NEW from PIEDMONT 95 pts!
A new generation of winemakers take center stage!

2005 CANTINA del PINO Barbaresco & 2005 RENATO RATTI Barolo
VINTAGES is excited to present these long-awaited releases from two of our favorite Piedmont producers: Pietro Ratti of RENATO RATTI and Renato Vacca of CANTINA del PINO. Renato and Pietro are not only superb winemakers coming into their own, but our very dear friends. We are very excited for their incredible success and thrilled to share their wines with our customers!

CANTINA del PINO, Barbaresco
Renato Vacca is an understated, handsome guy, yet intense and focused. We have supported his wines since his start in 1997 and have been thrilled to see his meteoric rise to Barbaresco stardom! “This year, Vacca has a new Barbaresco from the Albesani vineyard – and it is a knockout. Despite all of his recent success Vacca remains humble and down to earth, qualities that should serve him very well for the future. Readers should do whatever they can to taste these wines, the Barbarescos in particular.” — Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate. We say: Fantastico!

2005 CANTINA del PINO Barbaresco “Albesani” $65 95 pts. VINTAGES Exclusive; “Tre Bicchieri” — Gambero Rosso
“The sublime, gorgeous 2005 Barbaresco Albesani is laced with the essence of dark cherries, flowers, spices, minerals on a rich, textured frame. This large-scaled, superb Barbaresco will require patience, but is a classic in the making. With time in the glass, the wine’s inner perfume emerges more fully in a dazzling, totally polished style. Cantina del Pino’s Barbaresco Albesani is a new bottling from a parcel in the hillside of the same name in Neive that also contains Santo Stefano, one of the most storied vineyards in the world. The microclimate here is quite warm, which contributes to the wine’s richness and body. Readers will not want to miss this superb effort, which is easily one of the finest 2005 Barbarescos. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. 95 pts.”–WA

2005 CANTINA del PINO Barbaresco “Ovello” $65 95 pts. Awarded “5 Grappoli” by Italian Sommeliers Assoc. SOLD OUT!
Renato’s “Ovello” cru Barbaresco is always a marvel of purity, balance, intense aromas, and precise flavors. He has tremendous fruit to work with and skillfully guides it into barrel and bottle. “The 2005 Barbaresco Ovello is another magnificent Barbaresco from Renato Vacca. The Ovello is decidedly more powerful and taut in its expression of red cherries, flowers, minerals, and menthol although it is just as compelling as the Albesani. The wine offers exceptional length and a long, powerful finish. The wine continues to improve in the glass, but it remains a decidedly energetic, youthful Barbaresco in need of significant cellaring. In a word: majestic. Ovello sees greater temperature fluctuations from day to night than Albesani. The microclimate, along with the poorer, white soils give the Ovello its signature focus and drive. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. 95 pts.”–WA

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