17 Hectares of vineyards, plus a small leased parcel ( Rio Sordo estate ) in the Serralunga district of Barolo. Total production averages 5,000 cases annually - Barbera, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, Arneis, Chardonnay, Moscato and Barolo.

Excellent vintages in 1995, 1996 and 1997.

Wine just 2 weeks in bottle. Light straw colour - clear and bright. Fresh aromas - still evolving - probably needs another 2 months to develop. Flavours of ripe pears and melon. Lasting clean finish. Attractive.

Just 1 month in bottle. Dark, purple colour - purple froth on the edges. Aromas quite grapey - ripe. Full bodied - balance of acids and tannins. Flavours mix fruit with almonds - clean, but not much of a lasting finish. Probably needs to be kept another year to develop further.

Medium ruby colour. Deep, full, penetrating aromas of dark berry fruits, with a pleasing floral overtone. Lots of fruit here - raspberry and other red berries. Emphasis is on the fruit, with a clean, sweet berry finish. Drinks easily. ( Stefano Rivetti feels the 1996 vintage is much better, including a much darker colour. )

All fruit from the Il Bricc vineyard in Barbaresco. 100% barrel fermented in new French oak barriques. Vines planted 1n 1981. Rigid selection of grapes. Planning to release this wine in July, 1998. Wanted to demonstrate that this region could produce a World-class Chardonnay. Clean, light green tinged straw colour. Aromas mix toasty oak, butter, a full dose of Chardonnay fruit - quite penetrating on the nostrils. Ripe, clean, mineral stones on the palate, creamy and rich, with the fruit really shining. Nicely balanced, fine acidity over a good structural frame. Finishes clean, with a very long aftertaste. This is very much in a French style. It compares favourably with a good Meursault. I really liked this wine!

We just received a large shipment of single estate and Riserva Barolos covering the 1982, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1993 vintages, so this tasting was consequently focused on some other wines.

Grapes come partly from one of Fontanafredda's own vineyards, and the balance from outside purchase. Aged 3 months in barriques. Light straw in colour. Aromas a mix of citrus and butter. On the palate the wine has a lemony flavour - good acidity, and plenty of Chardonnay fruit. It's a pleasant lunchtime wine.

Vigna La Lepre

This vineyard comprises 2.55 Hectares. Intense dark ruby in colour, with a distinct purple hue - purple red on the rim. The aromas leap from the glass - deep and penetrating black cherry and blackberry fruit. Soft tannins. A typically bitter edge on the fruit - as with most Dolcettos. Finishes well, but not long. A wine for early drinking.

Wine aged 30% in barriques, and the balance in Slavonian oak casks. Mostly purchased grapes. Lighter in colour than the Dolcetto - amber tinged ruby. Beautiful nose - penetrating aromas of spices, floral, smokey oak and toast. Eleganttly styled - good acid and tannins - lots of fruit, some oak. The wine is fresh, dominated by cherry and spice flavours, and a long finish. A lovely wine - most attractive.

Vineyard has 4.5 Hectares of vines. Just 4,850 bottles produced. Slightly darker than the 1994 Barolo - garnet/ruby. Composite of spicey fruit, hazelnut. leathery smells, together with dark cherry and berb aromas. Full bodied wine - seems quite youthful - wonderful nutty, smokey tinged black cherry fruit and some oak. The finish just goers on and on. Very fine!

1 Hectare of Dolcetto, 2 Hectares of Barbera, 1 Hectare of Nebbiolo and 2,000 sq. metres of Grignolino grapes. Harvest just takes 7 days - selecting only the best grapes. Philosophy is that one needs good grapes to make quality wines - all natural fertilizers/ no chemicals. Believes that the natural habitat of birds, animals, etc. benefits healthy grapes. Grapes are soft pressed ; open top fermenters ; natural yeasts. Maceration between 10 and 30 days ( in 1997 the Nebbiolo took 35 days, and will produce a Barolo of 15%-plus alcohol. Cap is pumped over 3 times daily. At completion the wine is transferred to Slavonian oak casks, where it stays until bottled. No filtering. The wines aged quite long - Barbera between 24 and 30 months, Barolo between 42 and 48 months, Dolcetto and Grignolino usually one year minimum, but often 18 months. ( The 1995 Barbera and the 1994 Barolo are still in casks. ) Tastes from casks every week.

Extremely dark - purple - very dense looking. Intoxicating berry fruit, with light oak edges. Elegant on the palate - tremedous amount of fruit. Balanced. Some smokey oak. No bitterness. Ferrucio feels this will last to 2000-2002. This is a pretty wine, several cuts above the norm. This is the best Dolcetto we've tasted to date.

Pianpolvere Soprano is the name of the property - comes from artillery explosions from Napoleonic times. Situated in the Bussia zone. Also from cask, and will be bottled in a month for release in September. Lighter in colour than the Dolcetto - bright ruby. Assemblage of the wine from older vines and newer vines. The older vines are 45-plus years. Sophisticated aromas - deep cherry, spices, some coffee. A well balanced wine of medium body. Wonderful sweet, concentrated blackberry and black cherry flavours. Lasting finish of sweet-edged fruit.

A most difficult year for most growers. Picked in 8 days - finished September 29th, just one day before the rains came. Advantage of being small - short harvest period. Typical garnet ruby colour. Vanillan oak aromas mixed with berry fruit, some herbs, with some spices lingering on the edge. Wonderful fruit - soft tannins - not agressive. Medium bodied - everything in harmony. Great concentration - elegant plums, berry fruit in a long pleasing finish. ( Ferrucio feels this is even better than his 1990 - slightly fewer than 300 cases will be produced. )

Next few wines tasted from bottle.

Vines planted in 1974 - very small production. :ight garnet hued ruby colour. Light, elegant aromas punctuated with red berry fruit. Long on the palate - lasting fruit. There are some tannins, but they are not agressive - good acidity. Finishes well. This wine best expressed with food - a good choice to accompany pate. Cuts through the fatty component in meats and sausage. Good with barbequed dishes.

Bottled in April, 1996. Fine ruby colour. Lots of cherry and red currant fruit in the aromas. Excellent balance on the palate. Wonderful cherry and blackberry flavours. Exceptional depth. Body is medium. Elegant styling. An extremely long finish. Wonderful ! Ferrucio feels this wine can age for 10 to 12 years. Great quality.

Attractive, medium full ruby colour. The aromas are full of herbs, ripe cherry fruit - penetrating. Very concentrated. Tannins. Cherries and red currants and a mixture of cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sweet berry finish - and extremely long. Ferrucio feels this one can last up to 20 years. Incredible for a Barbera, but these are not ordinary Barberas. This is a much better wine than many 1992 and 1993 Barolos.

Fine depth of colour - quite full looking - garnet edged ruby. Powerful aromas - almost takes one's breath away. Violets - capuccino - black cherry and blackberry fruit aromas. On the palate the wine is supple and round. Full bodied - richly flavoured. Tannins suggest the wine is still youthful. Leathery, spicey - coffee - deep plum and cherry fruit flavours. Sweet finish. Another exceptionally long finish. Superb wine!! Should last a very long time. Liked this one very much.

Vigna Vechia

Very old vines - 70 years of age. The wine is just being released now. Only 1343 bottles made, compared with their regular bottling of between 8,000 - 9,000 bottles. Excellent colour - deep, purple red. Powerful and penetrating aromas - almost intoxicating - smokey oak - some herbs - berry fruit. Round and rich on the palate - good acidity - very concentrated blackberry and cherry flavours. Ripe - long finish - sweet edged - a candidate for some long aging.

From the glacial soils in Serralunga. Slightly darker than the Barbera. Wine opened several hours. Warm, typical aromas - quite intense - spices dominate. Tannins quite noticeable - fine depth of flavours - plums, blackberries, with a very long finish. No bitterness at all. Finishes well. Production of 4,170 bottles, 45 Magnums and 5 Double Magnums.

More sandy soils in La Morra. Just opened. Colour is garnet hued ruby. Smokey oak - leather - coffee - aromas of moderate intensity.Approachable style. Smooth and easy. Tannins and acidity in balance - flavours a bit light at this point. Some elegance - cherry fruit - moderate finish. Needed more airing time, but we had to leave. Production just 3,700 bottles, 50 Magnums and 5 Double Magnums.( I was getting over some food poisoning the night before, and wasn't feeling that great. Kind of struggled with the tasting and my notes. )

Production here is about 166,000 cases per annum, with a great deal of that production from purchased grapes. The Chianti Classico and Riserva wines are from estate grapes,

together with the Super-Tuscan bottlings. A recent innovation are the varietal wines from Friuli. About 80% of production is exported and U.S. distribution - a considerable part of their exports - is handled by Beringer.

An estate hillside vineyard wine - production of 1600 cases - barrique aged for 4 - 6 months. Named after the owner's eldest daughter. This wine is pale straw in colour - with lemony oak aromas. On the palate it is an easy wine - full of citrus flavours, and a buttery/lemon finish. Quite an attractive wine.

Attractively packaged in black, deep ruby and gold label. This is a blend of Sangioves and Cannaiolo from purchsed grapes. Medium ruby colour - clean berry fruit aromas - the flavours are pronounced raspberry and red currant - some tannins that should soften over the next year. Lasting berry fruit finish. Just over 40,000 cases made. This is an attractive, easy drinking wine - would be especially fine for everyday drinking or for the restaurant market. Good pricing.

100% varietal - estate grapes - aged 15 months in French oak barriques.

Full deep ruby in colour - appearance of good body. Penetrating, deep spicey oak and currant aromas. Full-bodied, with ripe blackberry and red currant flavours - also some dark plum. Very long on the finish. The tannins are soft and unobtrusive. Lingering berry fruit aftertaste. Production is approx. 1100 cases.

Estate grapes - 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc - in French oak barriques for 2 years - bottled in 1997. Darker than the Merlot - purple tinged ruby - appearance of some body. Cedar/oak/dense black currant aromas. Big, full-bodied style - well balanced - lots of Cabernet fruit - extremely long on the finish. This is a very good wine, but would have to compete with the California premium Cabernets in our market. It would show well against those wines, however. Production was just over 1200 cases.

Castello di Gabbiano's Ania and R & R Super-Tuscan wines are made only in the very best years. The R & R name will be discontinued for the U.S. market, due to a conflicting product name, but could be available here in Canada.

Over lunch with owner, Rino Arcaini, we tasted three other wines :

Just bottled a month ago. Medium dark ruby in colour. Aromas still undeveloped but there is a good dose of berry fruit. Attractive flavours - some tannins - with an attractive finish of cherry fruit.

This was bottled in August/97. Darker - quite dense looking. Outstanding aromas - perfumey - floral and berry fruit. Full, rich flavours of cherry, strawberry, some cappucino mixed in. Very long finish - lots of fruit in the aftertaste. An excellent bottling that should last for a very long time.

Pale gilt staw colour - aromas of spices and toasty oak - clean acidity, with sweet spicey flavours. Medium finish. This is an attractive food wine. Fermentation for 12 days in oak - 8 months on the lees - and 8 months in French oak barriques, 30% of which were new.

Roberto feels that the Bolgheri region shows much promise for the future - strong potential here.

Bright ruby colour. Aromas dominated by berry fruit. On the palate the wine is round, with spicy hints over the cherry/raspberry/strawberry fruit. Good structure - a lingering sweet berry fruit finish. This is a very attractive, easy to drink wine.

From casks tasted:

Medium full ruby colour - clean looking. Warm, mellow aromas of roasted nuts, coffee and spices, mingled with cherry. It is a real whiff - literally jumping from the glass. Soft and round on the palate - tannins - deep oak/dark cherry and blackberry flavours. Deeply concentrated. The tannins soften in the mouth, and the wine finishes well, although not quite as long as the 1995. If made into a Riserva, it would be about 10,000 bottles. We did not taste the 1994 Case Basse from bottle. There are just 8,000 bottles - all resting in the cellars. It will be available for release in February, 1999. We were most impressed with our visit - surprised at the low production levels from this estate. Gianfranco Soldera personally spent considerable time with us, the last part requiring him to drive some 5 hours from Milan to meet us at his estate in Montalcino.

It is supposed to be completed in July, but, from my inspection, it will likely not be ready until this year's harvest. Sean O'Callahan remains as winemaker. The estate comprises 22 Hectares - but only 4 Hectares are under vine. There is also a small olive tee orchard. Yields are kept low to preserve quality. Annual production is between 12,000 and 13,000 bottles of Chianti Classico and 6,000 to 8,000 bottles of Riserva and the Sangiovese " La Gioia ".

90 - 92% Sangiovese and the balance is Cabernet Sauvignon. Purple/ruby in colour.Marked by penetrating aromas of red berry fruit. Easy on the palate, with good structure - lasting raspberry. This is quite a good wine - flavourful and of good quality. It would be attractive for everyday consumption or as a restaurant wine. 1996 Chianti Classico

Badia a Coltibuono

An estate wine - aged 15-16 months in large Slavonian oak casks. In some vintages will be aged as long as 18 months in the casks. Clean purple toned ruby colour. Intense spicy/coffee/raspberry aromas. Round on the palate - sweet raspberry fruit flavours - some tannins - Very good finish. An excellent structjure - well balanced - and the finish is clean, with lingering berry fruit.

Aged for 2 years in cask. A lighter colour than the Chianti Classico, intense ruby. More pungent - leathery/coffee/roasted nuts mixed with cherry fruit in the centre. Smooth, elegant - multi-flavoured over a solid frame. Nuts/cocoa/herbs/cherry flavours. Great texture and finishes strong - great balance. This wine should age extremely well. Liked this one very much.

Production of 32,500 bottles - 100% Sangioveto clone - one year in large casks and one year in oak barriques. Only produced in the best vintages - from 40-year old vines. Medium dark ruby with garnet tones. Perfumey - roasted meats - smokey deep and intense persistent raspberry fruit. Full-bodied - delicious raspberry fruit - powerful and intense. Lasting sweet edged baked berry fruit - quite rich. Needs more time, but it is an impressive wine. All of the wines here were quite impressive. Roberto feels they are best with foods, but not retsricted to Italian dishes. He did a Winemaker's Dinner at a Tex-Mex restaurant in the U.S. and the wines were a wonderful match.

Production of 10,000 bpottles in 1996 ( there will be 10,000 bottles in 1997 ). It's a blend of Sangiovese and Cannaiolo, including what was formerly bottled as Chianti Colli de Senesi. Also includes the younger vines from the Vino Nobile de Montepulciano vineyards. Bottled last September after 9 months in cask, and some in French oak barriques. Good colour - attractive and appealing fruity aromas. Very strong flavours - sweet cherry, with a slightly oaky edge. Lasting finish. Good body and texture.Very attracive. The 1996 is exhausted - the 1997 will not be bottled until September, and Luca feels it should be even better.

This is Luca's Riserva - bottled in mid March/98 - 10,000 bottles. Sangiovese and just a small quantity of Mammalo - no Cannaiolo. Very fine colour - again, extremely dark and full. Fruit laden aromas - cherries/spices/herbs/toasty oak. Excellently structured wine - spicey, coffee flavours mixed with walnuts - a long, rich cherry fruit concentration. Plenty of elegance, even at this early stage of development - and a lasting finish. Luca feels this will age extremely well for the next 7 years to reach a point of maturity. There will be no 1996 - or very little. Colours in 1996 and 1997 are not as deep.