Wine & Spirits - Fall 2022 - 100

TOP 100 WINES
holds a cornucopia of complex flavor, from
raisins, cinnamon, cloves and earth to black
tea, dried mushrooms and the sorts of roots
and herbs you might find in a Chinese medicine
store. It's smooth, with no edges at
all, and yet it's not heavy, either: The tiniest
tastes expand to fill the head, weightless,
even as it leaves the tongue feeling clean. It's
a marvel, to savor by the teaspoonful rather
than glass. -T.Q.T. § Monsieur Touton Selection,
NY
ITALY SPARKLING
BEST PROSECCO
93 | Adami
BEST aGl I aNICO
94 | Elena Fucci
black licorice, hoisin and a brilliant streak of
salinity. -S.J. § Vintus, NY
$87
2019 Aglianico del Vulture Titolo by
Amphora Aglianico ^ Fucci selects fruit from
the Titolo vineyard's oldest vines (around 70
years of age) and ferments the berries whole
in an untreated 700-liter terracotta amphora.
The result is a vibrant, thyme-scented aglianico,
its pure flavors of sour cherry and
crunchy black plum chased through by lively
acidity as the wine gains notes of loamy earth
and graphite. -S.J. § Enotec, Denver, CO
BEST BaRBaRESCOS
$23
2020 Valdobbiadene Asciutto Vigneto
Giardino Rive di Colbertaldo ^ The Adami
family purchased this vineyard in 1920 and
some of the vines have now reached 100 years
of age. Asciutto is an old local term meaning
" dry, " in the sparkling-wine sense, and the
wine carries up to 20 grams of residual sugar
per liter, sweetness that amplifies flavors of
lemon curd, mango, white peach and golden
apple. Lemony acidity balances the fruit, and
a cool streak of salinity brightens the finish.
-S.J. § Dalla Terra, Napa, CA
ITALY RED
BEST aMaRONE
96 | Produttori del
Barbaresco
$86
2017 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà ^ Frost and
hail in the spring of 2017 was followed by a
long drought in the summer, reducing yields
by about 20 percent. The remaining grapes
were small in size with a high skin-to-juice
ratio that gave dark and concentrated wines
like this one from Barbaresco's Rabajà cru.
Its cherry and raspberry flavors are juicy and
ripe, enlivened by notes of orange peel and
anise. Powerful, tarry tannins frame the fruit,
softening with exposure to air as the wine
gains notes of balsamic herbs on the way to
a long and elegant finish. -S.J. § Vias, NY
96 | Sottimano
$126
2016 Barbaresco Currá The 2016 Currá
shows the firm, polished tannins typical of
this Neive cru. The wine's black-cherry and
plum flavors begin to unfurl with air, revealing
layers of savory herbs and dusky spices.
It's a bold and nervy wine that should stay in
the cellar a few more years while those grippy
tannins relax. -S.J. § Skurnik Wines, NY
BEST BaROlOS
98 | Sandrone
94 | Allegrini
$93
2017 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Allegrini's 2017 Amarone offers a spectrum
of flavors, from rich cherry and plum to dark
chocolate, licorice and grilled game. Powerful
tannins grip the flavors, balanced by a
rich, glossy texture. It's a warm and wintery
wine, with notes of black spice lingering on
the finish. -S.J. § LUX Wines, Modesto, CA
$600
2016 Barolo Vite Talin ^ The grapes that
produce this wine were grafted from a single
vine that caught Luciano Sandrone's attention
in 1987; it was eventually proven to be
a low-yielding clone of nebbiolo. He says
it is almost like an extreme version of the
Michet clone, with smaller berries and looser
bunches that are less prone to mildew. This
is the third release of Vite Talin, and while
it shows the dense concentration characteristic
of this wine, it also captures the freshness
of the 2016 vintage in its delicate lavender
scents and exhilarating acidity. Tightly
wound flavors of black plum and dark cherry
brim with umami savor, unfolding after a few
hours in the glass to reveal notes of salted
10 0
WINE & SPIR IT S
F all 202 2
97 | Massolino
$114
2017 Barolo Parafada A late-April frost
in 2017 was followed by drought conditions
from June until harvest, cutting yields
at Massolino and, in the case of Parafada,
reducing production from the usual 7,000
bottles to less than 5,000. Grab some of those
bottles if you can. The 2017 Parafada is one of
the wines of the vintage, its red-cherry flavors
perfectly ripe, the acidity fresh and taut, the
tannins firm and polished. There's no trace
of dried or overripe fruit here, the 55-yearold
vines reaching into Parafada's limestone
soils to find water reserves from the abundant
snows of the previous winter. Since
the 2016 vintage, Franco Massolino has fermented
his Barolos in large Garbellotto casks
rather than in cement, allowing for longer
and slower fermentations at lower temperatures
to retain the delicate aromas of bright
cherry and fresh florals that are expressed
so beautifully in this wine. This is well worth
seeking out, even more so because Massolino
will not produce any of his single-cru Barolos
in the 2018 vintage, choosing instead to
blend all of that fruit into his Barolo classico.
-S.J. § Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL
97 | Elvio Cogno
$195
2016 Barolo Riserva Ravera Vigna Elena ^
Exuberant scents of rose petals and freshly
picked cherries signal a wine that is beautifully
fresh and floral, bursting with flavors
of red cherry and raspberry, laced with
notes of orange peel, licorice and tobacco
leaf. Already expressive and deliciously delicate,
the wine gains notes of tar and dried
mushroom as it sits in the glass, suggesting
it will become even more intriguing after a
few years in the cellar. -S.J. § Wilson Daniels,
Napa, CA
https://www.massolino.it/en/ https://website.allegrini.it/
Wine & Spirits - Fall 2022

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