Very fragrant and bright with stem, plum and raspberry aromas and flavors. Medium body, firm and racy tannins and a vivid finish. Chewy and polished. Shows focus and precision at the finish. Lovely balance. Best in a long time.

Ripe raspberries and cherries with flowers on the nose. Medium-bodied with firm and chewy tannins that are fine-textured with a long and focused finish. Needs three or four years to come together. Pretty.

The 2020 Barbaresco Vigneto Gallina is terrific. Brilliant and focused, with mid-weight depth, the 2020 impresses with its poise more than anything else. All the elements are so well balanced. Dried flowers, spice, herbs, mint and licorice open with a bit of coaxing. As is often the case, the Gallina is quite understated in feel.

The La Spinetta 2020 Barbaresco Gallina Vürsù (with the green label and heavy bottle) has a slightly sweet side that is reinforced by the warm sunshine of the summer season but also from the oak aging. It goes into barrique for 22 months. There is ripe cherry and cassis along with spice and cured tobacco. The wine is open-knit and quite accessible in terms of mouthfeel. This Barbaresco is pretty much ready to drink straight out of the gate.

From one of the historic crus of the municipality of Neive, a Barbaresco of structure and finesse. Blueberries on the nose, with balsamic touches of eucalyptus and licorice. Savory-salty tannins on the palate, nice persistence with balsamic return.

A tight and structured young Barbaresco with red fruits, crushed stone, ash and slate in the nose and palate. Medium-to full-bodied. Polished and chewy with a solid finish at the end. Needs three or four years to soften but very well done.

The 2019 Barbaresco Gallina Vürsù is a beautiful wine with delicate aromas of forest fruit, cassis, spice, earthy truffle and grilled herb. This tight, lean-bodied wine (in a heavy glass bottle) has firm tannins and a very long, elegant finish.

The 2019 Barbaresco Vigneto Gallina is an elegant, nuanced wine. Crushed flowers, mint, sweet red cherry, kirsch, sweet French oak and incense all grace this silky, understated Barbaresco. Gallina is often quite forthcoming, but the 2019 is more classically austere in bearing. I suspect it will age well, but there is less immediate charm than in most years.

Aromatic, this red features raspberry, cherry, floral, iron, tar and tobacco aromas and flavors. A dense matrix of tannins lends support and this cruises to a lingering aftertaste. Shows fine harmony and potential. Best from 2026 through 2045. 500 cases made, 45 cases imported.

From the south-facing slope in Nieve, the 2018 Barbaresco Gallina Versu was aged for 20-22 months in French oak, of which 20% was new and the remainder second-use. This wine has an incredible lifted perfume of crushed roses, candied raspberry, cedar, and menthol. Polished, with pure and confected cherry fruit on the palate, its tannins take a long time to emerge and show the wines structure, which is warming with baking spice. Drink 2024-2042.

With fruit from Neive, the La Spinetta 2018 Barbaresco Gallina Vürsù is packaged in a heavy glass bottle. The wine is extremely polished and tight, especially at this young stage, with a pretty assembly of wild berry, grilled herb, blue flower and crushed stone. What's terrific here is that no element is out of place. These different characteristics all work together to create lasting balance, and I'm sure that this sensation will only become more evident as the wine takes on more bottle age.

This fruit-forward Barbaresco offers flavors of juicy dark cherry and raspberry woven with notes of cedar and anise. The fruit tones turn darker with air, taking on shades of cola and cherry pit as the fruit fights through the angular tannins. Decant before serving to give all of the elements time to knit together.

A beautiful, focused red with intensity and brilliance, showing cherry, watermelon, truffle and mushroom aromas and flavors. It’s full-bodied, yet tight and refined. Long finish. Try after 2023.

La Spinetta's 2017 Barbaresco Gallina Vürsù draws its fruit from a site in Neive with old vines. Intensity and richness are two qualities often associated with the wine made at this historic estate. A rotofermenter is used during winemaking to increase color concentration and richness, although its use is carefully measured and calculated says Giorgio Rivetti. The house style embraces barrique aging, and you get some soft spice and spent ember as a result. The 2017 vintage is distinguished by extra tightness, and you sense that in this wine.

Wow. This is at once a pronounced and vibrant nose, revealing wild strawberries, peaches, freshly picked raspberries, cinnamon, rose petals and stems. I love the steely tannins on the palate, which carve out an iron fist of fruit, but also a generous and velvety texture. Long and intense on the finish. Drink in 2024.

Supremely elegant and light on its feet, La Spinetta Barbaresco Gallina is simply fabulous. Freshly cut flowers, mint, spice and a touch of French oak add nuance to a core of sweet red/purplish berry fruit. Wonderfully supple and ract, the Gallina captures every bit of the potential 2016 had to offer. This is such a gorgeous wine. I can't remenber tasting a Gallina here with this much diversity.

A mix of black currant and cherry fruit runs through this linear red, with notes of juniper, eucalyptus and pine. Firmly structured, with a long aftertaste of tobacco and earth. Best from 2023 through 2042.

The 2016 Barbaresco Gallina Vürsù is a streamlined wine that brings less to the table in terms of richness but more in terms of intensity and structure. The tannins here are well integrated, and there are some light notes of spice and tobacco, but this beautiful Nebbiolo still has a way to go. This vintage should look forward to aging gracefully. The wine ages in oak for 22 months. Production is ample with 10,500 bottles made.

The 2015 Barbaresco Vigneto Gallina is absolutely gorgeous. Vivid and nuanced on the palate, the 2015 is fresh, juicy and flat-out delicious. The Gallina is often a shy wine that needs time in bottle to truly blossom, but the 2015 seems to have skipped that initial phase of reticence. In two separate tastings, the 2015 has been incredibly sensual and polished. Historically, the Gallina has the most consistent track record in aging of the three top Barbarescos in the range. It will be interesting to see if that is the case here as well. For now, the 2015 Gallina is one of the finest wines I have ever tasted from La Spinetta.

This is a big and juicy Barbaresco with soft and velvety tannins and a full body. Lots of dried flowers and fruit at the finish. Needs four or five years of bottle age. Try in 2022.

This aromatic red displays floral, berry, juniper and graphite notes, underlined by severe tannins that tip the balance toward the dry side. Shows purity, but needs time for the tannins to resolve. Best from 2023 through 2040, 79 cases imported.

Ripeness, or over-ripeness to be more specific, is a problem across the board with the Barbaresco wines from this vintage. The team at La Spinetta has expertly faced the problem. The 2015 Barbaresco Gallina Vürsù does indeed show a dark, more exuberant quality of fruit, but the wine never loses sight of its inner elegance and grace. Instead, the fruit's maturity and sweetness is played out in terms of the thick layering and density that is very apparent to the palate.

This is a beautiful wine and one that I preferred (ever so slightly) over the Barbaresco Starderi Vürsù of the same vintage. The 2014 Barbaresco Gallina Vürsù is especially elegant and fine, rendering the idea that its future evolution has a long way to go. That profound elegance continues to the palate where the wine wraps softly over the senses. That fine, but equally powerful nature of the wine's textural richness is what stands out most here. The mouthfeel is just fantastic.

La Spinetta's 2014 Barbaresco Vigneto Gallina is super-polished and refined. Sweet floral notes meld crystalline bright red stone fruit in a mid-weight, nuanced Barbaresco long on polish and class. Rose petal, bright red stone fruit, French oak and mint overtones develop nicely in the glass. The 2014 finishes with terrific energy and a sense of classic Nebbiolo austerity that is one of the signatures of the vintage. Historically, Gallina is the least impressive of the Spinetta Barbarescos, and yet it has proven to have the most consistent track record of aging.

Macerated cherry, plum and spice aromas and flavors are allied to eucalyptus, menthol, saline and mineral elements. Taut and tannic, with a lingering, vibrant finish echoing the fruit and underbrush notes. Best from 2022 through 2033.

Sweet plums and hints of flowers on the nose. Smoked meat, too. Medium body, pretty silky tannins and a flavorful finish. Drink or hold.

The 2013 Barbaresco Vigneto Gallina is a great introduction to the vintage at La Spinetta. Gallina tends to give open, soft Barbarescos that drink well young. Not here. The 2013 is unusually bright, tense and focused for this wine, with darker fruit and more tightly wound personality than I am used to seeing. Dark red cherry, mint, wild flowers and spices come together, but the 2013 is going to need time to fully come together. Even today, though, it is striking. There is a spherical breadth to the 2013 that is impossible to miss.

Aromas of orange peel, fresh tobacco leaf and dark berry follow through to a full body, round and velvety tannins and a nutty finish. Lots of cedar too. Gorgeous. Drink or hold.

The 2013 Barbaresco Gallina Vürsù offers a tight brickwork of aromas with toned muscle and solid build at the back. The bouquet shows profound tones of dark fruit, spice, leather, tobacco, crushed stone and tar. La Spinetta's signature style, with more pronounced aromas, is very much on display in this wine.

Aromatic, with rose, cherry and black currant notes matched to an elegant frame. Though firm and linear, the finish is long and detailed. Decant now for several hours or age for two to three years. Best from 2018 through 2030.

Underbrush, dried rose, aromatic herb and a balsamic note of menthol slowly take shape. The full-bodied palate offers French oak, licorice, espresso, raspberry jam and mint alongside aggressive, somewhat grainy, tannins that leave a bracing finish. Drink 2019–2028.

Crazy aromas of Indian spices and fresh herbs with an undertone of ripe plums. Full body, round tannins and rich, delicious palate. Shows so much beauty and lengh. Needs two to three years to soften, but already decadent and seductive.

The 2012 Barbaresco Gallina Vürsù is a gorgeous expression that marches to the beat of its own drum (as do all of Giorgio Rivetti's fascinating wines). The wine delivers intensity, density and freshness in equal measure throughout its balanced presentation. The perfumed bouquet offers dark fruit and dried cherry with subtle touches of cinnamon and dark cola in a background role.

Powerful and rich, featuring black cherry and plum fruit allied to dense tannins. Vibrant, with a long, energetic finish. Best from 2018 through 2028. 950 cases made.

Received the rating of 3 Glasses for extraordinary wines

The 2011 Barbaresco Gallina is fabulous. It has many of the same tonalities of fruit and overall personality as the 2010, but with more richness, volume and depth, all signatures of the vintage. Sweet red berries, rose petals, flowers of all kinds, mint and sweet spices are all woven togehter in a wine of notable class. Elegant and finessed all the way, the 2011 Gallina is impressive from the very first taste. The long silky finish is laced with exotic floral and spice nuances, all of which add intrigue.

Lots of ripe red fruit, dried flowers and some fresh roses. Full body with ripe fruit and peach undertone. Fine tannins and a long finish. Very polished and delicious. Better in 2016.

The La Spinetta 2011 Barbaresco Gallina Vursu is a gorgeous expression that embrances the fullest, most generous and abundant side of the Nebbiolo grape. This warm vintage Barbaresco pushes all of the right buttons. The wine excels in terms of texture and intensity. Candied cherry and blackberry syrup emerge from the nose with dark spice, leather and moist chewing tobacco. The wine is polished and fine in terms of texture and elegant tertiary notes are already showing beautififully. This is a standout Barbaresco.

This is succulent, featuring frank, earthy, minerally elements that buoy the cherry and strawberry flavors. Combines elegance and tensile strengh, with black tea and iron accents gracing the finish. Best from 2017 through 2025. 950 cases made.

A Barbaresco that shows unique dried-fruit and warm-stone aromas, like a warm summer afternoon in the vineyards. Full body with velvety tannins and fresh acidity. It's long and intense. Lots going on here. Powerful. One of the best Gallinas ever form here. Better in 2018, but wonderful to taste now.

The 2010 Barbaresco Vigneto Gallina comes from the low-yield producing old wines in Nieve. The wine is immensely pleasurable and bright with beautiful aromatics intensity that shines bright from the glass. Only 900 cases are produced. This vineyard expression offers notable freshness and brightness that make it suitable for long cellar aging. This is a truly magnificient wine. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2028. Giorgio Rivetti has unveiled a stuning line of new wines, and a few surprises as well, from his impeccable winery and tasting room at the foot of the Grinzale Cavour castle. The line of Riserva Barbarescos and Riserva Barolo willonly be bottled in magnums in the best vintages. The year 2004 is the inaugural vintage of these special releases. Giorgio purchased a beautiful estate in the Grinzane Cavour estate for making Barolo. His vineyard graces a dome-shaped hill and is planted with 55- to 60- year-old Nebbiol vines.

A sweet, floral bouquet leads to expressive layers of fruit in the 2009 Barbaresco Vigneto Gallina. There is an immediacy to the Gallina that is quite appealing. White fruffles, red berries and spices emerge over time, adding further complexity. I am surprised by how ell the 2009 is showing today, even if it starts to shut down a bit in the glass. The tannins are firm, yet there is more than enough fruit to fill out the wine's frame. This is one of the better young Gallinas I remember tasting. A rich, textured finish rounds things out in style. There is a lot to like and love in the Gallina. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024.

A sweet , floral bouquet leads to expressive layers of fruit in the 2009 Barbaresco Vigneto Gallina. There is an immediacy to the Gallina that is quite appealing. White truffles, red berries and spices emerge over time, adding further complexity. I am surprised by how well the 2009 is showing today, even if it starts to shut down a bit in the glass. The tannins are firm, yet there is more than enough fruit to fill out the wine's frame. This is one of the better young Gallinas I remenber tasting. A rich, texture finish rounds things out in style. There is a lot to like and love in the Gallina.

Always rose petal aromas with dark fruit and plums. Full-bodied, with firm tannins and a beautiful finish. Refined and sexy. Better after 2015.

Good full red. Ripe cherry, redcurrant, mocha, spices and flowers on the nose. Velvety, plum and spicy, with rich plum and currant fruit flavors accented by the note of tobacco. Finishes fine and long, with a burst of ripe tannins. "Always to drink earlier than the Starderi and Valeirano," says Rivetti.

Ripe and exotic flavors of blueberry, black currant and spice lead off, backed by firm, dry tannins. The finish is astringent, but there's sweet fruit and richness that may offset the structure in time. Best from 2016 through 2027. 956 cases made.

The 2008 Barbaresco Vigneto Gallina bursts from the glass with a rush of dark fruit. This is one of the more reticent, powerful Gallinas I can remember tasting from La Spinetta. Dark flowers, mint, tar, licorice and French oak are some of the notes that resonate on the explosive finish. This is a wine that will require patience, but it is impressive for its completeness, something I haven’t always been able to say about this wine. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025.

The 2008 Barbaresco Vigneto Gallina bursts from the glass with a rush of dark fruit. This is one of the more reticent, powerful Gallinas I can remember tasting from La Spinetta. Dark flowers, mint, tar, licorice and French oak are some of the notes that resonate on the explosive finish. This is a wine that will require patience, but it is impressive for its completeness, something I haven't always been able to say about this wine.

Ripe fruit aromas and flavors of blueberry and boysenberry are accented by flowers and Asian spices in this exotic red. The tannins are stiff on the finish, but be patient, this is lively indeed. Best from 2015 through 2028. 950 cases made. 

The 2007 Barbaresco Vigneto Gallina is focused and nicely articulated. This is a rather firm, nuanced Gallina from La Spinetta with gorgeous length, tons of detail and fabulous overall balance. It is at once more concentrated and also deeper than the Bordini, so another few years in bottle seem a prerequisite. The Gallina is the most improved wine the estate's lineup. The 2007 is quite possibly the most polished, elegant Gallina I have ever tasted here.

The 2007 Barbaresco Vigneto Gallina is focused and nicely articulated. This is a rather firm, nuanced Gallina from La Spinetta with gorgeous length, tons of detail and fabulous overall balance. It is at once more concentrated and also deeper than the Bordini, so another few years in bottle seem a prerequisite. The Gallina is the most improved wine the estate’s lineup. The 2007 is quite possibly the most polished, elegant Gallina I have ever tasted here. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2027.

There are some wild notes here, but overall it's the licorice, plum, tar and savory flavors that make this appealing. Firm and tight, with a layer of stern tannins, this is set to age well. Best from 2015 through 2028.

A fabulous nose of Christmas pudding, plum and lemongrass leads to a full body, with soft, silky tannins and beautiful fruit. Best after 2012.

The 2006 Barbaresco Vigneto Gallina opens with sexy, super-ripe aromas that continue on to the palate, where the wine reveals a gorgeous core of ripe red fruit. This is an especially elegant Gallina with tons of length and a finessed close. The 2006 Gallina will be hard to resist in its youth, but in a few years’ time the tannins should soften a touch, bringing the wine into even better balance. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2021.

The 2006 Barbaresco Vigneto Gallina opens with sexy, super-ripe aromas that continue on to the palate, where the wine reveals a gorgeous core of ripe red fruit. This is an especially elegant Gallina with tons of length and a finessed close. The 2006 Gallina will be hard to resist in its youth, but in a few years' time the tannins should soften a touch, bringing the wine into even better balance.

Love the aromas of dried mushrooms, lemons and plums. Full-bodied, with velvety, ripe tannins and a fruity, long finish. Also tannic – needs some bottle age. Remarkably concentrated.

Complex aromas of plum, citrus fruit and dried mushroom follow through to a full body, with ripe, velvety tannins and a long, fruity finish. This is tannic as well. So give it some bottle age. Has impressive concentration. Best after 2012. 

The 2005 Barbaresco Gallina has developed lovely tertiary notes since I last tasted it a few years back. Leather, smoke, tobacco, licorice and game meld into a core of intense dark fruit. As it so often does, the Gallina has a way of putting on considerable weight in bottle. The 2005 is now close to fully mature, and, while there is no upside in holding bottles further, the wine has enough depth to hold on for at least another handful of years.

Vigneto Gallina is a refined and elegant wine that boldly unveils a determined personality and specific aromas of spice, black fruit, licorice and a touch of smoked bacon. The wine is compact and fresh with lingering tones of smoke and berry fruit and an extra long finish.

The 2005 Barbaresco Gallina is an especially successful wine in this vintage. A soft, caressing core of fruit provides striking balance to the wine’s tannins. Notes of super-ripe red cherries, sweet herbs, roses and toasted oak emerge from this medium-bodied Barbaresco. As is usually the case, the Gallina is the most forward of the Spinetta Barbarescos, and this is a beautiful effort, particularly in this vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.

Intense aromas of fresh mushroom turn to blackberry and plum, even meadow flowers. Full-bodied, big and soft, with loads of fruit and character. Caresses the palate. Best after 2012. 960 cases made.

Good medium red. Sexy, complex aromas of strawberry liquor, raspberry, iris, truffle, chocolate, mocha and menthol. Suave on entry, then full, lush, sweet and seamless in the middle palate, with subtle floral lift contribuiting to the impressin of definition. Strong in extract and quite fine-grained in spite of its thickness. Finishes impressively long, with very suave tannins.

The 2004 Barbaresco Gallina opens with the hallmark Spinetta super-ripe aromatics. Unlike past recent vintages, it has plenty of stuffing to fill out its frame, with generous sweet fruit, spices, coffee beans and truffles that flow from the glass. It offers outstanding persistence and a long, caressing finish, even if it isn't as vibrant as the estate's other 2004 Barbarescos. It should be the first wine of these 2004 Barbarescos to reach maturity. This is a terrific effort from Rivetti. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2016. This is very strong set of releases from La Spinetta and propietor Giorgio Rivetti. The 2004 Barbarescos are easilty the best of his career. The wines still see 100% new French oak, but toast levels have been reduced and the Barbarescos now spend 12 months in oak rather than the 18 months they saw in previous vintages. Both changes have had a remarkably positive effect in allowing more site-specific character and Nebbiolo fruit to come through. The 2003 Barolo Campe shows that Rivetti is makning important strides with this wine as well. Only the 2005 Barberas are dissappointing, but that is not entirely surprising given the uneven growing season. In the past La Spinetta was an estate that relied just as much on style as substance. The 2004 Barbarescos, and specilly the Standeri, are the first wines that truly live up to the glamorous image that Giorgio Rivetti has masterfully succeeded in creating.

Rich, dark garnet red; opens with slightly mineral notes, full of cranberries, some white truffle, clear and with a lot of fruit; delights on the palate with a lot of full tannin, sweet core, musky, only slightly drying out in the finale.

Intense aromas of meat, berry and spices follow through to full-bodied palate, with chewy tannins and a long finish. This is a very rich and powerful. Needs loads of time. Big one. Best after 2008. 350 cases made.

(from a vineyard in Barbaresco) Medium red. Reticent but sweet aromas of cherry, marzipan and spicy oak, with underlying minerality giving the nose a coolness. Then complex, aromatic and pungent on the palate, with a restrained sweetnes, sappy acids and excellent concentration. A classic in the modern style, finishing with very broad, suave tannins, excellent density and a note of tobacco. This really calls for five years or so of patience. Seems a bit less dominanted by oak than some recent vintages of this bottling.

Wonderful bright fruit, with hints of minerals and fresh flowers. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a long, long finish. Concentrated and powerful, showing layers and layers of fruit and tannins. The best I have had from this fanstastic winemaker. Best after 2009. 1,125 cases made.

Received the rating of 3 Glasses for extraordinary wines