Italian Wine

90 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2007 Soave Montegrande (80% Garganega, 20% Trebbiano) was fermented and aged on its lees in 30-hectoliter casks. This richly-textured, generous white expresses the essence of Soave in its fruit, flowers and mint. The an expansive style of Soave that achieves notable ripeness and volume without sacrificing the personality of this terroir and its indigenous varieties. This is a beautiful effort from Pra. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2012." (10/08) 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse San Francisco

Agostino Pavia and his sons Giuseppe ('Pino') and Mauro make two styles of Barbera from two different single vineyards, less than five thousand cases in all. Barbera d'Asti used to have a reputation for having acidity like that of a car battery, apparently due to high yields and an occasional lack of malolactic fermentation. These wines are different, zesty but balanced, with luscious fruit to match the acidity. I drink them with all kinds of food; the very low tannins of barbera make it versatile. Moliss is a Piedmontese word, not Italian, meaning the '... Read More » 

Inventory: Redwood City San Francisco

Montalcino is an intriguing growing zone, the soil, geography, hydrology and elevation all add specifics to an equation that has many answers. The 2006 Ferrero Rosso di Montalcino comes from the southwestern portion of Montalcino where the words hot and dry are front and center. Incredibly this is the opposite of the versante Senese (slope towards Siena) which is rife with springs and water abounds and the sun goes down early behind the ridge the town of Montalcino sits upon. Claudia Ferrero and her husband Pablo Harri, the highly respected winemaker at... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood 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

Grown on its own roots and vinified and aged in stainless steel, this is a very distinctive example of how delicious Campanian white wines can be. It delivers a crisp minerally character while also showing appealing aromas and flavors of citrus, flowers, and tarragon. This is an excellent seafood wine, and its brineness works incredibly well with olives, especially green ones! 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

According to the Wine Spectator: "This shows lots of sliced green apple and honey on the nose. Full-bodied, with tangy acidity and a vibrant finish. Drink now." (08/08) A "Best Buy" from Wine & Spirits: "Beyond the flavors of white peach and hay, there's a subtle red fruit character adding dimension to this lean, bright white. Ideal served with a plate of salumi and cheese." (07/09) 

Inventory: Hollywood

Since its establishment in 2001, Tenuta Coppadoro has fast become the new benchmark for quality winemaking in the southern Italian province of Puglia. Coppadoro's vineyards are located on the Gargano peninsula, a promontory of land projecting out from the Italian coastline into the Adriatic Sea; it forms the “spur” above the heel formed by Puglia's Salentino peninsula. Home to Italy’s largest national park, the area is characterized by thickly forested ravines and sunlit valleys, likened to bowls, or coppe in Italian; hence the winery name, meaning "Bowl... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

According to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2007 Etna Bianco di Caselle (Carricante) offers up an attractive core of peaches and apricots on a medium-bodied frame, with pretty notes of minerals and ash that add complexity on the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2011." (04/09) This apple-scented wine is 100% carricante, a local grape grown as alberello (free standing bush) throughout the Mt. Etna zone, and found nowhere else in the entire wine-making world! Little wonder it has caught on here, as it creates a wine of richness but also delicacy, wi... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City

Cherries galore, wrapped with very subtle tannins. This is an elegant red wine made to go the distance from informal backyard barbecues to formal dinners Famiglia Cielo has made a wine that can truly do it all. All this for a very reasonable price. 

Inventory: Redwood City

The bold and dramatic flavors in this scintillating wine won't let you take Rosé lightly anymore. Outside of Bolzano in the middle of the Italian Alps is one of the best wine zones in Italy, producing powerful red wines made from Lagrein, a genetic descendent of Syrah. This wine has been one of our favorites ever since it was first imported. Perfect for fowl, pork, salmon, pasta and BBQ. Kretzer is Rosé in the local dialect. 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City

The quality of Dolcetto from the village of Dogliani has been skyrocketing in the last few years, and Anna Maria's work is a good example of this. Her oldest vines were planted by her grandfather in the thirties, and the vineyards are steep and perfectly exposed. More recently she has become a convert to the doctrine of low yields, and she has joined the elite of Dogliani. If you want proof that Dolcetto is not 'the Beaujolais of Italy,' pour yourself a glass of Anna Maria's Maioli, which is 100% Dolcetto. The wine is violet-tinged deep purple, a very in... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City

This is a classic Vino Nobile, fermented at controlled temperature with skin contact for 20 days, and aged in a combination of large Slovenian barrels and barriques. It is a silky, ample red with notes of ripe berries and a touch of spice. Velvety tannins and a long, elegant finish are underscored by a subtle hint of vanilla. 

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

Its vivid ruby color, its floral bouquet with its hints of cherries and almonds and its attractively dry, savory and well-balanced flavor: all these characteristics make Corte Rugolin's Valpolicella Classico a quintessentially modern, youthful wine. This red is a perfect partner for pasta with meat sauce, white and red meat dishes, and for lighter cuisine in general. Serve at cellar temperature. 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

97 points Wine Spectator: "Black in color, with superripe and intense aromas of crushed berries, espresso and blackberry. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a rich finish. Massive yet balanced. This has everything going for it. Merlot and Sangiovese. Best after 2012. 1,100 cases made." (10/08) 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

According to the ancient winemaking tradition of the Montefalco zone, after selecting the grapes for the production of the massive Scacciadiavoli Montefalco Sagrantino, additional fruit is harvested for the production of a fresh, friendly wine, ideally drunk with all the rich and tasty dishes for which Umbria is known. Added to this are grapes of varied origin from other regions, which make for a more complex and interesting wine. Aside from the native sagrantino (15%), there is sangiovese (60%), merlot (15%) and other red grapes. The wine is fermented i... Read More » 

Inventory: Redwood City San Francisco

There are many recent surprises in the region of Campania, which is perhaps the most improved winemaking area in Italy. One thing has not changed: the wine made from the Aglianico grape grown around the village of Taurasi is still one of the glories of Italian viticulture. Contrade di Taurasi is owned by Sandro Lonardo, a schoolteacher, and his wife Enza. They make Aglianico IGT, Taurasi, and small amounts of a white wine. This Aglianico is declassified Taurasi. It shows the distinctive flavors of the area - blackberry/raspberry fruit balanced with fresh... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City

Sicily's most elegant wines come from this small producer located in the hills around Messina. The winemaking philosophy under Salvatore Geraci is simple: make two wines with the same indigenous grapes but with different selections. His top wine is the Faro. Faro (which means lighthouse) is a little DOC, almost the smallest in Italy. With just above 6 hectares (15 acres) in the DOC area, the production is clearly tiny. Sicily's increasing focus on modern production techniques and international varieties has had some great success, as at the Planeta estat... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

90 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2008 Roero Arneis Luet is made in a fairly rich style, with attractive suggestions of apricots, flowers, smoke and minerals all of which come together in a round, polished expression of this indigenous white grape. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2011." (10/09) Arneis is the historical grape from the Roero district. It is typically pleasing on the palate with slightly low acidity. This wine from the Luèt (small wolf in the Piedmontese dialect) vineyard is fermented 40% in French oak and 60% in stainless steel. It... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse

Montefalco Rosso might not exactly roll off the tongue, but this one from Moretti may very well be the very next go-to-Tuesday night red you reach for when you're eating pizza, burgers, pasta, etc. It offers just that combination of tannin, soft and ripe red berry fruit and acidity that makes drinking wine and eating food such a treat at the end of a long work day, and for a price that jibes with the current economic environment! 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

90 points Wine Spectator: "Black cherry and light spice, with some vanilla, follows through to a full body, with fresh, clean fruit and a silky finish. Balanced and pretty, with a caressing texture. Best after 2010." 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

90 points Wine Spectator: "Very spicy, with peach and mineral on the nose and palate. Full-bodied, with good acidity and an aftertaste of peach skin and apple. Drink now." (07/09) ETA: Wine is due in Sept 10, 2009 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

89 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2007 Barbera d’Alba Serra flows with layers of dark fruit in a style that shows notable concentration while retaining elements of florality and freshness. Though simpler than the top of the line Campolive, in 2007 the Serra isn’t too far off in terms of quality. This is gorgeous juice! Anticipated maturity: 2010-2015." (10/09) Ruby red color, intense aromas of fresh, ripe blackberries and cherries, spicy note, vanilla. The taste is dry, soft, quite fresh, with good intensity and persistence. 100% barbera. 

Inventory: Hollywood

92 points Wine Spectator: "This has a lovely golden color, with exquisite aromas of baked apple studded with clove, meadow flowers, salted butter and burnt piecrust. Full-bodied, with a surprisingly linear palate, turning crisp on the finish. Thick, tight and layered. Needs time. Best after 2010." (08/09) 

Inventory: Redwood City San Francisco

90 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 08: "Good full, bright red. Vibrant if idiosyncratic nose offers exotic peach and blood orange suggestions as well as a piquant mineral character. Sweet, intense and cleanly made, with a distinctly penetrating, high-pitched quality to the juicy flavors of red fruits, orange peel and peach. Conveys a strong impression of cooler terroir." 

Inventory: Redwood City

93 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate "Smoke, tar, licorice, grilled herbs and wild cherries flow from Sesti’s 2004 Brunello di Montalcino. This is an especially dense, full-bodied wine that shows off remarkable depth and richness in its endless layers of fruit. The finish is sweet and long. This, too, is another wine that will require patience, but it is a gem. Biodynamic farming and traditional winemaking - with all operations undertaken according the lunar calendar - are at the heart of proprietor Giuseppe Sesti’s approach. Based on the beautiful wi... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse

And you thought Malvasia was white, right? It turns out, not always. This is made from the obscure Malvasia di Schierano, and it makes a slightly effervescent, extremely aromatic sweet red wine with low alcohol (5.5%). Gilli's version shows off an unusual marriage of freshness, weight, and aromatic complexity. Wild red berry fruit is gloriously evident on the nose, along with fascinating hints of blossoms, particularly wisteria and iris. Served will chilled, it is ideal with any sweet or dessert as well as with summer's finest fruit! 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City

92 points Steve Tanzer "Medium-deep ruby. Knockout ripe nose offers intense spicy plum, black cherry and incense aromas. Very rich and almost jammy on entry, then sweet and velvety in the middle, with balanced, lively acids giving definition to the ripe red cherry, flinty red plum and raspberry jam flavors. This started off almost chunky but really developed with air, gaining in complexity and depth while turning almost weightless. Finishes very long, with a hint of residual sugar from what must have been very ripe grapes in the warm '07 vintage. One of ... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

90 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2007 Dolcetto d'Alba Munfrina is a vibrant, pure wine. It offers notable complexity in its dark fruit, spices and menthol, with tons of complexity. A long, resonating finish caps off this incredibly delicious Dolcetto. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2011. Giorgio Pelissero is based in Treiso, in the heart of the Barbaresco zone. While I have long admired his wines, it often seemed as though Pelissero wasn't getting the most of his vineyards. That seems to have changed with this set of releases. I was simply blown... Read More » 

Inventory: Redwood City San Francisco

K&L's notes - OK, so you think this is a white wine and it is made with 55% trebbiano, 15% verdicchio, 20% malvasia and 10% grechetto, well yes you'd be partially correct but this wine is fermented for 15 days on the skins and takes on an onion skin color. This wine is made by the famous Umbrian producer Paolo Bea for a bunch of Cistercian Nuns whose convent is in Lazio (the state that includes Rome). Wow, this is like nothing you've ever had before, if you tasted it without seeing it you'd think it was a red wine, it has sooooooo much flavor, sturcture ... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

According to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2008 Soave Classico opens with a beguiling, sweet bouquet that leads to an expressive core of perfumed fruit. It is a very pretty, entry-level Soave with excellent balance and a harmonious, polished finish. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2012." (08/09) 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City

According to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2004 Monte Antico is perhaps a touch more complex than the 2003. It presents a darker, livelier color typical of the cooler vintage along with expressive, perfumed aromatics and plenty of vibrant dark cherry fruit. Its considerable freshness and attractive minerality insure it will drink well for the next three to four years. It is an outstanding value. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2010." (06/07) 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

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

Valentino Sciotti and Camillo de Iulis are not unlike some of their young Californian counterparts. Not everyone is blessed with an inheritance of acres of vineyards and a winery that your great-great-grandfather built and is paid for! They are negociants who work closely with growers in several regions looking to produce wines of character, from vineyards that aren’t tied to any one winery. They can offer more for the grapes because they have little overhead, they rent space as they need it, and because they are getting paid more the growers are more wi... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

93 points Wine Spectator "Very complex, with ripe berry, cedar, cigar box and spices on the nose. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and loads of ripe fruit. Long and opulent. Not imported into the U.S. Best after 2011. 1,330 cases made. JS" Issue: Web Only - 2009 Vanilla and toasty wood are dominant in the nose, with lots of dense, dark fruit crowded in underneath the wood. Ripe and thick on the palate, showing lots of cassis- and plum-like character that needs to come together. The finish is powerful and shows a bit of tannin but the fruit begins to emerg... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City San Francisco

90 points Wine Spectator: "Sweet berry and raspberry aromas follow through to a full body, with soft, silky tannins and a clean, caressing finish. Harmonious, with pretty fruit. Drink now." (10/09) 

Inventory: Hollywood San Francisco

A superb blend of hand harvested Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio from the northern slope of Mt.Etna. Elegant, bracing, supple and mineral laden this wine stretches the boundaries for rose'. A beautiful color and a truly complex wine, the perfect accompaniment for pasta, fish or grilled chicken. 

Inventory: Hollywood

Fresh, low-alcohol 5.5%, semi sparkling, sweet, red wine! Serve chilled this super refreshing and easy to drink Piemontese wine made predominantly from Brachetto grapes in the tiny town of Santo Stefano Belbo will charm the pants off you. Buy two - you won't be able to resist. This wine is produced using the Charmat method, which gives a sparkle to the gorgeous strawberry aromatics, and although it's sweet, the crsip acidity makes this wine perfectly balanced. Have on a summer afternoon, with Sunday brunch or your late night munchies. It is like a soda w... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

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

93 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate "At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the 2003 Camartina is a drop-dead gorgeous effort. Fat, rich and opulent, it will reward consumers with its generous super-ripe fruit, great length and beautiful overall balance. While it doesn’t look to be one of the more long-lived Camartinas, with some air it is drinking beautifully today. It is a very refined effort in this vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2018." (06/07) 92 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Aug 07: "Deep ruby. Floral red cherry... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

91 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The estate’s top bottling, the 2001 Brunello di Montalcino La Casa, is a strong effort. More concentrated than the normal bottling, it offers notable finesse in its suggestions of flowers, spices, red fruits and well-integrated oak. Deceptively understated, it gives the impression of still having much to say, and a few years of cellaring are recommended.. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020." (12/06) Three Stars! "La Casa" has the best position (S-SW) on the Montosoli hill, and in this vintage it seemed to absorb a... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City

93 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate "The 2003 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano is a super-ripe, opulent wine that resembles the 1997 in its generous, full-bodied personality. The tannins are surprisingly well-balanced within the context of this challenging vintage. The 2003 should drink well relatively early for this Riserva. All things considered, this is a superb effort. Production was down sharply in 2003. The estate bottled just 13,000 bottles of this wine compared to the typical production of 23,000 bottles. Anticipated maturity:... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood San Francisco

This lovely Frascati is a typically central Italian blend of Trebbiano Toscano, Malvasia di Candia, Chardonnay and Bombino. The careful attention given to the Pallavicini vineyards and their knowledgeable vinification have produced a straw-colored wine, with gold-green reflections, a delicate aroma that is slightly fruity and floral, dry, fresh elegant and medium bodied. Excellent with spaghetti alle vongole. 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

94 points Wine Spectator "This is impressive for the vintage, with loads of crushed berries and spices, as well as hints of leather and flowers. Full-bodied, with soft and silky tannins and a long finish of sweet fruit. Rich and exciting. Better than the 2001. Best after 2010. 8,000 cases made." Web only, 2009) ***3 stars from K&L's Italian wine buyer, Greg St. Clair, who says: "The nose is brooding, dark and elaborate, with more cassis than plum that is torqued into submission at the moment. On the palate, the wine is thick, dense and the flesh begins t... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

Along with its proverbial pleasantness, this year’s Anthìlia is also more complex. Thanks to the territory’s great potential, this was accomplished through research conducted on new plantings and definition of a new blend. In the Anthìlia 2008 besides the traditional Ansonica and Catarratto grapes (accounting for 80%) were added other varieties that have proven to go together best. The year’s fine weather enabled the grapes to ripen without a high degree of sugar content and to reach good acidity. The Anthìlia 2008 is fairly low on alcohol and rich in fr... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

The fruit for Orbello comes from old-vine Barbera and Cabernet vineyards that date back to the 60s, to which are added young-vine Nebbiolo and Vespolina. In our judgement this is an extraordinary everyday wine, sold for the price of a normal Barbera or Dolcetto, with which it shares immediate drinkability but compared to which it offers more complexity and broader aromatic qualities. You will find here the same mineral and spice elements found in the more prestigious Lessona and Bramaterra, but in a fresher, more forward interpretation. 50% Barbera, 25% ... Read More » 

Inventory: Redwood City San Francisco

92 points Wine Spectator Insider: "Displays lots of ripe sweet fruit, verging on jam, with plum, raspberry and cherry on the nose. Full-bodied, with soft, round tannins and delicious fruit. Long and round-textured. Very good now, but better in a year or two. Best after 2010." (04/09) ***** 5 stars Greg St.Clair K&L's Italian Buyer 458 cases produced "It will truly be a shame when this old vineyard needs to be replanted because it is producing some of the best wines in Montalcino. The nose of this wine is molten, it is so full of fruit it is amazing. Yet... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse San Francisco

The F.lli Lombardo company was founded in 1881 when Giuseppe Lombardo Maltese, a man of endless energy and enthusiasm, and a gifted and resourceful shipbuilder, realized that with his sailing ships he could take the wine of his land, Marsala, all over the world. This particular dry Marsala wine makes for a tasty tipple when served alongside many of the holiday season's treats like pannetone and traditional fruitcake. A blend of catarratto and grillo, it is rich and warm with roasted notes and dried fruit flavors. Also very handy to have in the kitchen fo... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

89 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2005 Il Moro (100% Nero d’Avola) presents the more delicate, ethereal side to this bottling. The wine reveals pretty dark red fruit, flowers, spices and minerals in a feminine, restrained style that lacks some of the sheer dazzle of the 2006. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2011. I was very impressed with the wines I tasted from Valle dell’Acate. A number of these wines are priced below or around $25 and are terrific values." (04/09) Fermented in stainless steel tanks, this is the ultimate in pure 100% nero d'avo... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City

One bottle each of the 2003 Valdicava Brunello (95 points Wine Spectator, 91 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate), the 2003 Costanti Brunello (93 points each Robert Parker and Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, 91 points Wine Spectator) and the 2003 Ciacci Piccolomini "Pianrosso" (92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 91 points each Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar and Wine Spectator). This 3-pack represents an incredible savings, like getting an entire bottle of Brunello for free! Moreover, I love these wines - the Valdicava's ... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City