Sweet! I’ve never heard of Fletcher, but I’ve been eyeing some 2021 Sottimanos for quite some time. Good to hear!
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It looks like Source Imports brings them in. I had seen him (Fletcher) mentioned on and off for a bit now, but never had an opportunity to try his wine. From what I understand, he’s an Aussie that has basically done a garage project in Barbaresco and I now need to try more!!
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I’ve been on the fench for quite a while with buying the Fletcher wines. Now I probably need to buy a few 
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Thanks for the note on Fletcher. I’ve considered buying a few times but never pulled the trigger. Was waiting to gather more intel from reliable sources, but definitely seems like an interesting project.
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I certainly want to try more as a data point of 1 only goes so far. But………as a first introduction, I was extremely impressed
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2007 Oddero Barolo was in a nice place last night. Nothing amazing, but fun to drink.
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I tried a bottle of the ‘21 Fletcher Recta Pete and it also really impressed me. A very fine Barbaresco, a steal for < $50.
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Interesting. That comes from the two crus, Starderi and Roncaglie.
I visited Covivinio. Some photos on my instagram @zohowine including a shout out to Fletcher!
A few takeaways:
- Burlotto’s 2018s are showing well across the range. I have come to terms that I won’t age his 2018s 10+ years, but drink them on younger side over now to next 3-4 years. I don’t see the austere tannins melting in time to leave any fruit behind. I found Acclivi to be a particularly expressive showing, and Monvigliero’s subtleness is there to be appreciated (but I missed it on first tasting, appreciating it more revisiting at the end).
- I like what Conterno is doing with Nervi. Airy, red fruited, juicy. Not as serious as the Francia/Monfortino poured next to it, but still delightful in their own right. 2020 Francia was fine. 2019 Monfortino is a great wine, I really enjoyed it - but wouldn’t pay $1K for it when so many great wines available for 1/3 (or 1/4, 1/5… etc. the price)
- Fletcher was a discovery for me. His 2022 Langhe Nebbiolo Trepunti was great and came without having any expectations for it at all. Turns out its basically declassified barbaresco, so won’t be found for $30-40 (which was my thought… “this a multiple case buy!”). Definitely keep an eye out for this if his wines are available to you. Expressive, red, pure, mineral, full. Very nice guy as well, with quite the story and challenges for building his brand - I wish him well.
- Not nebbiolo, but I enjoyed a couple Brunellos (particularly Stella… just delicious).
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Thanks for sharing - I had the same feeling tasting the wines upon release (first time i had the opportunity), better to drink them sooner rather than later.
2004 Scavino Bricco Ambroggio from magnum. Last night at a birthday pary in Brooklyn. I bought it at auction in 2017 after tasting the current vintage at the winery. Poured without a decant because who has decanters at an outdoor street party in Brooklyn? I opened it and poured for a few of us and it was great, but one of the people suggested that it would be better with food. I stashed it away for about 30 minutes until the grill started producing lamb chops, which turned out to be a perfect pairing.
The wine had a palate of olive tapenade, delicate red fruit and an almost sweet presentation, with some earthy herbs but without any road tar/creosote. We learned at the winery that this is a small vineyard that has a south-facung exposure but is a cool micro-climate. It stood out from some of the other vineyards which were stronger at, when young, more forceful. I got 6 mags and 12 750s that luckily popped up at auctio soon after we returned.
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2017 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate: From Magnum this was accessible and wide open for business. It is a wine with so much savoury nuance. Simmering beef stock, wild mint and sage, truffle and earth. It has some blood orange tang and briary berry fruits. It is super silky and voluminous with a gentle flex of sinewy muscle to the long and expansive finish.
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In the old town in Bergamo. Drinking very well with liquorice, sour cherries and iron earth. Superb nose.
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From a blind tasting on Thursday, this was shocking how good it was. Wildly aromatic despite a barely past Rosé depth of color. It tied for wine of the night against some much weightier competition.
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Nice! We were there a couple of weeks ago (Bergamo). Is that restaurant at Piazza Walther? We had a lovely meal at Argentieri while we were there.
No, Da Ornella at Piazza Vecchia. Knowledgeable and helpful sommelier and superb list. 70 Euros for this.
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Total coincidence that @Otto_Forsberg “liked” the above post just this morning, reminding me I’d written it, because today I am opening the 2001 Cavallotto San Giuseppe Riserva I mentioned 
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Three outstanding nebbiolo wines yesterday with our roast goat menu. The Giacosa was fantastic, aromatically intoxicating, medium bodied and fully integrated, seamless and beguiling. We had that on its own with a dish of polenta topped with flambeed goat kidney, parmesan, and an egg yok - a perfect pairing. The two Cavallotos were, as one might expect, a study in similarity and contrast. The 2001 was more classic with just a tiny touch of VA on the nose that is something we Barolo devotees find additive, but non wine people can find a detractor. Jonathan and I prefered the 2001 with the food, but thought the '06, which was deeper and richer, showed better as a standalone. Both were excellent examples, and I’m delighted to have more of both.
All three were decanted at 10AM and consumed starting at around 2PM. They were wide open for enjoyment, but still unfurling in the glass, so I’d say that just about nailed it for air time.
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I promised I’d report back when we opened our first of the 2019s, which we did last night. I agree with the assesments here - much lighter, less deep and complex, than I have come to expect. It’s got a lovely light bright nose with lots of roses and some herbal elements, but if you compare it to the 2018, for instance, it’s a disappointment for sure. I enjoyed it more when I thought of it as a dark rose, lol.
It’s not a bad wine at all, more typical of the range of Langhe Rosso that I am used to from other producers. But that is just the point - this shouldn’t be typical. Oh well, I overpaid for it in the grand scheme, but the best vintages have been bargains if you think of them as barolo in disguise, so I suppose on a dollar cost average basis I am fine. There’s always the chance of upside with age, we’ll see, though I am not holding my breath.
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