‘04 La Viarte Pinot Bianco—very pale color, faintly woody aromas, and a light, finely wrought palate. Decent intensity with mineral notes and citrus tang. Shortish on the finish, but not bad, and in all, a well done pinot bianco. $21
‘04 Dessilani Dolcetto d’Alba—fresh, small, dark berry and a bit of stemminess on the nose. The flavor profile is pretty lean, kinda tannic, but has a bit of sweet currant in there. Decent body, but it lacks dimension. Not a very good QPR at $16.50
‘03 Bruno Porro Barbera—darkly colored, with big aromas of red flowers, alcohol, and sweet cherry. Freshly fruited, vigorous, and earthy showing good length on the finish. A solid execution, but not convincing. $17.35
‘01 Dessilani Spanna Riserva—medium garnet color, and interesting smells: raisin, undefined flowers, black currants, and alcohol. Palate is forward and ripe, with some complexity and an herbal/green earthiness. Tapers towards the finish, with purple flowers reemerging. Seems a bit disconnected. $20.85
‘00 Dessilani Caramino Riserva—very dark, and very aromatic, with herbed berry, black pepper, tar and alcohol. In the mouth it’s stern and leathery, but delivers lots of detail and savory complexity. A real lipsmacker, too, with firming acidity. Long on the finish, this tastes like a real thoroughbred, and is loaded with originality. Very good, and would be killer at $ 30, but alas, it’s $41.75.