New arrivals from the Monforte Maestro!
4/18/2025
Buongiorno ragazzi! I'm going to keep this somewhat brief today, last week I was able to meet Elio Sandri at his stall during the Vinitaly wine fair in Verona, which I highly recommend any wine lover to attend if the opportunity ever presents itself. To paint a picture for you, one colleague of a winemaker called the fair "The Disneyland of wine." The tasting was bit hectic as swarms of wine enthusiasts approached to sample, but Elio graciously poured us the newly bottled '19 Barolos along with '23 regional wines. A tale of two vintages for sure, 2019 being super classic and 2023 being a bit more difficult due to the early rains that were followed by a heatwave. The 2023 wines were a bit vertical, maintaining their fruit notes throughout the palate with an underlying tautness. Sandri's signature style was on full display, and not a single slouch in the entire lineup. Everything had that classic Monforte style, with incredibly elegant but bold soil expression and a significant amount of tannins, even in the usually plump Barbera. Alas, the wines I tasted in Vinitaly are not available yet, but something to look forward to in the future! After spending a week in northern Italy, I was a little upset that I didn't bring much wine back with me. My concerns quickly dissipated upon laying eyes on a fresh drop of Sandri wines waiting for me at the shop—how easily my mood is lifted! Today's email consists of just a few wines, the Barbera Superiore and Sandri's incredibly fragrant Langhe Nebbiolo, from the highly praised 2021 vintage. Also we still have magnums of the 2020 Barbera on sale! 20% off through the weekend! (sale is for the magnum only)
-Ranggy Tapia
