A delightful wine, as well as something of a rarity, this Loire Malbec has an intense nose of fresh ripe plums & blackcurrants. The palate is medium-bodied & juicy, with some spicy notes & a refreshing finish. ...

Strawberry-fruited & creamy-textured, this is a joyously ripe, juicy Pinot with a good deal of cool-climate finesse. ...

This limoncello liqueur is produced with the high quality lemons from the coast of Sorrento & Amalfi I.G.P. following the best & most ancient traditions of the region. A skilful method of infusion of the lemon peels, purposely selected by the distillers, confers to the product a perfect balance of taste & aroma without altering the natural characteristics. To exalt the qualities of the product, whose taste is fresh & firm, it is best to savour it cold, with ice or seltz. The limoncello is a highly versatile drink suitable for all occasions, & an excellent digestive at the end of a meal. ...

Ruby red colour with intense perfumes of blackberries & red fruits on the nose. On the palate, it is powerful & full-bodied, with a silky texture lifted by good acidity & supple tannins. Perfumes of chocolate & damsons linger to the finish with a touch of spice from the nicely tempered oak. Vajras vineyards are more than 50 years old & are located in the commune of Barolo, in Vergne. The soil is rich in calcareous marl, with rocky outcrops, giving elegant, fragrant & particularly longlived wines. Grapes were hand harvested in the last week of September. Fermentation & maceration took place in stainless steel & lasted 2 weeks. Pumping over occurred regularly. Temperatures were not controlled, but did not exceed 30°C. The wine remained 8 months in tank & casks: 20% in new barriques (225 l), 40% in used barriques & oak casks (2500-3500 l) & 40% in stainless steel. ...

Good depth of ruby red colour with an intense perfume of damsons & chocolate. On the palate it has great concentration & intensity, especially on the mid-palate, with smoky, plummy fruit & lovely balance between supple tannins & youthful acidity. The grapes for this wine come from two exceptional vineyards
- Bricco delle Viole in the commune of Barolo & Bric Bertone in the commune of Sinio. Bricco delle Viole vineyard is south & southeast facing, planted between 1971 & 1999 at an altitude of 380-470 metres above sea level. The vines are planted at a density of 4200-4700 plants per hectare. Bric Bertone is planted at 340-390m above sea level with a southern exposure. The planting density is 4600 plants per hectare & the vineyard was planted in 2000. The vines are trained in mixed Guyot system. The soil is rich in calcareous marl, with rocky outcrops, giving elegant, fragrant & particularly long-lived wines. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts took place in stainless steel tanks for 20 days. Temperatures were not controlled, but did not exceed 32°C with regular traditional punch downs. Malolactic fermentation followed for the first year in Slovenian oak barrels. The wine remained in oak for a total of 20-24 months before bottling. 93 points, Issue 192, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. Limited stock.
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Clear ruby-garnet in the characteristic Nebbiolo style, with perfumes of orange peel, violets, dark cherry & berry characters. On the palate it is intense & structured, with the classic Nebbiolo tannins & acidity rounded & smoothed out by the lovely ripe, velvety, liquorice & dark berry fruit from this high altitude vineyard. ...

Limited stock. Le Albe is made from fruit from younger vines & therefore is slightly lighter in style than Aldo Vajras Bricco delle Viole Barolo. Ruby/garnet in colour, with a lovely forward perfume of autumn fruit, plums & prunes with a touch of pine & a floral note. On the palate, it has great intensity, with evolved fruit characters, powerful tannins & a long, smoky finish. The grapes for this wine are grown in three different vineyards: Fossati which faces southeast & is planted between 1969
- 2004; Coste di Vergne which faces southwest, planted in 1995 & the 180° east-west vineyard of La Volta, planted between 1998
- 2000. The vineyards are located at 400-440m above sea level. Sustainable viticulture is used on all the vineyards & there is no irrigation. Training is by mixed guyot & a green harvest usually takes place according to vigour & the climate during the growing season. Fermentation (with indigenous yeasts) & maceration lasted 20 days, at temperatures not exceeding 32°C with traditional punch downs. Malolactic fermentation followed for the first year in 25-50 Hl Slovenian oak casks. The wine remained in oak for a total of 42 months before bottling. Top 10 Recommendation Decanter, 01 Jun 10
- Attractive nose with layers of red cherry & plum fruit. Complex on the nose with nice scented characters wrapped with fine tannins & a fresh finish.


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Limited stock. Deep ruby with a touch of garnet on the rim. This is classic Vajra, with lovely perfumes of dried rose petals, orange peel & violets. On the palate, there is plenty of fine grained, ripe, tannin in the characteristic Nebbiolo style, & lots of elegant, dark cherry fruit with savoury notes adding more depth. Long & perfumed on the finish. The ' Bricco delle Viole' vineyard is located in the commune of Barolo. The average yield is 45 hectolitres per hectare. One part of the vineyard is planted with vines which are now over 50 years old & yield less than 30 hectolitres per hectare. Its high altitude & long ripening season gives it an aromatic complexity & richness lacking in lower vineyards. ...

Brilliant ruby red with notes of cherries, brandied cherries, dark berries, violets & dried roses which recall nuances of citrus fruits & mint. On the palate noble & silky tannins. Very balanced with a long finish of fresh, delicate spices. Limited stock, 2012 vintage coming soon. ...

Dark red in colour with touches of violet. Intensely perfumed on the nose with ripe red berry & cherry fruit character & floral notes. On the palate it displays similar berry & cherry fruit character with excellent balance & a supple tannin structure. It is delicate & elegant with a long, complex finish. Vajra's ' Coste e Fossati' Dolcetto, is one of the stars of the range, & is produced with grapes from his two best Dolcetto vineyards. He proves that with good vineyard husbandry, a Dolcetto of intensity & balance can be produced without the need felt by many of his peers, to bolster the wine with Cabernet or Syrah. Soils in these vineyards are limestone & marl. The Coste di Vergne is 1.9 hectares at an altitude of 420-480 metres above sea level & has a western exposure. It was planted in 1982 & 1995 with a plant density of 4, 400 vines per hectare. The Fossati vineyard is 1.6 hectares at an altitude of 430-490m with an easterly exposure. It was planted in 1981 & has a plant density of 4, 400 plants per hectare. Harvest is done by hand before the third week in September. Limited stock, 2014 vintage coming soon. ...