolo Derthona' with a build in richness, more golden colour. Delicious, saline minerality, excellent acid profile, build in phenolics and carry through to a cleansing silvery line of bitterness + apricot kernel. The 2019 is another success from Massa & Piggy. A bolder slightly riper incarnation than the
$94
$90ea in any 3+
$86ea in any 6+

Claudio Mariotto ‘Pitasso’ Derthona Timorasso 2018

Timorasso | Piedmont, Colli Tortonesi

Where the Cavallina has overt generosity and power, the fruit depth and length of the Pitasso are more than its equal, with an edge of sophistication that lends to a more restrained feel. The power is all there, showing superb linear fruit and exceptional, fine acid. This lingers forever! Stunning mouthfeel, leveling up on the harmony in comparison to the delicious Cavallina. This is very, very good. Effortless and composed. The flavours start with ripe pear, build and layer as you swallow and c
$102
$97ea in any 3+
$92ea in any 6+

The Friends & Lovers

Vietti, Oddero and Roagna are amongst the great names that have recognised just how unique & delicious the wines made from Timorasso are & have put the passion in a glass!

Vietti Derthona Timorasso Colli Tortonesi 2020

Timorasso | Colli Tortonesi, Italy

The latest addition to the Vietti portfolio sees a white from the eastern most border of the Piedmont region. A perfect fit for Vietti with regard to their history of working with varietals of merit that for one reason or another have diminished over time. Timorasso makes beautiful wine the Massa is a cracker. I can't wait to try Vietti's version. With a wonderful array of flavours, textures, and, wonderful acidity the variety is loaded with personality & intrigue. For the 2019: Th
$80
$76ea in any 3+
$72ea in any 6+

Roagna Timorasso Derthona Montemarzino 2019

Timorasso | Colli Tortonesi, Italy

A grape variety saved by saved by Massa & on the rise! With Vietti, Roagna and Borgogno adding their names to those making Timorasso, it's clear something special is happening in Derthona (the old name for Tortona). 'The 2019 Timorasso Derthona Montemarzino is bright, transparent and super-expressive. Luca Roagna's Timorasso is one of the most refined versions. I have tasted of Timorasso, which is usually a much more rustic white wine.' Antonio Galloni, Vinous
$215
$205ea in any 3+
$195ea in any 6+

Nascetta


The Saviour

Elvio Cogno with his plantings in Novello, Barolo is turning out intoxicating wines from Nascetta. As he says they need a year or 2 in bottle to reveal their full potential. Grab a 2019 to drink now and 2020 next summer!


Erbaluce


The Champion

Erbaluce can make many styles of from sparkling, late harvest & passito wines.

Antoniolo’s is a wonderfully fresh and crunchy dry white style. The 2020 has settled, resolving beautifully over the last 6 months and is in a wonderful place.

Perfect summer drinking.

Filters & Sorting

Showing 563 Delicious Wines!

The Bold!
Lifting the level to Sordo's Riserva Range is always Fun! The wine has resolved beautifully now, the Monforte tannins are still there, the have softened the generosity of fruit has built and secondaries layered in. This is all Monforte, with giveaway blue fruits, violet, cherry liqueur and some mint. Sordo's Perno, is the Cerretta parcel, immediately adjoining Conterno-Fantino’s, with which it shares a similar darker ‘blue’ style. Well 2010, what can you say! Stunning year and it shows in
$180
$170ea in any 3+
$160ea in any 6+

Fèlsina Chianti Classio Riserva DOCG ‘Rancia’ 2016

Sangiovese | Tuscany, Castelnuovo Berardenga UGA

The layering of flavour, tannin in this is excellent! Everyone went nuts on the Fontalloro because of a couple of extra points, wow, this is stunning! Fèlsina have tamed the beast! While this is a powerful wine with incredible depth and length, it is beautifully balanced with excellent grape tannins. It will resolve and build sensuality over the coming years. Dark and incredibly complex there's a vitality to the mouthfeel. If you're going to crack one young give it loads of air in the morning a
$180
$175ea in any 3+
$170ea in any 6+
A Masterpiece!

Figli Luigi Oddero Barolo 2016

Nebbiolo | Serralunga d'Alba, Barolo

On most recent devouring, Oct 2022, the 2016 Barolo is starting to reveal itself.  On release it was clearly something special, now a couple of years on it is a seamless wonder, flow and harmony. A vote for blending across communes, the oppulence of La Morra, the layers, line and length of Castiglione Falletto and the dark structure of Serralunga all making for a complete wine. Plenty more to come! A blend of fruit from 30% La Morra’s Rive, 30% Castiglione Falletto’s Scarrone, &
$180
$175ea in any 3+
$170ea in any 6+

Fratelli Alessandria Barolo ‘Gramolere’ 2017

Nebbiolo | Monforte d'Alba, Italy

The 2017 Barolo Gramolere is a powerful, tightly wound wine full of Monforte tension. Readers will have to be patient. Dark-fleshed fruit, spice, menthol, licorice and sage add layers of aromatic intrigue to this firm, hulky Barolo. The 2017 takes all the Gramolere signatures and turns up the volume. Antonio Galloni, Vinous
$180
$173ea in any 3+
$166ea in any 6+

Olek Bondonio Barbaresco ‘Roncagliette’ 2019

Nebbiolo | Piedmont, Barbaresco

From the same vineyard that offers us Gaja's Sori Tildin, we have Olek's Roncagliette! Olek has incredible touch. The man understands textures and tannins, creates wines with insane perfumes and layer after layer of divine flavours. This much and more is again true of the 2019. Now the 4th vintage of this wine I've drunk, this is right up at the top of the pyramid. The vitality, superb fruit, tannins, balance, perfume, harmony and complexity are there in spades. The purity, shape and flow is
$180
$175ea in any 3+
$170ea in any 6+
Beautifully composed, flowing and elegant for a Grumello  a commune that can show a little more overt grunt in the context of Valtellina. While there is a rounder mid palate the delicacy entrances. Incredibly layered and fine. The fruit marries woody herbs, spice tea and beyond with a blood orange feel. Long though not quite the length of the Sant’Antonio. Fine drinking to be had here. Very fine, pure, ultra-mineral expression of Nebbiolo here. Strawberry, raspberry, spice, fennel, min
$182
$175ea in any 3+
$168ea in any 6+
This years Sesto Canto doesn’t have quite the sophistication of line and length. The fruit character lean to the riper end of the spectrum and the tannin are more dominant toward the front mid-palate. It’s a delicious drink just with fewer dimensions than the others.  From the most elegant Commune to the most generous, Inferno sits in the middle between, Sassella, and, Grumello. Cherry, strawberry, orange peel, mint and herbs. It’s dry and stony, plenty of citrus zest and a sort
$182
$175ea in any 3+
$168ea in any 6+
The name has changed from Vigna Regina to Nuova Regina the wine is the same ... Delicious! Sassella is typically the most elegant of the Communes made by Ar.Pe.Pe. The Nuova Regina is clearly the most sophisticated of the 2016 Riserva crop. The perfume here ramps up a notch, delicacy and intrigue with underlying power all be it in a mid-weight wine. Constantly changing and evolving with each sniff. The flow, shape and mouthfeel are impeccable. Vibrant red fruit with woody herbs tea, blood ora
$182
$175ea in any 3+
$168ea in any 6+
The Rocce Rosse has a darker feel. Currently, I perceive it as a little richer with an extra squirt of tannin to hold it. Dark spiced, long firm yet fine tannins. Like the Nuova Regina and Sant’Antonio it lingers for some time. Again there is real beauty here. It unfolds in the glass revealing layer after layer. Incredible, complete wine of exceptional balance. It is unfair to separate the two Sassella, they are both stunning. Drinking the pair together on any given night over the next 1
$182
$175ea in any 3+
$168ea in any 6+
Once again my preferred Grumello from Ar.Pe.Pe. A build in perceived fruit weight length and depth over the Bon Consiglio with immediate generosity make for superb drinking out of the gate. Comparing this to the 2009 consumed a couple of weeks ago I foresee this building in complexity from an already complex starting point and achieving the incredible transparency of the 2009 as it moves into the next stage of development. Although it will be hard to keep your hands off it! The church of
$182
$175ea in any 3+
$168ea in any 6+
Late harvest quasi sforzato play here. There’s fun to be had here. ArPePe play in between a full-blown sforzato and the rest of their Riserva range makes for a fun balance. Completely dry, it introduces a level of richness and extra layer of tannin. Gary's note captures it well. Harvest is November 10th, because they leave the grapes to dry out and shrivel a little. It’s from the highest part of Sassella, sitting at 600m above sea level.  Cherry, blackberry, plum, dried mint,
$182
$175ea in any 3+
$168ea in any 6+

San Giusto a Rentennano ‘Vin San Giusto’ 375ml 2015

White Blend | Tuscany, Chianti Classico

Production of this wine is a painstaking labor of love. If they made a white out of the grapes it would return 10 times the volume! Makes the price look pretty reasonable. The organic San Giusto a Rentennano 2015 Vin San Giusto (in a 375-milliliter bottle) opens to a dark chestnut color with brownish and copper highlights. This wine is viscous and quite thick with a contained 9.5% alcohol content. That low alcohol is a hallmark of this special dessert wine, as is its super rich, almost sy
$184
$177ea in any 3+
$170ea in any 6+
One of the many highlights in this range, the Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano is superb. A big enrobing wine, the Montestefano wraps around the palate with stunning depth. Today, the Montestefano is utterly embryonic, and yet it exudes depth, resonance and pure class. The Montestefano is one of the more complete wines in the range because of the way it deftly balances fruit intensity and structure. Readers will have to be patient, though. Galloni
$186
$179ea in any 3+
$172ea in any 6+
The 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Montefico is one of the most intriguing wines in this range. My impression is that the 2015 still has quite a bit to say, but this is Montefico, where the wines are slow to reveal themselves. White pepper, dried herbs, dried red cherry and mint add a super-appealing upper register. This is such a compelling Barbaresco. Galloni
$186
$179ea in any 3+
$172ea in any 6+
The 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano rounds out this series of wines from Produttori del Barbaresco. Ample and resonant on the palate, the Montestefano shows all the natural breadth that is so typical of this site. On the palate, the Montestefano is rich and explosive, with tremendous depth and fabulous overall balance. Dark cherry, plum, espresso, licorice and spice build into the dark, sumptuous finish. Galloni
$186
$179ea in any 3+
$172ea in any 6+
Just as it did over the summer, the 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota continues to impress. Bold and ample on the palate, with terrific fruit density, the 2015 offers a heady concoction of dark cherry, plum, licorice, smoke, spice and leather that flesh out in the glass. This is a terrific showing for the Muncagota, usually one of the less complex wines in the Produttori's range of nine Riservas. Galloni
$186
$140ea in any 3+
$135ea in any 6+