The articulate Gaia Gaja was in town to showcase her 2015 single vineyard Barbaresco releases, as well as the 2014 Barolos. Perhaps Gaja’s greatest achievement as a producer has been…
An amazing tasting of old Piedmont wines
On my last trio to South Africa I took a break from vintage and headed to the Swartland to catch up with buddies Ryan Mostert and Sam Suddons, who make…
A 50 year old Barbaresco
This was a generous birthday gift. You never quite know what you are going to get with an old wine, and 1967 wasn’t a strong vintage in most European wine…
Rediscovering a love for Barolo
Two great recent experiences with Barolo, which I’ve struggled to love a lot in the past. I love the idea of Barolo, but I’ve often found the wines to be…
Massolino Barolo 2010
One of my many themes of 2014 was an attempt to get to grips with Nebbiolo, which I’ve always found one of the trickiest of grape varieties to love, as…
Cascina Degli Ulivi A Demua – a lovely natural white from Piedmont
This natural Piedmont white is really interesting. It’s a blend of several local varieties, fermented on skins for a month using native yeasts in barrel. Then the wine is pressed…
Bochis Francesco Langhe Barbera – remarkable value from Piedmont
So enjoyed this wine. It’s a Piedmont Barbera aged for four months in large botti, from limestone soils at 420-460 m. Bochis Francesco Langhe Barbera Dogliano 2012 Piedmont, Italy 13%…
Learning to love Nebbiolo: Villa Giada Treponti Nebbiolo 2007 Monferrato
It has been a while since I reported on my quest to try to fall for Nebbiolo, and I have quite a few wines to tell you about. The first…
Learning to love Nebbiolo: Langhe Nebb from Vajra and Massolino
So I’ve been trying quite a few Nebbiolos of late, in a quest to learn to love it more. This has meant tasting a fair few young Barolos, and struggling…