SPECIAL VIETTI WEDNESDAY SIPS

We love and sell a boatload of Vietti's Asti version of the Tre Vigne, but if you want to stair-step into a loftier status and see why these two Barbera wines aren't the same price then stop by today (7-23) to see why this wine is $9 more. Yes, it's well worth the ticket! As the name for this wine implies, this Barbera comes from 3 vineyard sites in the Alba region, specifically from Castiglione Faletto and Monforte, both superb Barolo villages, and Castiglione Tinella which is renowned for its superb Barbera.

The 2012 is as stylish as ever and there isn't a hair out of place on this refined and lacy number. Sophisticated and floral with plenty of hearty raspberry tones, the sophistication reveals its spirit that come from Luca's precise attention to detail within these fine vineyard sites. Seductive with Italian herbs and spices, smoke and high-toned mineral aromas are seemingly non-stop with this most debonair expression. Classic and forward, one sees that Luca isn't intervening with the fine terroir from which this wine comes from. Drink this beauty over the next 3-5 years with roasted meats, risotto and mushroom-laden dishes, you won't be disappointed.

This is Barolo in all but name! Vietti's Perbacco is a selection of juice and vineyards that show more readiness and drinkability than the Barolo Castiglione with aging 24 months in cask, the required time for Barolo this wine is a supreme value.

2011 is a delicious, sumptuous, classy and forward vintage. Ethereal aromas shine from this sultry siren and are redolent of strawberry, licorice, porcini mushroom and fresh earth all which dominate the nose. Poised, personable and beautifully balanced this is a wine that luxuriates and although the generosity of the 201 vintage has an added cushion of fruit, it's definitely a wine to have with your legs under the table. If you consider yourself a foodie and want to have a wonderful experience for not a lot of money, try with Porcini risotto or pasta con fungi. The wine will also shine with braised tenderloin of beef, carrots and mushrooms. Enjoy now and over the next 4 to 6 years. To quote our great friend Luca Currado, "If you learn to like the Perbacco Nebbiolo, you are then able to appreciate and love the Vietti Barolo even more!"

94 POINTS – THE WINE ADVOCATE
Undoubtedly this is one of the most outstanding price/quality rapport Barolo we work with year in and year out. Vietti's Castiglione Barolo is way, way more than just an entry-level offering. In fact, this could be broken down by vineyard and Luca Currado could legitimately produce numerous different single cru wines from this. As a tribute to the generations before him, Luca takes all of these small lots, ferments them separately and then blends them into one hell of a serious Barolo that is a ridiculous steal for its price level!

"The 2009 Barolo Castiglione delivers a radiant but subdued quality with polished notes of dry mineral, black fruit, tar, licorice, leather and many more levels of complexity. This entry-level Barolo demonstrates that great results are achieved in 2009. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. If forced to inhabit a desert island that only served the wines of a single producer, I would want Luca Currado to be that supplier. He excels at everything he does from his castle perch at the heart of Castiglione Falletto. Serving as Vietti winemaker since the early 90s, his wines remain extraordinary. In fact, they are among the best I tasted from the 2009 vintage. – 94 POINTS – THE WINE ADVOCATE"

Filling very big footsteps gracefully, Luca's father Alfredo Currado is one of the most important men in the entire realm of Italian wine with his visionary practices of labeling his Baroli with their designated vineyard sites. In 1967, Luca's papa, "rediscovered" the ancient Arneis grape). Luca tells this history much better in person, but prior to then, Arneis was made in a sweet and cloying, alcoholic style, but Alfredo bucked the tradition and made wines that were clean, fresh and vibrant and became influential to two generations of both winemakers and wine drinkers.

2013 is a fantastic voyage for one of Italy's most important white wines. Gorgeously aromatic and stunningly balanced with loads of blood orange, lemongrass, starfruit, and mineral on the nose. In the mouth it is dazzling, dry and brisk, but with no shortage of depth and flavor. A fantastic white for simply prepared cracked crab or other seafood dishes, especially seared tuna in an Asian prep or fried calamari.