ITALY | NEW RELEASES FROM PIEDMONT & TUSCANY

One of our drinking wines of the year hits the market: 2021 Le Volte dell'Ornellaia. It comes with an enthusiastic Goedhuis 'stamp of approval' after last week's team tasting and, if it isn't already, we are confident it will fast become your go-to House Red. This younger sibling of Super Tuscan royalty has become a superstar in its own right and is one of the top value Italian buys of the 2021 vintage, coming in at less than £24/btl all in.

For the Super Tuscans, 2020 is a triumphant vintage. There is a focus on bright fruit, elegance and charm in 2020, with the wines showing excellent acidity levels. As Decanter puts it, 2020 is “all about balance and freshness rather than power”.

After the sell-out Sassicaia 2020 offer earlier this year, we are delighted to release of Ornellaia 2020 at the start of April along with their delicious earlier drinking 2021 Le Volte: this is always a winner and should feature in everyone’s cellar!

We have also seen the release, albeit in allocated quantities, of Tignanello and Guado al Tasso from the Antinori stable. These will be complemented by numerous releases from some of our other favourite estates including Grattamacco, Fattoria Le Pupille’s Saffredi, Mazzei’s Siepi and many more. In addition to this and with an eye on the summer months, we are delighted to offer some of the regions most famous whites coming to the market: Antinori's Cervaro della Sala and Bramito and Ornellaia’s Poggio alle Gazze.

The cooler nature of 2018 sees a welcome return to a more classical style of Brunello after the heat of 2017. However, plenty of hard work, mostly in the vineyard, was required in order to be successful. In his recent report (December 2022) Vinous’ Eric Guido proclaims 2018 to be: “a producer’s vintage, where diligence in the vineyard and severe selection paid off”.

We are delighted to offer a small parcel of Conti Costanti's superb new releases, the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino and the 2019 Ardingo Merlot. Regarded as one of Montalcino’s finest estates, this highly respected winery has been in the hands of the Costanti family since the 16th century. It is located just outside the town walls with the renowned Biondi Santi estate one of its closest neighbours. Soil, exposure and elevation play a vital role here in determining the style and longevity of the Brunellos produced. At an altitude of 440 metres, the 12-hectare Conti Costanti estate sits at the limit of what the Sangiovese grape can physically achieve. The Costanti signature is one of elegance, femininity and intensity, a combination of the power of Montalcino with the freshness and firmness that comes from vineyards situated at this higher altitude.

The resurgent Salicutti, Montalcino’s first 100% certified organic winery, has nailed it again with the release of three outstanding Brunellos. Dubbed the"Holy Grail of Sangiovese purity"by Wine Advocate’s Monica Larner, over the last 7 years Salicutti has benefitted from heavy investment in the winery’s infrastructure by German restaurateur owners Felix and Sabine Eichbauer. With the state-of-the-art winery now complete, it hasn’t gone unnoticed by the critics that the quality of the Brunellos produced here has scaled new heights over the last few vintages.

Francesco Ripaccioli, the talented young winemaker of Canalicchio di Sopra, has crafted one of the most profound Brunellos of the new 2018 vintage. Vinous’ Brunello specialist Eric Guidohas awarded their 2018 Brunello94 points,praising the new release as“a total charmer with a beautiful balance”, and we totally agree.  Also not to be missed, is Canalicchio di Sopra’s sensational early drinking Rosso di Montalcino 2021. At just £95.00 per 6 bottle case IB it is unbeatable as an early drinking ‘mini Brunello’ and provides a wonderful insight of what is to come when 2021.

“Barolo bounces back with a stellar vintage in 2019 that could very well represent the beginning of a new cycle of strong, outstanding years for this historic appellation. The 2019s are potent, tightly wound wines that will thrill readers who appreciate the nuance, subtlety, and structure of Nebbiolo” Antonio Galloni

Year on year, these remain some of the most compelling releases at affordable prices. In a recent conversation with Gianluca Grasso, he told us how excited he was by his 2019s. For him, "it is one of the best vintages of the last decade". If that wasn't praise enough, Antonio Galloni exclaims that “[Grasso's] 2019s are gorgeous, vivid Barolos that capture the best the year had to offer”. Marking a return to a classic style, these are wines with soaring aromatics, purity of fruit, structure and elegance. Like us, Kerin O’Keefe believes they “won’t need years to come around but at the same time… also show great longevity”. 

2019 and 2020 gives us two brilliant back-to-back Barbaresco vintages. From the slightly cooler, more classic 2019 to the warmer, more generous 2020, there are some real gems to be found.

Produttori del Barbaresco is a name that Goedhuis customers love. It has established a loyal following over the past few years and we are delighted to offer you their latest releases from three unmissable Piedmont vintages. Antonio Galloni recently wrote that “Barbaresco remains a terrific hunting ground for wines of place that remain very reasonably priced." Produttori’s ability to offer the highest quality wines at astoundingly good prices is unrivalled. Tasting again with winemaker Aldo Vacca, we were so impressed by the complexity, precision and depth shown in these beautiful new releases which are a worthy addition to any cellar.