Piedmont Wine

 G.D. Vajra Barbera d'Alba comes from a wonderful range of estate vineyards. It is fermented for an average of 20 days and ages no less than twelve months, in respect of the rhythm of nature. This is a fine blend, a charming wine, rich yet forward.

Our Barbera d’Alba is a joyous wine, graced by the complexity that arises from blending different terroirs. The long and gentle maceration is followed by a delicate aging so as to express the varietal fragrance and perfumes. The 2023 Barbera exhibits a brilliant purple hue. On the nose, this wine is a celebration of freshness, bursting with aromas of red berry juice, roses, and fresh plums, each wave adding to its vibrant energy. The palate is both crisp and juicy, offering a delightful drinking experience. It layers flavors of sweet red and black cherries, spices, and fresh dark berries, culminating in a melange of aromatics that defines the 2023 vintage.

One of our best selling Langhe and our buyer Bart knows why, delicious quality for less than $30

Expert Reviews

Monica Lerner writes:  Here's a pretty little surprise from Produttori del Barbaresco. The 2022 Langhe Nebbiolo is slender and streamlined in consistency, but it remains surprisingly focused throughout. It shows raisiny flavors of prune and dried fig. The effect is delineated and sharp. The wine is generous, and it offers a lot of bright energy as well, within the context of hot-vintage fruit.  Drinking 2023 to 2028.  - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 91

Audrey Frick writes:  The 2022 Langhe Nebbiolo was bottled last September and a pours a deep, clear ruby color. Bright and lifted, with a lot of spice character, it offers notes of ripe raspberries, cinnamon, fresh mint, and pressed flowers, while the palate has an approachable and ripe feel that remains fresh. Made from all Barbaresco fruit, it’s ripe and has a good, plush texture, bright acidity, and a hint of warmth. This is a serious Langhe Nebbiolo with a lot of character to drink over the next 5-6 years.  Drinking 2024 to 2030.  - Jeb Dunnuck 90

Antonio Galloni writes:  Just bottled, the 2022 Langhe Nebbiolo is plump, juicy and very easy to like. The warm, dry year yielded a forward, supple Nebbiolo with lovely forward fruit, soft curves and tons of forward appeal.  Drinking 2023 to 2029.  - Vinous 

Winemaker Description

This wine's ripe, dark-skinned fruit, culinary spice and new leather scents lead the way, along with a menthol note. The firmly structured, chewy palate offers dried Morello cherry, raspberry jam, licorice and espresso flavors alongside fine-grained tannins. Pair with pasta and beans, risotto with porcini mushrooms, chicken chasseur. 

Expert Reviews 

James Suckling 90 Points |  This is dark-fruited with notes of chocolate and dark spices as well as bark and wet soil. Full and creamy with intense fruit character and soft, melted tannins. Fruity finish. Drink now. (2021).

Producer Description 

The last remaining example of appellation Vermouth di Torino to comply with all of the classical requirements, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino has been produced since 1891. Cocchi uses estate Moscato as the wine base, and vibrant, spicy botanicals such as cocoa, citrus, ginger, and rhubarb.

In contrast with other popular Italian vermouths, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino retains wines of Piedmont as the base and avoids a heavy sheen of vanilla or caramel that clashes with other cocktail ingredients. Delicious when poured on ice and a small lemon zest, but also an essential base for the creation of the most classic cocktails from Negroni to Manhattan. Cocchi has produced wine-based aperitifs and traditional Piemontese sparkling wines since 1891.

Giulio Cocchi was a young and creative pastry chef from Florence, where he worked in a popular bar located in Piazza del Duomo. In the late nineteenth century he moved to Asti, a small but lively town in northwest Italy, not far from Torino, and established himself as a distiller and winemaker.

Winemaker Description

Cà di Pian is a Barbera with an unmistakable character. There are intense aromas of blackberry and morello cherries. This wine is truly captivating, yet it remains fresh and extremely versatile. 

This biodynamic wine is bright, pale yellow in the glass offering aromas of minerals, flowers and fresh stone fruits.

Excellent structure and balance creating a certain elegance of fruit, acidity, freshness and a lingering finish. Winery notes 

Critic Notes

Tara Q Thomas writes:  Very mineral on the nose but very sweet on the palate – until the acidity washes over it like a wave, pulling back to leave behind a clean, fresh sense of salt and seashells. Crisp, spicy, mineral, dynamic. Love this.  - Jancis Robinson 17

James Suckling writes:  A juicy and flavorful Gavi that has notes of peaches, lemon rind and blanched almonds. It’s medium-bodied with a delicious balance of stone fruit and minerals. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink now. 

- James Suckling 92

Winemaker Description 

Vermouth di Torino is a collective heritage of Piedmont, which sees in the royal Savoy court as first big promoter of a product which, mainly starting from the late XVIII century, generated a flourishing industry which led Piedmont to become the Kingdom of Vermouth. 

Notes of cocoa, rhubarb, dandelion, caramel, and orange peel deliver a rich and refined character.

Critic Notes

Walter Speller writes:  Just mid ruby. Pretty sour-cherry and damson nose. Elegant, suave, ripe red-fruit palate with beautifully handled polished tannins. Very long and with the tannins clinging to the fruit.  Drinking 2024 to 2030.  - Jancis Robinson 17++

Monica Larner writes:  Coming in hot off some truly excellent past releases, the Oddero 2020 Barolo has a pretty mineral content with pencil shaving, crushed stone and wet soil that meets forest berry and underbrush. The wine hits on all cylinders, and there is good aromatic balance. It delivers a punch of bright fruit and crushed rose that gives way to pulverized stone. For a base Barolo, this is one of your best buying options. Fruit is blended from Bricco Chiesa and Capalot in La Morra and Fiasco in Castiglione Falletto.  Drinking 2026 to 2039.  - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 94

Antonio Galloni writes:  The 2020 Barolo is a pretty powerful wine in this peer group. Accordingly, it is going to need a few years to come into its own. Macerated cherry, licorice, lavender, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco emerge gradually, but only with great reluctance. Hints of rose petal, mint and cinnamon linger.  Drinking 2024 to 2032.  - Vinous 91

James Suckling writes:  Well-rounded, juicy and fruit-forward with notes of sliced strawberries, raspberries, spiced cherries and herbs. Medium to full body with fine, firm tannins. Juicy on the palate with more strawberry character coming through. Lively and in control with a generous and charming finish. Try after 2026.  - James Suckling 93

Winemaker Description

Serra is the name the winery's family since long time has assigned to the fresher and more delicate slope of the Serraboella. More evolved soils, richer, less dry, in a more closed and fresh valley, gives origin to rigorous wine, full but never opulent and balanced in their freshness. For some years now, in the Serra they do not have only Neive grapes but also a small portion comes from the Rivoli region of Alba.

Expert Review

Wine Spectator 90 Points | A powerful yet fresh red graced by smoky blackberry, plum, graphite and black pepper flavors. Harmonious and lingers with a combination of juiciness and chalkiness. (2020).

Our Review

The attack is relaxing and refined, with firm, dusty, velvety tannins and crisp acidity. It's austere and powerful enough to cellar but with the grace to drink now due to an amazing balance between the supple fruit and the structure.

Winemaker Description

1.3 hectares of vineyards in the hills around Gattinara. The steep vineyards contain soils that are a rocky mix of granite, quartz, and iron. The Wine is fermented on the skins for 18 days in stainless steel tanks that are temperature controlled, then aged in medium capacity wood casks for 30 months and released after 12 months of bottle time. 

Expert Rating

Wine Spectator 93 Points | This has mellowed nicely, featuring fading aromas and flavors of cherry, plum, spice, leather and tobacco. Complex and supple, this red delivers fine balance and a long, detailed, saline aftertaste. Drink now through 2032. 1,500 cases made, 450 cases imported. (2018). 

Winemaker Descripption

Classic Barbaresco color with scents of spices, pepper and black cherries. Powerful, firm, elegant and ethereal.

Pair with fresh pasta, meat dishes, particularly lamb and feathered game and mild cheeses.

Expert Reviews 

Monica Lerner writes:  The 2020 Barbaresco boasts an ample set of aromas with wild cherry, blue flower, sweet spice and crushed limestone. As always, the wine paints an exciting and authentic portrait of Nebbiolo, albeit with a little more richness and texture in this vintage. This is especially true in terms of the palate, where the wine offers mid-weight intensity with melting tannins. This ambitious release of 300,000 bottles is slated to hit the market in fall 2023.  Drinking 2025 to 2045.  - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 95

Antonio Galloni writes:  The 2020 Barbaresco is a lovely, harmonious wine that will drink well with minimal cellaring. Forward fruit and soft curves are perhaps a bit uncharacteristic for young Barbaresco but that also make the wine very enjoyable. Juicy red cherry/plum fruit, rose petal, spice, cedar, mint and tobacco all meld together in the glass. Classicists will probably prefer other vintages, but it's hard not to like the 2020 for its charming, effusive personality. At the same time, aeration brings out greater aromatic presence and a good deal of structure, too.  Drinking 2024 to 2032.  - Vinous 92

Aldo Fiordelli writes:  Still vinous, with youthful strawberry notes, rosebud, violet, liquorice and a whiff of cinnamon. Savoury and floral on the palate which is dominated by firm, crisp, long acidity and velvety ripe tannins of an amazing quality; perhaps just a bit stern on the aftertaste. Amazing Barbaresco. Here we have the cooperative of Barbaresco and one known as producing some of the best-priced quality wines in all of Langhe. This will not be released before October 2023.  Drinking 2023 to 2040.  - Decanter 94

Audrey Frick writes:  Ripe red in color, the 2020 Barbaresco boasts a nice balance of purity and ripeness, with lifted spice notes of dried cherries, peppercorn, pine, and anise. An impressive Barbaresco, it’s medium-bodied and offer sanguine richness and yet has a weightless feel. It’s propelled forward through the palate, with bright orange peel notes, vibrant acidity, fine tannins, and a long finish. It has more richness in this vintage as well as having a lot of finesse and elegance to offer. It’s an exceptional entry Barbaresco.  Drinking 2026 to 2040.  - Jeb Dunnuck 93

Jancis Robinson writes:  Rich, sweet nose. Very slightly animal and soft tannins. Juicy!  Drinking 2023 to 2031.  - Jancis Robinson 16.5 

Winemaker Description 

Pure, vibrant and full of bright, juicy fruit. Mouthwatering flavors of strawberry and raspberry swirl from the glass with refreshing vibrancy, lip smacking acidity and savory complexity. This is a versatile with an endless spectrum of food pairing possibilities.

Our Review

With perfumed aromas of lavender, roses, tar, and juicy black cherries.  While preceding a mouth-watering, medium-bodied palate that’s lively with acidity and framed by soft tannins. Flavors of just-picked blackberries, cherries, and cranberries will be perfect alongside tomato-based dishes like pasta with ragù and pizza.

Expert Review

The 2020 has not been reviewed.  For your guidance the 2021:

 Stephen Brook, Vincenzo Arnese, Sara Bachiorri write:  Muted, black cherry nose with some floral aromas. Red berries, damsons and sour cherry on the palate with good freshness and integrated tannin. Lively with high alcohol and a very long finish.  - Decanter 90

Winemaker Description

The castle of Verduno is a historic Piedmontese estate located in Verduno, the northernmost commune of Barolo. This is made from the Pelaverga grape and is a complex red wine full of savory spices and a lively tannin. "Basadone" is dialect for the poppy flower but doubles as a meaning for a "little kiss" as the locals believe that Pelaverga is indeed an aphrodisiac.

Fermented wines with added herbs and spices have been produced since ancient times. In the Langhe, the advent of Barolo Chinato can be attributed to a certain Dr Cappellano, a pharmacist from Serralunga d'Alba, who created this elixir for curative purposes at the end of the 19th century. Over the years, the various families of the Langa developed their own recipes, based on family tastes and the herbs they found in the vineyards.

Our Barolo Chinato comes from an old family recipe. The base is Barolo Pira, aged for a long time and with the full development of secondary aromas. Different infusions of herbs, barks and flowers in Grappa di Barolo are added to the aged wine; this elixir spends a few more months resting and is then bottled.
Production is very limited, with about 300 bottles per edition.

- Winery

Expert Ratings 

93 Points Robert Parker | A wine like this adds an exciting splash of gold to a wine region that is celebrated for its ruby reds. Always refreshing, the Elvio Cogno 2022 Langhe Nascetta del Comune di Novello Anas-Cëtta offers an exciting change of pace with honeysuckle, white peach, apple and quince. There are salty hints of crushed mineral too. The wine shows medium body and enough textural density to pair with baked fish or white meat.

92+ Points Jeb Dunnuck | Bottled two days ago. the 2022 Nascetta Del Comune Di Novello Anas-Cetta is exuberant with aromas of broth and tropical, herbal, and saline notes. Medium-bodied, with a lovely waxy viscosity, it reveals elements of saline and fresh pineapple, without feeling bloated or heavy. It has an Alpine sensibility, with a light bitter almond note on the finish as well as lime blossom and citrus. This fresh white would work over a broad spectrum of food pairings and could be a sommelier’s secret weapon.

90 Points James Suckling | Aromas of fresh savory herbs, white flowers, lemon peel and sliced pears. Medium-bodied, vibrant and toned on the palate with crunchy acidity and a zesty, slightly phenolic edge to the finish.

Winemaker Description

The 2022 Anas-Cëtta Nascetta di Novello expresses a remarkable complexity even in its most youthful phase: notes of fresh fruit and lovely aromas of grapefruit, cedar, and ginger are tied to intense aromas of white flowers, Mediterranean herbs and delicate mineral hints. Despite the warm and dry vintage, the palate shows unexpected crispness, which results in a sharp and dynamic wine, destined to evolve masterfully with the passing of time in the bottle. Winemaker Description. 

93 Points Robert Parker | The Bruno Giacosa 2021 Roero Arneis is an especially luminous and fresh white wine that is packed with tropical fruits and floral notes. There is great freshness, and the wine reveals an elegant mineral signature.

93 Points James Suckling | A richer and rounder-textured Arneis with medium to full body. Lemon and spicy pear. Some cooked apple, too. Really delicious this year. Drink now.

Intense straw colored with greenish glints. The nose presents lemon, pineapple, peach and apricot notes with floral hints. On the palate, it is fresh, full-bodied, with mineral notes and a persistent finish. Winemaker Description. 

Winemaker Description

G.D. Vajra Barolo Vino Spumante Neve Rose 750ml. 60% Nebbiolo 40% Pinot Noir Nostra Signora Della Neve is the most important vineyard in the blend of this Metodo Classico of Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir. It is located in Roddino, where the Barolo hills rise into the Alta Langa. With magnificent vines growing on steep sides, this vineyard is every year a beautiful challenge for our harvest crew.

Expert Review

Billy Norris writes:  Vajra's NV Extra Brut Rosé N.S. Della Neve is incredibly characterful, sizzling out of the glass with leather, mesquite smoke, blackberry and white pepper. A blend of 50% Nebbiolo and 50% Pinot Noir, the structure of the former comes through loud and clear through bright acids and firm, powdery tannins. Sour berry fruit and mentholated herbs meet with salty stoniness in the mouth, elevated by a lively, fine mousse. It's not the most finessed sparkling wine you'll taste, but it's certainly charming.  Drinking 2024 - 2027.  - Vinous 91

Winemaker Description

Medium-bodied wine with aromas of juicy, red cherries, wildflowers, a hint of menthol, and spice. Well-balanced with fine-grained tannins. Food Pairings: Pairs well with grilled or braised meats. 

Winemaker Description

1.3 hectares of vineyards in the hills around Gattinara. The steep vineyards contain soils that are a rocky mix of granite, quartz, and iron. The Wine is fermented on the skins for 18 days in stainless steel tanks that are temperature controlled, then aged in medium capacity wood casks for 30 months and released after 12 months of bottle time.

Expert Review

Wine Spectator 93 Points | This has mellowed nicely, featuring fading aromas and flavors of cherry, plum, spice, leather and tobacco. Complex and supple, this red delivers fine balance and a long, detailed, saline aftertaste. Drink now through 2032. 1,500 cases made, 450 cases imported. (2018).

Winemaker Description 

Intense aromas of blackberry and morello cherries. This wine is truly captivating, yet it remains fresh and extremely versatile.

Winemaker Description

The warm weather in the last part of the 2021 vintage gave Barbera a potent, powerful frame on which hang the aromas and flavors of blackberries, blueberries, spice and earth notes. The vibrant acidity keeps the wine light on its feet, dancing on the palate, where the flavors of black stone fruits and black raspberries envelop the taste buds. There are notes of tannins from the tonneaux, which give a bit of structure but are in no way dominant. The finish has notes of wood, minerals and a long fade that lingers in the mouth. Vibrant, fresh, crackling with the energy of ripe black fruits.

Expert Review

James Suckling 91 Points | This is very attractive with fresh dark and blue fruit together with hints of violets, dried citrus peel and cocoa, following through a medium-bodied, textured and sleek palate with crunchy acidity and vibrant juiciness to the fruit. (2021). 

Zekun Shuai writes:  Tangy and fresh nose showing hints of white pepper and blood oranges to the red berries, cherries and grilled herbs. Tight but caressing on the palate with a medium to full body for Barolo, showing impressive purity, focus and linearity in the finish. Drink or hold.  - James Suckling 92

Bruce Sanderson writes:  A dense, compact red marked by plum, cherry, leather, forest floor and tar aromas and flavors. Well-balanced and lingers on the finish, where chalky tannins leave their impression. Best from 2027 through 2042.   - Wine Spectator 91

Winemaker Description

Rich, silky, velvety, soft and with smooth tannins. Fruity notes of cherry, strawberry, raspberry, and ripe tomato. Floral notes reminiscent of rose petal and violet. Serve with Boeuf Bourginon, roast beef, and braised lamb. 

Winemaker Description

Fresh, offering cherry, strawberry, rose and white pepper aromas and flavors. Graceful, yet with ample grip on the long, dense and dusty finish.

Captures the best of the vintage. 

 Tamlyn Currin writes:  There is something rather special about Barolo Chinato vermouth. Rather like an intense raspberry and cherry liqueur with a salt-and-lemon-pith tang and bite. The bitterness is built into the sweetness like bones into flesh, citrus shaping the flesh into lines and parabolas of Seville marmalade, candied clementine peel, dried mandarin, salt-pickled lemon, fragrant-fresh yuzu. Iron and cherry blossom, sandalwood and violets, matcha and lavender syrup. Long, and more vinous than most vermouths.   - Jancis Robinson 18

Renowned in Piemonte since its introduction in 1891, Cocchi Barolo Chinato is a wine of DOCG Barolo infused with quinine bark, rhubarb, ginger, cardamom, cocoa, and a variety of other aromatic spices. Round and rich, yet with the deep back palate one expects of Barolo, this wine possesses the definition necessary to be an ideal digestif or pairing with dark chocolate. Serve as you would a high-quality port or Madeira, or use in lieu of sweet red vermouth in a luxurious Manhattan. You would not be alone in finding this to be the Rolls Royce (or Maserati) of Italian dessert wines.

Winemaker Description

The soils are of marine origin from the Tertiary era, characterized by bluish marl (at a depth ranging from 1 to 3 meters), calcareous, compact structure. The stratification is dense and varied, rich in mineral salts and natural springs.

Barbaresco Rio Sordo receives careful grape selection in the vineyard – 100% Nebbiolo. The immediately noticeable characteristics are the considerable complexity and depth, accompanied by elegance and finesse.

Expert Review

Robert Parker Wine Advocate 94+ Monica Larner | A release of about 3,000 bottles, the 2018 Barbaresco Rio Sordo shows the finesse and delicate fruit that is so well expressed by this estate. The bouquet is redolent of rose hip and crushed flowers, and you get cassis, wild cherry and dried pomegranate as well. There is a giant layer of minty herb, and then the wine finally relaxes with polished tones of crushed stone and white licorice. Cascina delle Rose makes a fine bottle of Barbaresco. 

Expert Rating

Vinous Stephen Tanzer writes 93 Points | (from 63-year-old vines in the center of the vineyard; aged in a combination of old barriques and new larger casks) Sweet aromas of redcurrant, cherry, smoke and mint, all lifted by high notes of orange peel, rose petal and minerals. Concentrated, vibrant and gripping, with a silky quality and noteworthy precision to the flavors of red fruits, spices and minerals. Harmonious acidity gives a juicy, sappy quality and real elegance to this densely packed Barbaresco. Here the tannins are considerably finer than those of the normale, and the long, juicy, gripping finish leaves behind a captivating floral perfume. A beauty. 

This is from a massale selection, including a bit of the lighter, floral rose clone of nebbiolo while the rest of the vineyard features five different clones. 

The 2020 Dogliani San Luigi is fruity, open knit and delicious, with plenty of red cherry/plum fruit character. Bright floral notes perk up the finish.  -  Vinous 90, Antonio Galloni

Winemaker Description

Luminous, quite intense yet moderately translucent blood-red color. There are aromas of dusty cherries, some licorice, a little bit of brambly raspberry, light plummy notes, a sweet hint of dark-toned primary fruit and a touch of boozy alcohol.

The wine feels juicy, youthful and quite primary on the palate with a moderately full body and vibrant flavors of tart lingonberries, some sweet black cherry tones, a little bit of savory spice, light sweet notes of overripe dark plums, a primary hint of candied fruit character and a touch of fresh bilberry.

The wine is high in acidity with quite modest, gently grippy tannins. The sweet-n-sour finish is juicy sour with quite lengthy flavors of ripe bilberries, some tart lingonberries, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, light spicy notes, a hint of gravelly minerality and a touch of alcohol warmth.

Our Professional Review

Bart Hopkins of 67Wine.com | Classic dark fruited Dolcetto made from 50 year old vines. The bouquet is full of earthy black cherry aromas that carry through the mid-palate. Light to medium bodied yet well structured with a good balance of refreshing acidity and lifted tannins. Round, juicy and succulent, a perfect wine for tomato based dishes, sharp cheeses and vegetarian inspired recipes.

Winemaker Description

The Dolcetto for this wine is sourced from both the Paje and Carso vineyards in Barbaresco, which is part of the Asili hill. Paje is particularly rich in calcareous marl soil with a high content of active limestone. Carso sits next to the fortresses of Barbaresco, facing East, with limestone clay soil and a significant presence of sand. Hand-harvested in September. The vines for this wine have a minimum age of 45 years. Fermented lasts for ten days in large french casks with a pied de cuvee made with indigenous yeasts. Submerged cap maceration then follows for 90-100 days. The wine then ages in neutral french oak botti for approximately one year.

Winemaker Description 

Ruby red with garnet shades, beautiful clarity. The nose is delicate and complex: the essence of Nebbiolo. The underlying structure is vibrant, and elegant with soft tannins and harmonious acidity.

Winemaker Description 

The Barolo DOCG of Riva Del Bric signed by P. Conterno is a wine that fully expresses the distinctive character of the Langhe area. Produced with Nebbiolo grapes, ripened among the hilly vineyards of the region, this Barolo stands out for its complexity and elegance. On the nose it offers an intriguing bouquet of aromas of ripe berries, dried plum and a touch of dried rose, enriched by notes of sweet spices, licorice and a light hint of to

Expert Review

Wine Enthusiast 91 Points | This classic Timorasso showcases a distinctive herbal edge, with layers of aromas and flavors. The nose offers crisp green apple and lemon pith, hinting at the wine's vibrant character. On the palate, the green-apple notes become more pronounced, with a tart quality that adds to the freshness. The lemon pith brings a bitter, zesty dimension, complementing the wine's herbal undertones, which evoke sensations of freshly crushed thyme and sage. These flavors intertwine seamlessly, creating a complex and textured experience that highlights the unique attributes of the Timorasso grape. Drink now–2035. (2022). 

Expert Review

James Suckling 95 Points | This has a rather reserved nose with dried-herb, rosehip, potpourri and light cedary aromas, ahead of fragrant dried cherries. The palate has quite dense and smoothly rendered, ripe tannins that deliver a long, composed and approachable Barolo. Drink or hold.