91 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate "The 2005 Barolo Albe caresses the palate with a soft core of perfumed fruit. This generous, open Barolo isn't likely to be a long-term ager, but it offers tons of class and elegance. The finish is round and impeccably refined. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2019. Vajra is one of Piedmont's best kept secrets. Here readers will enter a world of sublime hand-crafted, artisan wines of the very highest level. Aldo and Milena Vajra's passion comes through in spades in these terrific new releases, which I can't recommend hi... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse

90 points Wine Enthusiast "Zonchera is Ceretto’s more affordable base Barolo and it offers an excellent taste profile for those who are new to Nebbiolo. The wine opens with a dark, garnet-brown hue and segues to aromas of ripe berry, apple skin, vanilla, licorice and ginger. It’s a fruit-forward wine with tight tannins and a polished mouthfeel. It’s ready to drink now with fondue or grilled meat. - M.L. (3/31/2009) "According to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2004 Barolo Zonchera is a medium-bodied, accessible wine with attractive dark fruit and a... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the nebbiolo (the main grape of Barolo and Barbaresco), here is a way to experiment with the varietal at half the price or more. The wine is full of the classic nebbiolo aromas of dried roses, truffle, and smoke with hints of earth. Lots of richness, loads of fruit, and a long finish, tannin but very well integrated! Drink now or age for a few more years, try it with risotto with Porcini, smoked pheasant ravioli, or Stracotto del Barolo 

Inventory: Main Warehouse

The Giulietta is made from Pelaverga and has a nose full of strawberry, rose petals and white pepper. It's very delicate in a Pinot sort of way. Enjoy it now with aged cheeses and your favorite risotto. 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

94 points Wine Spectator: "Ripe and rich Barbaresco with loads of velvety tannins, toasted oak and ripe fruit. Full-bodied, round and unctuous. Hard to resist now but will age very well indeed. Best after 2006." (02/05) 92 points Stephen Tanzer: "Saturated ruby-red. Textbook Barbaresco nose of tar, dried flowers, chocolate and coffee, with an overlay of spicy oak. Fat and dense but backward and not especially sweet in the middle palate, with somewhat medicinal dark fruit flavors. Then turned increasingly rich and sweet on the back half, with sheer fruit ... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City

Elio Grasso is one of the best producers of Barolo. His estate, a beautiful house and cellar surrounded by improbably steep vineyards, is outside the town of Monforte, on the eastern side of the Barolo appellation. Elio works mostly in the vineyards, increasingly leaving the cellar work to his son Gianluca, who recently graduated from the enology school in Alba. The Gavarini vineyard is wholly owned by the Grasso's. It produces this elegant, value-priced red. A dead ringer for a fine Barolo, and offered at a fraction of the price! 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City

92 points Wine Spectator Insider: "Shows sweet berry and perfume on the nose, with rose and raspberry. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a milk chocolate, berry and vanilla aftertaste. Big and chewy. Yet balanced and very pretty. Best after 2012." (05/09) 92 points Robert Parker's wine Advocate "The 2005 Barolo Castiglione is especially taut and focused in this vintage. Floral notes are intermingled with dark red fruit, spices and new leather in this gorgeous, poised offering. The 2005 Barolo Castiglione uncharacteristically needs some bottle age but ... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City

92 points Wine Spectator: "Beautiful aromas of milk chocolate, plum and berries follow through to a full body, with layered, soft tannins and a long finish. This has lots of flavor and texture. Best after 2012. 340 cases made." (12/08) One of my favorite Barolo wineries, Oddero is a traditionalist and makes wines of classic style. They use big Slavonian oak barrels instead of the small French oak barrels, looking more for unadulterated purity in their wines than manipulation. The Oddero Barolo Villero is tremendous, from one of the best vineyards in Cas... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

Finally, a value priced Barbaresco that really hits the spot: great vineyards, talented winemaking, large well-maintained barrels, long macerations, and more than the minimum time in wood. Castello di Verduno is run by Mario Andron, a young winemaker with great respect for the traditional method of making big Nebbiolo. His straight Barbaresco is just outstanding. From vineyards in Rabaja, Rabaja' bass and Faset aged for 17 months in large Slavonian oak. 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City

94 points Wine Spectator: "Aromas of licorice, blackberry and espresso bean follow through to a full-bodied palate, with slightly raisiny flavors and big, velvety tannins. Long and caressing. Best after 2012. 250 cases made." (06/09) 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse

This 100% nebbiolo-based red was aged in French tonneaux and barriques for one year. Fine, intense, red berries and sweet spices characterize the nose on this varietally correct and very elegant red. On the palate the wine is warm, complex, full bodied, fresh and very long. Try it with any pasta dish sauced with game and topped with aged cheese. 

Inventory: Hollywood

Soft and velvety, this is a stupendous value in Barolo. It is absolutely true to its type, with violet, rose and spice (think clove) aromatics and a palate that is as long as it is complex. Pleasantly austere in the finish, this is for certain an ager, though it can be enjoyed now with roasts, game and ripe cheeses. 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

96 points Wine Spectator "Shows ripe strawberry and black cherry aromas, with hints of flowers. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and lots of fruit, vanilla and white pepper character. Long and rich. Best after 2012. 900 cases made." (07/09) 93 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2005 Barolo Rocche shows lovely richness and depth in its dark fruit, flowers, herbs and French oak. The Rocche comes together beautifully in the glass, as the tannins soften a touch and the wine gains clarity. High-toned, floral aromatics accompany the fruit through to th... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse

92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2005 Barbaresco is a gorgeous, captivating Barbaresco that reveals superb depth in its sweet red cherries, menthol, pine, spices and minerals. The wine is vibrant and poised, with firm tannins that give it a somewhat austere personality. With some time in the glass its perfumed core of sweet fruit emerges, and a few years in bottle should help it come together even more. This is a very pretty Barbaresco from Cantina del Pino. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2023." (10/08) 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

95 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate "The 2005 Barolo Pajana is off the charts. This deeply scented, layered Barolo possesses a striking bouquet of spices, tobacco, graphite, dark cherries and new leather that come together in a breathtaking display of elegance and power that is hard to fully capture in words. The tannins are, as usual, quite broad but they are also remarkably fine. In 2005 the Pajana shows breathtaking balance and harmony with a long, sensual finish. This is a superb effort from Domenico Clerico, and his team led by the mega-talented... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse

The Sella wine estates are one of the oldest active Italian wine producers. The Sella family has produced wine in Lessona from their own vineyards since 1671. The documents from that period are still preserved in the Sella Foundation. Over the next three centuries, the Sella family has kept the estate intact and its cellars still hold old vintages of these wines, including Lessona dating back from as early as 1881. Today the estate still maintains its original artisanal scale and is still devoted to the limited production of high-quality wine. Majoli is... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

One of my favorite Barolo wineries, Oddero is a traditionalist and makes wines of classic style. They use big Slavonian oak barrels instead of the small French oak barrels, looking more for unadulterated purity in their wines than manipulation. The Oddero Barolo is a classic and 2004 is a tremendous vintage, the power of 1996 and 1999 with the suppleness of 2001, capable of aging 10-20+ years without a problem. (Greg St.Clair, K&L Italian buyer) 

Inventory: Hollywood

95 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate "The 2004 Barolo Arborina is a surprisingly super-ripe, concentrated and soft-textured wine loaded with sweet fruit. It offers outstanding length and ripe tannins in a very seductive style of Barolo. Three bottles have shown some degree of variation, suggesting the wine is still acquiring its balance after its bottling this summer. Altare says the very low levels of SO2 in the Barolo Arborina probably contribute to the wine’s flatness. I didn’t pick up on a flat quality in the wine, but the Arborina is decidedly le... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

100% Nebbiolo here, in its most delicate though potent self (remember the old adage: iron fist in a velvet glove). Raspberry notes on the nose make way for a palate of velvety fruit and spice. This one's not a big bruiser, but an elegant, supple red that is aromatically similar to a white. Try it with robust fish dishes like tuna in a spicy red sauce with capers. 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

93 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar: "Veglio’s 2004 Barolo Arborina offers a quintessential expression of one of La Morra’s best-known vineyards thanks in large part to a restrained use of oak that was missing in previous vintages. Flowers, spices, mint and perfumed red fruit flow from this gorgeous, poised Barolo. It offers lovely purity and inner sweetness supported by the firm tannins that are the hallmark of Arborina. This wine of remarkable beauty and precision is a superb effort from Mauro Veglio. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2022." ... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

96 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate "The 2005 Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra emerges from the glass with endless layers of sweet spices, menthol, violets and dark fruit on a powerful, authoritative frame. This is a beautifully defined, sculpted wine of the very highest level. Tar, smoke and licorice linger on the finish. The tannins are massive at this stage, and the wine needs time, but the 2005 is undoubtedly one of the stars of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030. Wine Advocate # 182 (Wine is due December 2009) 

Inventory: Main Warehouse

94 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: " have been looking forward to tasting the estate's 2004 Barbaresco Ovello for some time. It is an exceptional wine that expresses the pedigree of the vintage in its sweet, expansive personality. Ripe dark fruit, toasted oak and balsamic nuances are all woven together in a powerful, structured style. Ovello is one of the cooler micro-climates in Barbaresco and this wine remains quite powerful and tannic today. It should develop beautifully over the following years. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024." (10/08) 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

91 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "Once again, the Produttori have turned out a gem in their 2005 Barbaresco. A beautiful, perfumed Nebbiolo, the wine flows effortlessly from the glass with captivating notes of crushed flowers, raspberries, sweet herbs and spices. This classic, mid-weight Barbaresco possesses plenty of clean, bright fruit framed by elegant tannins, showing notable harmony. Simply put, this is a classic wine Piedmont lovers won’t want to miss. Ideally, the wine should be cellared for a few years, but readers will have a hard time e... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

The Sella wine estates are one of the oldest active Italian wine producers. The Sella family has produced wine in Lessona from their own vineyards since 1671. The documents from that period are still preserved in the Sella Foundation. Over the next three centuries, the Sella family has kept the estate intact and its cellars still hold old vintages of these wines, including Lessona dating back from as early as 1881. Lessona and Bramaterra are located in northern Piedmont, in the foothills of the Alpine mountains. This area covers the western part of a ci... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

90 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2005 Bramaterra is a joyous wine for its generous core of red fruit and finessed, silky tannins. This is an especially pure, elegant Bramaterra with gorgeous textural balance and a long, refreshing finish. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2013." (10/09) The Sella wine estates are one of the oldest active Italian wine producers. The Sella family has produced wine in Lessona from their own vineyards since 1671. The documents from that period are still preserved in the Sella Foundation. Over the next three centuries,... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

93 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate "The 2004 Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano is one of the more reticent wines in this lineup of 2004 Riservas. Its vibrant, fresh color is followed by notes of violets, roses, black cherries, menthol, smoke and licorice. The wine possesses tons of structure and sheer muscle behind the fruit, suggesting this will be an especially long-lived Barbaresco. In recent vintages I haven’t been the biggest fan of the Montestefano, but this superb 2004 is impossible to resist. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024." (10/08) 91-93 po... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse

91 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "Nino Negri’s 2004 Sfursat 5 Stelle is rich and weighty in its expression of sweet dark cherries, spices, flowers, minerals and toasted oak. Made in an intense layered style, it offers notable depth as well as clarity in its detail. Today it comes across as quite youthful and in need of bottle age. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2019." (10/07) 

Inventory: Hollywood

95 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2005 Barbaresco Santo Stefano is striking in its beauty. This firm, structured wine bursts from the glass with layers of dark red fruit, spices, flowers and menthol. Medium in body, the wine possesses notable inner beauty in a transparent, almost weightless style. There is superb pedigree here, not to mention tons of class. Once again the Santo Stefano bottling delivers the goods. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2025." (10/08) 90 points Wine Spectator: "Perfumed and very beautiful, with strawberry and flowers. Su... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse

95 points Wine Spectator "Shows ripe strawberry, raspberry and plum pudding. Full-bodied, with loads of ripe, juicy fruit. Chewy and tannic, yet polished. Big and powerful. Best after 2012. 270 cases made." (07/09) 94 points Wine Enthusiast: "The Brunate cru with its excellent exposure and thicker soils is usually known for its hearty, deeply concentrated wines. Instead, here we find an elegant almost feminine expression with pretty nuances of vanilla, forest berry and dried violets. It certainly does not lack power or concentration, and the delivery is... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse

One of my favorite Barolo wineries, Oddero is a traditionalist and makes wines of classic style. They use big Slavonian oak barrels instead of the small French oak barrels, looking more for unadulterated purity in their wines than manipulation. The Oddero Barolo Rocche di Castiglione is stunning wine, great length, power and a long finish, slightly more structured than the Villero, capable of agin 10-20+ years without a problem. (Greg St.Clair, K&L Italian buyer) 

Inventory: Hollywood

One of my favorite producers of Barolo. Elio Grasso is making monumental wines with great balance and classic varietal character. Split between the worlds of new wave and traditonal Piemontese winemaking Elio has been able to fuse the two incorporating the best of both. Micro-oxygenation and large oak barrels give the wine more suppleness, more depth, smoothness without giving up the fruit or terroir of Barolo. Simply stunning wine. 2 Bicchieri Gambero Rosso 

Inventory: Redwood City

89 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2006 Langhe Nebbiolo reveals high-toned aromatics along with bright, clean red fruits in a focused style. Medium in body, the wine possesses excellent length and fine balance, although ideally it might offer a little more fleshiness to balance its structural components. That said, this is a very representative wine from this cool part of the Barbaresco zone. This bottle is closed with a glass stopper and my drinking window reflects some caution as to how the wine might age under this closure. Anticipated matu... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City

The Roero, home to the Cascina Ca' Rossa estate, is situated in the northeastern most part of the province of Cuneo, and it owes its name to an ancient family that held the district, a hilly zone, as a feudal possession. The sandy soil of the Roero hills yields an intense red wine, bearing the district's name, that differs from the other great Piedmontese wines in that it quickly attains good balance while the others require aging. Nebbiolo, the most famous and revered red wine grape of Piemonte typically produces a true connoiseur’s style of wine. Tough... Read More » 

Inventory: Redwood City

92-95 points Stephen Tanzer: "Good deep red. Compellingly deep aromas of red fruits, dried rose and menthol. Highly concentrated and downright suave, with juicy acidity giving cut and lift to the strongly floral red fruit and mint flavors. Much more aromatic and elegant than the basic bottling, but also lush and sweet. Finishes with huge but thoroughly ripe tannins and lovely persistence. Offers superb potential." 91-94 points Robert Parker: "The 2004 Barolo Costa Grimaldi is a promising wine. This sweet, generous wine is endowed with an attractive plum... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

Olek Bondonio is a decorated Italian snowboarding champion who traded the thrills of conquering the snowy mountains for the thrills he now creates from the grapes grown on the hills of the Bondonio family estate. this particular offering by Olek is already gaining attention in Europe. This past summer, Enogea, the premiere Italian wine industry publication dedicated to the tasting and rating of wines, gave this wine a rating of 'very good,' noting that "the sometimes rough tannins give way to a wine that is a good traditional offering of this variety" an... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood San Francisco

93 points from the Wine Spectator (Sep 15, 1989). 

Inventory: Redwood City

98 points Wine Spectator Designation: Collectibles"Dark in color, with a fabulous purity of fruit, from blackberry to blueberry. Full-bodied, showing awesome concentration, but with a finish that's beautiful and honest. Best after 2013. 430 cases made. " (08/09) 94 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "What a joy it is to taste the 2005 Barolo Lazzarito. A dramatic, large-scaled wine, the Lazzarito sweeps across the palate with awesome density and richness. Classic Serralunga notes of melted road tar, menthol, new leather, spices, plums and black cherr... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse

93 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2003 Percristina shows the effects of the super-hot vintage. It is a powerful, densely constituted wine but today hard, astringent tannins dominate the wine’s overall balance and harmony. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2018." (12/07) (Wine is due December 2009) 

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93 points Wine Spectator: "There's a very pretty nose of blackberry and blueberry. Full-bodied, with big, racy tannins and a long, lingering finish of fruit, vanilla and cream. Yet this is subtle and impressive. Very clean. Best after 2011. 660 cases made." (12/07) 92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2004 Barbaresco Coparossa is sweet and ample, with a more obvious toasted oak presence complemented by scorched and macerated cherries. This deeply-colored, beautifully-proportioned Barbaresco offers superb balance, yet it is also a fairly struct... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

According to Robert Parker: "The 2004 Sfursat is a delicate, feminine wine with notes of flowers, spices, menthol, herbs and sweet red fruit. It offers excellent length and refined tannins, although its personality remains somewhat clenched. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2014. Nino Negri is another of Valtellina’s historic wineries although today it is part of the Gruppo Italiani Vini, which owns properties across the country. The estate’s top wine is the Sforzato 5 Stelle. Interestingly, the Negri wines showed best in narrow-shaped glasses which helped foc... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

This wine is produced every year by the Produttori del Barbaresco; it ranges from 10 to 30% of the total production depending on the quality of the vintage (the better the vintage the less Nebbiolo produced). It is a second label from the Barbaresco, and it is made with the grapes from young vines or those vineyards that produced a less intense and concentrated juice. It does have the quality standard to be a Barbaresco, but is declassified in order to sell it younger and fresher. Fantabulous value! 

Inventory: Hollywood

90 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2006 Nebbiolo d’Alba Valmaggiore is made from a vineyard in the emerging Roero district. It is an especially generous Nebbiolo in this vintage. Perfumed aromatics meld into super-ripe red cherries, spices, flowers and toasted oak. The wine offers outstanding depth and richness in a full-bodied, racy style. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2016." (10/08) 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City

93 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2004 Barolo Castelletto is the liveliest and darkest of Veglio’s Barolos, but that is not surprising since this is his only wine to come from Monforte rather than La Morra. A deep, dark violet, it possesses gorgeous aromas of dried flowers, vibrant black cherries, pine, spice and minerals buffered by firm tannins that frame its expansive, generous personality. It will be the last of these Barolos to come around, but is shaping up to be another gem from a producer who has made huge strides in the last few year... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

90 points Wine Spectator Issue: Nov 30, 2002 Harmonious red. Plums and blackberries, with hints of flowers, turning to fresh mushrooms. Full-bodied, with soft tannins and a long fruity finish. Best after 2005. 500 cases made. (JS) 

Inventory: Redwood City

93 points Robert Parker "The 2004 Barolo Vigna Conca is among the strongest wines in the group. It is a touch less aromatically complex than the preceding wines yet it offers notable concentration and fatness on the palate which helps balance the wine’s significant structural components. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2022." (12/07) 91 points Wine Spectator: "Very floral on the nose, with plenty of ripe strawberry. Full-bodied, with firm, silky tannins and lots of blackberry, dark chocolate and mineral undertones. Long yet subtle. Best after 2012." (06/08) 

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93 points Wine Spectator: "Supple, ripe and generous, silky, with beautiful mahogany-scented black cherry, blackberry, rose petal and anise flavors that keep weaving through. Seductive and supple, this also has a veil of tannin that can use until 1998 to 2001 to dissolve." (10/94) 

Inventory: Redwood City

90 points Robert Parker: "The 2005 Barolo Prapo is another powerful, muscular Barolo but here the tannins don’t find a counterpoint in the fruit and end up dominating the wine’s balance. Ripe red fruit, menthol and spices gradually emerge from this sinewy Barolo, adding further complexity. The Prapo offers less overall complexity and sheer stuffing than the Cerretta. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020." (10/09) According to the Wine Spectator: "Fresh and aromatic, with sweet strawberry and cherry on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied, with fine tannins and a... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City

93 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate "The 2004 Barbaresco Riserva Ovello is deep, dense and incredibly primary. Although the wine clearly possesses remarkable stuffing, there is very little tertiary development here. With air, suggestions of menthol, pine, spices and licorice gradually emerge, but this remains a wine in need of serious bottle age. Lingering notes of sweetness resonate on the long finish. This austere, but beautiful Barbaresco is destined to develop beautifully in bottle and should offer glorious drinking down the road. Anticipated mat... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse

92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2004 Barolo Gattera is made in a decidedly riper, more generous style. It reveals plenty of fruit, spices and sweet toasted oak on a supple, medium-bodied frame with notable inner sweetness and superb elegance. The Gattera is the most accessible of this set of wines owing to the warmer micro-climate of this vineyard. It may not be particularly long-lived but it should offer much pleasure over the next decade or so. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2019." (12/07) According to Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cel... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2004 Barolo Vigna Gattera is a dense, plump offering from one of La Morra’s warmer microclimates. Today the wine comes across as incredibly primary, with tones of dark red raspberries, flowers, minerals and sweet oak, all of which are woven together with unusual grace. While approachable today, readers looking for a more complex Barolo experience will want to let this wine rest for a few years. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024. This is a set of surprisingly rich, concentrated wines from Cordero di Montezemolo,... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood