And I apologize if you or @Otto_Forsberg felt unfairly attacked by my post. I want WB to be a place that is welcoming to wine lovers of every age and experience. I’m sorry if that caused me to see offense where none was intended.
In any event, @AlbertoV chimed in and seems none the worse for wear, so I guess no harm no foul!
Now where do I find some of this Ferrando you three keep talking about? It sounds lovely! 
We had a fantastic tasting at Vajra this weekend. The 2019 Coste di Rose has opend up considerably since the note you posted on CT 11/23. The bottle we had was very accessible and your notes on the 2020 are very similiar to how the 19 showed. Seems to have calmed down and opened up more in line to the 16. Really good stuff.
Their 23 Nebbiolo is killer. Back the truck up good.
Wrapping up our trip to the Langhe. One more visit to Trediberri tomorrow. Lost my notes when we moved hotel rooms. I do have the ones from our viisit to Elio Grasso
2020 Elio Grasso Gavarini Chiniera - Super expressive with hard red candy fruit, very fine tannin, super expressive nose, full of elegance and finesse. What a wine. Can’t believe how good this is.
2020 Elio Grasso Case Mate- Dark and powerful but somewhat shy on the nose. This is layered with dark fruit and balsamic notes. It opens with time in the glass. Serious substance but very fine tannin that don’t get in the way. It continues to open in the glass showing some serious depth. Love it.
Really tough to choose between them. I’ll be buying both and will put the Case Mate away like most years and will be tough to keep away from the Chiniera. This was our 2nd time tasting with Martina. She’s a great hostess and recommend visiting if you get the chance.
2020 Trediberri Berri- With lunch on Saturday at Osteria Veglio. Even though we have a visit there tomorrow couldn’t pass it up off the list. A beautiful day at one of our favorites restaurants. This is a knockout wine. I can’t believe how expressive and drinkable this is. Darker fruit with nice spice notes and fine tannins. It has a really nice mouthfeel. Almost plush but completley in balance. Wonderful stuff. The price on the Veglio list was too good to pass up even though we have a visit tomorrow. Nice to get a sneak peek. Buy this wine.
A good mate imports Barale into Australia. He popped by today to show us some of the latest releases. Impressive wines!
2021 Fratelli Barale Barbaresco: The nose is engaging from first sniff. Rose petal, licorice root and red berries. It is a super-fragrant wine, and plush and juicy in the mouth. There’s fruit intensity coupled with elegance and it is beautifully balanced.
2020 Fratelli Barale Barolo: Complex aromatics of mint, orange peel, red berry and iron. It has good flesh and is quite supple on entry. It builds and then clamps down with a clench of tannin.
2020 Fratelli Barale Barolo Castellero: Very pretty fruits coupled with ginger spice and some undergrowth notes. It has good intensity and builds in the mouth. There are waves of savoury tinged flavours and chalky tannins boot in at the end.
2020 Fratelli Barale Barolo Monrobiolo di Bussia : Indian spice, tart red berries and flora. Great perfume, silky and elegant. Structural elements are here but buried. Layered and long. Powdery tannins carry the finish.
2020 Fratelli Barale Barolo Vigna Bussia: Ripe blood plum and cherry fruits. Some mint and sage. Clean wine, but there is something wild here. Good breadth and plush and velvety. Chalky tannins underpin.
Reminds me of an '85 Barale I had back in March:
Posted from CellarTracker
Antoniolo - 2011 Gattinara San Francesco
No picture for this one.
Chalk, licorice, dark cherries, raspberries, herbs and hints of citrus fruit.
Silky texture, still grip to the tannins (well hidden but definitely there), balanced acidity and a long finish. A very good Gattinara.
2019 Vajra Barolo Albe- This is Vajra’s entry level Barolo that I got for under $40. As inexpensive Barolo increasingly becomes an oxymoron, I had low hopes for this. But this was a fantastic wine- light in body, red fruited, floral, extremely perfumed. Tannins were presents but manageable even for this youngster. An unreasonable value that is highly recommended.
I have not yet consumed it, but I found a deal on 2019 Andrea Oberto Barolo for $25 that seems too hard to pass up. Never had it. Has anyone?
I tasted that vintage in La Morra last year, but havent had the opportunity since. Oberto is one of my favourite producers from La Morra. Leans modern but you shouldnt expect a chocolate oak bomb.
Thats a great price, matched what you would pay here in Langhe. If you can find his cru Albarella, its a delicious wine and a step up from the basic. His Barbera Superiore, ‘Giada’ is considered one of the best barbera in the region. It can age at least 15 years.
Looks like it’s Oberto wines in your profile pic even!
Only have a lonely 2013, and never tired any of the wines but for that price and if it’s someone favorite la Morra wines… the price is to but it mildly very favorable, even more so by US standards. Possible to get a decent LN for that price? 
Yes, well spotted! I drank the 2007 and 2017 Giada that evening, both very good vintages!
I imagine that 2013 will be coming into a drinkable phase, i seem to remember having one a few years ago and it was already quite open.
The past few years Langhe Nebbiolo/Nebbiolo d’Alba has crept up to around the €20 from.most good producers. A barolo for $25 i great value when you consider the 3 extra years of time/work that went into it. 2019 was a good vintage, actually similar to 2013 but not as astringent in youth. (Of course thats a huge generalisation)
Barrique and relatively short maceration would be a hard pass from me, but I tend to have a strong view on these things, particularly the oak. The website says there is aging in barrique without specifying the source of the oak or whether they are new or used. Do you know the answer to those questions? I see these wines offered at fairly low prices regularly but I am very intolerant of new French oak on Nebbiolo.
As far as i know it works like this:
Giada Barbera New French Barrique
Barbera d’Alba same barrique, second passage.
The Barolo, Barolo Arborina and Barolo Rocche del Annunziata were made in Botti grande, with some used barrels. (Lets assume 3rd passage after the 2 barberas).
However in recent years (not sure how many) the 2 Cru Barolo have been made with purely Botte Grande. The regular bottle I’m not sure.
Im hoping to attend an event in La Morra in the next weeks so if i see Mr Oberto i will i ask him for more details!
Thanks for the reply. My general rule is avoid anything with barrique. If I had both the knowledge that it was only neutral oak and the ability to taste in advance in advance of purchase, I’d prefer to evaluate on a case-by-case basis, but I basically have no opportunity to do so, instead simply avoiding the wines unless I encounter them in the wild and have reason to change that approach. Admittedly dogmatic, but considering there is already too much wine that I’d like to buy and drink, it works for me.
For $25, not even worth a dice roll?
No. As it stands, there are many more wines I want to buy than my current pace of consumption will support. I definitely have enough cellar defenders amongst wines I know that I like. For that price or less I can get a lot of wines I know I like or am more likely to enjoy. Mainly Langhe Nebbiolo but also Alto Piemonte, Valtellina, Carema, etc. Less inclined to take risks for things with what I consider a possible red flag. Again, I’d certainly taste one if offered and see for myself.
I am enjoying and buying more as we speak. 2020 G.D. Vajra Barolo Ravera.
Had it in a shiner at winery a year ago and it was more than memorable. For $78 it’s a steal.
First time having this since tasting at winery last October under hand dated label and my consensus is it’s still awesome!
Creamy nose of blackberry, sassafras and bramble berry. Palate shows elegance and is refined with tremendous balance for such a young wine. Pretty floral notes with black cherry and blackberries. This one show a distinction that I believe is vineyard specific. Long and true finish, this drinks so amazing and polished at this age it’s uncanny and pretty cool and exactly how I remember that day of our visit.
Not something widely on the shelves anymore, but I found a remaining bottle of the 2020 Produttori del Barbaresco “Langhe Nebbiolo” recently. My wife and I found it to be a little rough around the edges upon release and weren’t super thrilled with it, though at the sub-$25 price, we bought a number of them. The “roughness” was gone with the last bottle, and it was really quite enjoyable. So, if you were like me and bought some of these but didn’t love them right away… they’re worth another shot!
The lucky man is the man still sitting with 12x 2016 Produttori Barbarescos.
A woman with that case is pretty lucky, too. 
