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This 100% Dolcetto comes from the Commune of Treiso, on the Monte Aribaldo hill. It sits at 350 meters above sea level and has a south-facing exposure. The even altitude and its prominent position allow the grapes to ripen consistently and give ample body to the Dolcetto.

The wine undergoes vinification on skins with a six/seven days fermentation with floating cap at a controlled temperature; pumping over. Malolactic fermentation is carried out in full after the alcoholic fermentation. The wine is aged in a combination of stainless steel and cement for five months before a brief bottle aging.

Aromatically this wine has on nose of bright, tart and brambly red berry fruits, and a hint of wild flowers. On the palate there is medium acidity with flavors of fresh cut cedar, cranberries, and a touch of baking spice.

Ratings

The 2018 Dolcetto d'Alba Monte Aribaldo is fresh, fruity and built for near-term drinking. In 2018, the Monte Aribaldo doesn't have its customary intensity or darkness. Red fruit, tobacco, floral accents and spice open up in the glass.

90 Points, Antonio Galloni (Vinous)

Tasting Notes

• Red berries, cranberries

• Wild flowers

• Medium acidity

• Recommended to have with food including pork, gamey meats, chicken and seafood.

This is Kikumasamune’s first foray into the premium market in 130 years. Called “Hyaku Moku”, the sake is a junmai ginjo made with 100% Yamada Nishiki grown in Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture. Hyaku Moku has well-balanced richness, ripe fruit, medium body, soft texture and robust umami.

Hyaku Moku pairs well with Italian and French cuisine thanks to its profile resembling a barrel-aged California chardonnay wine.

100% Nebbiolo

VINEYARD Serraboella is the only hill that combines Serravalliano and Tortoniano soils. It's a rare combination of soil exalted by the South-West exposure. The synergy between soil and climate in this unique plot is straight-forward, aging potential is combined with an immediate expressiveness.

VINIFICATION AND AGING Fermentation in vertical tanks for 3 weeks with indigenous yeast. Aged for 18 months in large Slavonian oak barrels.

Serraboella is the most famous cru in the Southern Neive.

Ratings

The 2017 Barbaresco Serraboella is a wine of tremendous charm. Pliant, open-knit and racy to the core, the Serraboella is immensely delicious right now. Crushed flowers, cinnamon, sweet red cherry, kirsch and blood orange fill out the layers effortlessly. Readers will have a hard time keeping their hands off the 2017.

- 93 Points, Antonio Galloni (Vinous)

A beam of pure cherry is the defining feature of this vibrant red. Menthol, white pepper and tar notes chime in as this builds to a solid grip on the finish. Well-proportioned and long. Best from 2023 through 2040.

- 93 Points, Bruce Sanderson (Wine Spectator)

Tasting Notes

• Red cherries

• Blood orange

• Dried flowers

• Licorice

• Medium tannins

• Best to pair with Italian foods, red meats

Gemellaia is a barrel selection from Giornata’s finest lots in the winery. Super Tuscan inspired, it melds Sangiovese’s acid and tannin structure with the soft, generous fruit of Merlot from two special vineyards. The Merlot undergoes lengthy extended macerations to refine tannins and then spends 22 months in oak for complete development.

Ratings

Opaque, bright-rimmed ruby. Heady aromas of dark berry and cherry preserves, incense, candied flowers, vanilla and roasted coffee; a spicy nuance adds brightness. Smoky, focused and appealingly sweet, offering intense black/blue fruit, rose pastille and cola flavors that are braced by a spine of tangy acidity. Closes with excellent clarity and length, leaving suave floral pastille and spice-cake notes behind. - 94 points, Vinous

Tasting Notes

• With Gemellaia, Giornata draws from modern Italian wines for inspiration, utilizing the highest percentage (roughly 50%) of new barriques in their lineup.

• Aroma of amaretto, black cherry, licorice, charred bell pepper, earth and light caramel

• Palate is a seamlessly layered collection of black cherry, espresso, and sweet tobacco, hibiscus and violet.

LOCATION: The Graillot residence and cellars are just outside the village of Pont de l’Isère, about 6km south of Tain-l’Hermitage. The Crozes-Hermitage vineyards are close by, on the flat, rocky land between the Isère and Rhône rivers. The best sites are at Les Chassis and Les Sept Chemins.

SOIL: Around Pont de l’Isère, the soil is formed from alluvial deposits of sand, gravel, rocks and stones. Despite being flat, it drains exceedingly well.

VINIFICATION & AGEING: All the grapes are hand-harvested, from severely-pruned, low-yielding vines. The red Crozes-Hermitage grapes are not destemmed, i.e. 100% whole-cluster. They are loaded into lined concrete vats, and temperatures are brought down to 18°C for a 2 to 5 day pre-fermentation maceration. Once vinifications (indigenous yeast) get going, temperatures rise to 30°C, and cuvaison lasts 15 to 21 days. Aged for one year - 80% of them in one to 3 year old oak barrels, the remaining 20% in vat. They are given a light filtration but no fining before bottling.

Ratings

Atypically big, rich and velvety, the 2019 Crozes Hermitage emanates from a vintage whose yields were cut in half by hail. Bottled in March 2021, it delivers rolling waves of ripe black cherries, tinged with understated herbal notes and a long, luxuriously textured finish.

- 92 Points, Wine Advocate, Joe Czerwinski

Tasting Notes

• This is a spectacular wine from famous producer Alain Graillot. Aroma contains notes of grilled meat, olive, pepper and smoke. On the palate, the wine evokes a chewy and luscious texture on raspberry jam

• Clove notes

• Would recommend pairing this with pork, steak and gamey meats

• Works well with truffle oil and basil on pizza

Alain Graillot stumbled upon these vineyards and the Thalvin winery while bicycling in the Zenata region of Morocco between Casablanca and Rabat. It is a beautiful area with cool winds blowing off the Atlantic and no polluting industries. The Thalvin winery has been around since the 1920s and after some discussion, a deal was reached and Thalvin provided Graillot with parcels of Syrah vines to produce Syrocco.

Alain crafts this as a fruit-forward Moroccan red, yet it is made in an Old-World style with moderate extraction, excellent balance, and complex aromatics: plenty of ripe purple black fruits and dried red cherry followed by hints of sandalwood, herbs, and spice. The finish is dry, long, and similar to classic Syrah.

TASTING NOTES

• Ripe black fruits, dried red cherry

• Sandalwood

• Herbs

• Spice

Food Pairing

• Best to pair with Mediterranean food, falafel, greek salad, koshari, tabbouleh, Mujaddara