Nice rainbow!
I once visited this very small “estate,” so it’s a favorite for that reason, but Wine Access has had a few reups of the terrific Runchet Langhe Nebbiolo. The 2021 has been really great, and I just went back for more.
2003 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco (regular) is in a really good spot right now, lovely red fruit, with some great secondary notes, balanced and very satisfying. It is throwing a lot of sediment though, so don’t PnP like I did 
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2008 Massolino Vigna Rionda Riserva
It had been almost 7 years to the exact day that I last had this. It’s really taken on more perfume since then and (for me) is right at the beginning of what should be a gorgeous and long maturity.
The nose takes a little bit to wake up, and as it does it shows off some brawn and balance to the deep tones of dark red cherries, raspberries, a touch of ash notes, sweet tobacco, licorice, perfumes, violets, roasted herbs, savory herbs, and a touch of earth tones. There is excellent depth and refinement to the tones while the fruit has pulled back into full balance. The Full bodied feel shows off some of the brawn of the nose while still possessing excellent refinement. The High acidity is starting to integrate beautifully while still being mouthwatering along with silky, high tannins that have pulled back to a level where they aren’t the dominant feature. This is just sexy. It need about 3 hours of air to fully wake up and show itself, but this is drinking so beautifully as it opens up with a gorgeous, integrated style.
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Tom. Was this event held in Healdsburg?
2010 Renato Ratti - Marcenasco
Didn’t know what to expect, have to say that this was drinking very well. Still youthful, tannins with a bite, yet velvety feel to it. In the start phase of its drinking window.
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David, yes it was. It was at the Ciao Bruto Italian Wine and Provision shop (Fantastic shop btw) directly next door to the Idlewild tasting room. More room in the Ciao Bruto shop compared to the back room at the tasting room.
Tom
Thanks Tom. We spent a week in Healdsburg and completely missed this place.
I see the Oakville Grocery closed. If a young couple like Gina and JC can’t survive in the retail business what chance do the others have? 
2007 Poderi Colla Barbaresco Roncaglie
A slight hint of oxidation on the nose on opening. Improves markedly with air. It’s a bit of a bruiser, classic tar and roses and dark liquorice tinged decaying fruits. Authoritative firm finish.
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2008 Cogno Ravera
TN: 2008 Barolo strikes again. The wines from this vintage are aging so nicely. This one was all about the magnificent nose. Flower basket, strawberries, cherries, some balsamic notes, wonderful. Palate still very youthful, tannic, but more cherries, good weight and mouth filling. Long crunchy finish. Probably better after 3 or 4 hours in a decanter, but I PnP’d today. Excellent Barolo.
And also: I drink a lot of Barolo and lean towards more traditional producers. Cogno is one I consistently enjoy. I see that they are often labeled as modernist. This confuses me. All I can say is that, based on what is in the bottle, this is a gorgeous classic age-worthy Barolo. The nose is a powerful red fruit, violet and rose perfumed melange. The palate is red fruited, mid-weight, and well balanced. But also quite tannic, chewy even. Tons of life and a long future if you have bottles (this was my last). A very fine, almost rustic, Barolo.
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Also a fan of Cogno’s wines, although can’t say I’ve seen them classified as modern. Just checked Pat Burton’s classification on this forum and they are placed in the traditional camp.
On a separate note I believe I read that Cogno began to implement whole cluster fermentation with the Ravera bottling, maybe others too?
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Cogno is not modernist at all.
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2014 G.D. Vajra Barolo Ravera: A gorgeous nose of rose petal and red jelly crystals hit by hot water. The palate is open-knit and has fresh fruit flavours at its core. There are some earthy/savoury notes and it is mid-weight and beautifully balanced. Tannins are moderate and supportive and add some chalky grip. It is a wine of finesse and engagement that draws you in with each sniff and sip.
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Had a look at the '21’s from Revello yesterday plus their '23 Nebbiolo. A very fine set of wines.
2023 Fratelli Revello Langhe Nebbiolo: Really bright, with jubey raspberry fruit front and centre. Light florals. Elegant and juicy. Mid-weight with gentle structure.
2021 Fratelli Revello Barolo Vigna Gattera: There’s well defined red berry fruits here along with notes of licorice root and cola. It is highly perfumed and elegant. There’s good volume and presence and a finish of moderate grip and very decent length.
2021 Fratelli Revello Barolo Vigna Giachini: Aromas of red berry and cherry fruits along with fresh flowers. It is an elegant wine with a silky entry. It has good flesh and supportive chalky structure. It possesses beautiful balance and outstanding drive to the finish.
2021 Fratelli Revello Barolo Vigna Conca: A little darker in its fruit profile. Some smoked meats and floral spice too. Good depth and really juicy through the mid. A gentle flex of sinewy muscle to the finish and excellent persistence.
2021 Fratelli Revello Barolo: Cherry fruit along with tar and iron on the nose. Some sarsaparilla root too. Good presence and build in the mouth. The tannins here are more burly than the rest of the range. Plenty of flavour and character.
2021 Fratelli Revello Barolo Cerretta: There is pure cherry fruit at this wine’s core. It has some smoked meats and iron filings as well. It is complex, rich and powerful, yet light on its feet. It builds through the palate, finishes with great expansion and chalky tannins. Length is superb.
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2022 Serafino Rivella Langhe Nebbiolo was very good last night. Structured with good length and depth. Obviously young but drinking well. This is reportedly from rather young vines in Montestefano. Perhaps the slightest touch of heat reflecting the vintage, but not distracting. A wash of fine tannins and acidity carries a rather long finish. Very good, I may have to bite the bullet and buy some of their Barbaresco.
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2010 Oddero Barolo Rocche di Castiglione
This is starting to drink rather well. It has density and flesh, yet displays breadth and prefume.Dark chocolate, dark cherry spectrum with florality. Impressive.
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Was curious to open another bottle of 2015 Giamello Barbaresco. My most recent tasting was spring 2024, when it was grumpy and not pleased to see me. This time, it was much more delicious and drinkable. Definitely lots of ripe 2015 fruit, and tannin, but with air the delicate and pretty Giamello style becomes more and more apparent. Will probably open other vintages before returning to 2015, and it may always be sunnier and riper than my ideal, but happy to see where it goes.
I have had a couple of Guido Porro Baroli in the past, and have several vintages of the S. Caterina and Lazzairasco in the cellar. However, the 2020 vintage was my first purchase of and experience with the Guido Porro Gianetto.
I strongly prefer supple wines with supportive structure, regardless of variety, and the 2020 hit my sweet spot. I tend to sample sparsely in Serralunga due to the reputation for wines of incredible structure, intended to age decades before early maturity. This was not that–and points (unsurprisingly) to the importance of terroir at the cru level and producer as more definitive than village stereotypes.
The south-eastern exposure of Gianetto is a particularly intriguing characteristic, as the fruit receives direct sunlight earlier in the day, and is less exposed as heat builds in the afternoon. The seems like a favorable recipe as the climate grows hotter, and avoids the direct sun on top of ambient heat effect that southern and south-western exposures suffer in hot (or perhaps typical, now) vintages.
- 2020 Guido Porro Barolo Gianetto - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (4/5/2025)
Day 1: Corvavin'd a couple of glasses. Open from the first pour, raspberry, fennel, rosemary. Mid-weight with red fruit and well-balanced acidity on the attack, good depth on the mid-palate with umami (olive) prevalent, no obvious oak impression. Fine finish with floral inner aromas and ripe, integrated tannins. The structure is subtle for a Nebbiolo, the tannins build and assert themselves eventually, though are really hitting a sweet spot crossing early accessibility with upside to age to the 10-15 year range.
Day 2: Decanted remainder for a hour. Even better than before, more rose on the nose, elegant and open knit palate, like a distillation of pure Nebbiolo expression, complete palate presence. Delicious, precise and refined, one of the better Nebbiolo wines I have tasted, regardless of age. Complex finish of fruit, florals and spice.
From a Cru in Serralunga that is South-East facing, with purportedly higher sand content in the soil than typical for this zone. Vine age around 20 years. Along with the early-drinking vintage, all factors that usually contribute to a more elegant, less monolithically structured wine than Serralunga’s reputation indicates.
Drink next bottle in 2-4 years. (94 points)
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