ELIO ALTARE La Villa Rosso, Langhe DOC The Elio Altare Langhe La Villa comes from the La Morra sub-region. Only 200-250 dozen bottles are produced each year from Nebbiolo and Barbera grapes planted on south-east facing slopes. The vineyard, on clay and tufa stone soils, is farmed organically, but along traditional lines. The grapes are crushed and then macerated on skins for 3-4 days in temperature-controlled rotary fermenters before fermentation using indigenous yeasts. The wine is matured for 18 months in new French oak barriques before bottling unfined and unfiltered. The Elio Altare La Villa shows an intense, ruby-red colour and equally intense aromas of plums and berries, plus rose petals. The palate typically shows fresh red fruits, balanced tannins and attractive acidity boosted by the Barbera component.

Casa Maté is the more masculine of Grassos two regular Barolos, showing darker fruit, more tar and a more robust tannin profile. The fruit comes from a south-facing 3 ha plot within the Ginestra vineyard, 300-350 meters above sea level, on relatively loose-packed, slightly clayey, calcareous soil. Driven by rigorous attention to detail in the vineyard and picking at optimum phenolic maturity, Grassos Vigna Casa Maté is a contemporary expression of traditional Barolo underscored by immaculate winemaking. The wine is fermented in stainless steel and typically spends 30 days on skins followed by 30 months maturation in 2500L Slavonian oak casks.

Elvio Cogno Bricco Pernice Barolo According to winemaker Valter Fissorehusband of Elvio Cognos daughter Nadia, this plot is the heart and soul of the mighty Ravera cru. Exposed due south to the full brunt of afternoon light, Bricco Pernice is also protected from the wind. This dynamic conspires to create a mesoclimate considerably warmer than the rest of the cru. White soils heavy in solid limestone service strapping wines that are ferrous, pungently mineral, brooding and evocative of truffles, macerated cherry, liquorice, leather and iodine. As with Vigna Elena, these are candidates for long ageing, seeing three-years in botti for tone and poise. 'the estate of Elvio Cogno has unequivocally thrust itself into the pantheon of top Barolo makers.'Ned Goodwin MW Shop Elvio Cogno

Nervi is a historic, benchmark Gattinara producer with 28.5ha of highly-prized Nebbiolo vineyards across the appellation, in the northern part of Piedmont. The modern Nervi was founded in 1906 by Luigi Nervi. The Gattinara wine is drawn from across the estate, including declassified material from both Molsino and Valferana. The Nervi family ran the estate until the 1990s, and in 2011 it was purchased by investors who brought in the leading Barolo figure Roberto Conterno as a consultant. "Gattinara represents the purest expression of the northern [Piedmont] zones." Vino Italiano -- David Lynch and Joe Bastianich In May 2018 Conterno purchased the estate. Gattinara was awarded DOC status in 1967, and upgraded to DOCG in 1990. Gravelly clay soils remnants of an ancient collapsed volcano -- are rich in granite and other minerals including iron, zinc, magnesium and manganese. The terroir gives the wines a distinct minerality which sets them apart from the neighbouring appellations. Molsino matures for at least four years in large oak vats.

AZIENDA AGRICOLA SORDO GIOVANNI Riserva Rocche Di Castiglione, Barolo DOCG

TENUTA CISA ASINARI DEI MARCHESI DI GRESY Gaiun Martinenga, Barbaresco

E.PIRA E FIGLI Chiara Boschis Mosconi , Barolo DOCG