Top 100 Wines of Italy 2024 (#68) - Strawberry, peach and fresh pink rose aromas. Some hibiscus as well. Full-bodied and very layered with gorgeous tannins that are soft and creamy in texture yet compacted and focused. Best after 2028 but already so beautiful to taste.

The 2021 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi is one of the classiest wines I have tasted from La Spinetta. Vibrant and poised, with striking beauty, the 2021 is wonderfully vivid in the glass. Crushed rose petal, spice, mint, orange peel and cinnamon all soar out of the glass. Brisk acids

The organic La Spinetta 2021 Barbaresco Starderi Vürsù is a very pretty wine, and I prefer it to the Gallina and the Valeriano. It stands out for its medium-rich density and spicy concentration with layers of dark fruit and blackberry preserves. The quality of the fruit is very dense and rich, and the wine offers sharp definition. With time, it develops a dark, smoky side with cumin and barbecue spice.

The 2020 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi turned out beautifully. Bright and focused, with tremendous purity, the 2020 impresses from the very first taste. Crushed flowers, sweet, red-toned fruit, mint, blood orange and bright saline notes race across the palate.

Very floral with both fresh and dried flowers on the nose as well as cherries and hibiscus with some sliced strawberries. Medium to full body, with well-integrated tannins and a long and focused finish. Give this three or four years to come together.

With the red label, the La Spinetta 2020 Barbaresco Starderi Vürsù shows dark fruit, dried cherry and tarry smoke. There is a savory side to Starderi, and the wine delivers extra density and concentration to the finish. Like some of the other expressions from the warm 2020 growing season, this wine is more immediate overall, making it good for near and medium-term drinking. But it should also age nicely, should you decide to take that route.

Top 100 Wines of Italy - #67. Beautiful aromas of plums and violets with some flint. Full-bodied. Layered and softly chewy. Meat, berry and hints of cedar and nutmeg. Flavorful finish. Solid and very together with a softness at the back of the palate. Drink in 2026 and beyond.

From Starderi vineyard, located in Neive municipality, a vigorous Barbaresco, characterized by a great gustatory and olfactory balance. Nose of wild plum, then leech peel and closure of geranium. Mouthfeel with salty-sapid tannins, fruity-citrus finish

The 2019 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi is terrific. Vertical and focused, the Starderi impresses with its energy, cut and drive. There's perhaps a bit less heft than in most years, but that is not a bad thing. Dark red cherry, raspberry, lavender and sage lend quite a bit of complexity to this substantial Barbaresco from La Spinetta. It will be interesting to see if the 2019 fleshes out with bottle age.

The La Spinetta 2019 Barbaresco Starderi Vürsù is perfumed and bright with dark rose and wild plum. The wine is solid and dense, with a pretty presentation of fruit that feels healthy and crunchy at the same time. The tannins are well integrated into this structured, full-bodied Barbaresco. The Starderi has shown a very consistent performance over the years. These releases from La Spinetta are all packaged in big, heavy glass bottles.

A powerful red, yet well-defined too, with strawberry, cherry, floral, mineral and tobacco aromas and flavors aligned to a muscular structure. Feels balanced overall, yet will take a few years to fully integrate. Best from 2026 through 2045. 580 cases made, 45 cases imported.

Starderi faces southwest, with greater exposure to the moderating influence of the Tanaro River. There are more spiced aromas in the 2018 Barbaresco Starderi Versu, including aniseed, white pepper, dried cherry, and fresh leather. The palate is incredibly long and inviting, with black raspberry, baking spice, and tea leaf. Drink 2022-2045.

Roses, dried fruit, hazelnuts and some spices on the nose. Full-bodied with very creamy tannins that are polished and beautiful. This is very structured and needs time to soften, but beautiful and solid. Try after 2024.

Another especially elegant expression from La Spinetta, the 2018 Barbaresco Starderi Vürsù demonstrates how well this winery worked in this slightly cooler growing season. All the wines across this portfolio appear bright and more ethereal, representing a subtle pivot for proprietor Giorgio Rivetti and his crew. Dried cassis, limestone and crushed flowers emerge from the bouquet, and the wine imparts a lasting and highly polished mouthfeel.

This is dense and tight with layers of berry, dried orange-peel, meat and chocolate character, yet ever so refined and complex. Full-bodied with firm tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Give it three or four years to come around. Try in 2024.

The 2017 Barbaresco Starderi offers up its signature red/purplish fruit with soft contours and a bit less heft than is typical, all of which makes it more approachable than the norm for this Neive Barbaresco. In 2017, the Starderi is bold, lush and easy to enjoy, even now as a young wine. Rose petal, mint and a kick of new French oak punctuates the finish.

The La Spinetta 2017 Barbaresco Starderi Vürsù stands out for its grace and elegance in this vintage. The 2017 growing season was not an easy one, with April hail in Neive followed by a scorching hot summer that further reduced yields and forced stringent quality selections at the sorting table. The Starderi site is planted to 55- to 65-year-old vines, and you do feel extra fruit richness and concentration as a result. Dark fruit, wild plum and dried blackberry segue to spice and campfire ash on this barrique-aged Nebbiolo.

The 2016 Barbaresco Starderi is outrageously beautiful. Dense, powerful and rich, the 2016 races out of the glass with huge fruit to match its classically mid-weight profile. Super-ripe red/purplish berry fruit, wild flowers, licorice and mint play off huge tannins with real grace. Readers have to be patient, but the 2016 Starderi is a rock star wine. That's pretty much all there is to it.

Raspberry coulis, dried red plums, vanilla, cedar and spice box make for a pronounced and beguiling nose. Full-bodied and very powerful on the palate, yet the tannins are polished and the acidity focused and refreshing. Drink in 2023.

The 2016 Barbaresco Starderi Vürsù starts with a no-nonsense obscure color and ends with lots of dark fruit on the close. In between, it shows a spot of bitterness on the tongue, delivered with ripe fruit and some rather tight tannins. There are lots of tar notes here too, along with the sort of resin and camphor ash you might not have been expecting from such a youthful Barbaresco. But this one has a heavy center of gravity and is not to be trifled with. It's a big and bold wine that demands a rare cut of beef. Some 14,500 bottles were made.

A muscular style, whose dense tannins uphold flavors of cherry, currant, earth and wild thyme. Compact and chunky, with a light chewy quality to the finish. Best from 2023 through 2042.

The 2015 Barbaresco Starderi Vürsù is a wine of towering stature, girth and power. The wine's tannic presence is very evident, and that undeniable structure is broad and underlying. I would suggest putting this bottle aside for at least five more years before popping the cork. The beauty here is that the tannins are integrated and never astringent. Instead, they act like a corset that ties the wine together in all the right places.

The 2015 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi rounds out this series of Barbarescos from La Spinetta in grand style. I don't think the Starderi has ever been so elegant or refined as it is in 2015. Medium in body and translucent, the 2015 possesses remarkable purity and nuance in its red-toned fruit and floral aromatics. The oak needs time to fully integrate, but readers should not be planning on opening bottles anytime soon, as the youthful tannins are also imposing. Bright citrus and floral notes add the closing flourishes.

This is decadent and very rich with plum and caramel character, as well as fresh flowers. Medium-bodied, tight and focused with a pretty center palate of dark fruit and linear, chewy tannins. Drink in 2020.

Mint, eucalyptus, juniper, floral, plum and raspberry flavors grace this velvety red. Firm, ending with a dense swath of tannins on the finish. A distinctive style, yet remains complex and long, balanced on the tannic side. Best from 2024 through 2039

The 2014 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi is deep, powerful and intense, as it usually is, with soaring aromatics, bright red stone fruit and huge beams of tannin that give the wine its vertical spine. The tannins are naturally going to need time to soften, but there is plenty to look forward to. The Starderi is the most explosive and searing of these Barbarescos from La Spinetta, but it nevertheless offers considerable appeal. Patience is key.

Following the Barbaresco Gallina Vürsù, the 2014 Barbaresco Starderi Vürsù represents a clear step up in terms of intensity and structure. If the Gallina is about elegance and finesse, this wine is about brawn, personality and volume. Again, if we focus on mouthfeel alone, this Barbaresco delivers an etched and firm tannic structure that runs straight down the backbone of this wine. Yet, the wine is also composed and still at this moment in time. You get the feeling that the real action will start a few years from now.

A core of black cherry is accented by eucalyptus, juniper, wild rosemary and stony, chalky notes in this tightly wound red. Offers a firm tannic backbone, offset by plenty of sweet fruit. The long finish indicates potential. Best from 2022 through 2035.

The 2013 Barbaresco Starderi Vürsù is an elegant and polished wine with a deep sense of persistence and length. The wine delivers a tight embroidery of aromas that span from dark fruit to spice, to ethereal notes of balsam herb and cola. It runs the full spectrum. That feeling of wholeness and balance is also evident in the mouth. This Barbaresco reaches impeccable balance between its solid fruit flavors, its acidity and the determined firmness of its structure.

La Spinetta fans won't want to miss the 2013 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi, but readers will have to be patient, as the Starderi is going to need time. The only question is how much. Classic bright red fruit notes typical of Starderi are matched by equally characteristic, imposing tannins that need time to soften. Linear, taut and pulsing with energy, the 2013 is full of potential for those who can wait.

This is extremely floral with ripe fruit and spices underneath. Full body, velvety tannins and a flavorful, juicy and delicious finish. Lots of walnut undertones. Drink or hold.

A rich style, exhibiting cherry, raspberry, eucalyptus, tobacco and tea flavors. Initially savory and tannic, with air this becomes more harmonious. Fine length. Best from 2018 through 2030.

A solid wine for the vintage with blueberry, rose-leaf and fresh-herb aromas and flavors. Full body with firm, chewy tannins and a long, structured finish. Needs at least three to four years to soften. Give it time.

Muscular and fully loaded, the 2012 Barbaresco Starderi Vursu delivers a solid and ample bouquet that is built upon generous fruit, spice, licorice and balsam herb. The wine's brawny personality is different from the Barbaresco Valeirano that is more seductive and feminine in personality. Starderi shows brawn and feistiness.

So earthy and decadent with foie gras, nut and dark fruit. Full body, round tannins and lots of juicy fruit. You just want to drink this. Drink or hold.

The 2011 Barbaresco Starderi is just as gorgeous today as it was the last time I tasted it, about a year ago. Dark raspberry, plums, cinnamon, wild flowers and rose petals meld together nicely in the glass. The 2011 is deep, pliant and expressive, with lovely depth and plenty of texture. Power and intensity are the signatures of Starderi, but in this vintage the wines leans more towards the weightless end of the spectrum.

Dark in color and rich in appearance, the 2011 Basbaresco Starderi Vursu is another gorgeous rendition in the La Spinetta Vursu line. Vursu is locale dialect for something that is "greatly desired". And great desire is something you definitely feel when faced with a glass of this stuning wine. This is a rich and sturdy, but beautifully balanced expression that does not hold back in terms of intensity or opulence. Yet the wine never goes overboard. Giorgio Rivetti has produced fantastic results in the 2011 vintage.

Lush and powerful, sporting pure cherry and raspberry fruit, augmented by spice and tea notes. Blanced and long, this needs time to integrate more fully. The tea hint echoses on the finish. Best from 2017 through 2027. 1,300 cases made, 150 cases imported.

This is a red with fascinating aromas of strawberry skin, dried flowers and truffles. Full body with silky tannins and wonderful balance and finesse. It caresses every inch of your palate. Try in 2017.

The 2010 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi is born in a vineyard that sits at 330 meters above sea level. Giorgio tells me that the challenge here is crafting a wine with both elegance and power. Thanks to ideal growing conditions in 2010, he has succeeded at his task. Firm strucuture is supported by fleshy fruit tones and elegantly integrated spice. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030. Giorgio Rivetti has unveiled a stuning line of new wines, and a few surprises as well, from his impecable winery and tasting room at the foot of the Grinzane Cavour castle. The line of Riserva Barbarescos and Riserva Barolo will only 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 Nebbiolo vines.

Medium red with a trace of amber at the edge. Sour cherry, minerals and an exotic whiff of peach on the reticent nose; smells denser and darker than the Starderi. Lush but closed in the mouth, with energetic minerality framing the dark berry flavors. The very long, lively finish coats the teeth with fine-grained tannins. Impressive. - Stephen Tanzer

La Spinetta’s 2009 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi is bursting with energy, even if it doesn’t quite have the sheer richness or pure depth of the very best vintages. Still, the Starderi is a hugely appealing wine that only needs time to shed some tannin. Raspberry jam, flowers, mint and cloves are followed by darker, more brooding aromas and flavors. As always, the Starderi is the richest and most imposing of the Spinetta Barbareschi. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2027. - Antonio Galloni

Fresh and aromatic, exhibiting floral, berry, eucalyptus and spice flavors before the tough tannins take over. Powerful and muscular, this closes down on the finish. The most backward of the three Barbaresco crus, and the one that offers the most potential. Best from 2016 through 2028.

Very fruity with hazelnuts on the nose. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long and intense finish. Chewy but polished. Better in 2015.

"The 2008 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi is the biggest, most powerful and also most complete of the 2008 Barbarescos here, but it will require considerable patience. Huge, massive tannins provide the backdrop to a core of expressive dark fruit, flowers, mint and licorice. This is a virile Barbaresco with plenty of stuffing to age well, but it needs time for the tannins to soften. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026."

Bilberry, raspberry, floral and spice aromas and flavors grace this elegant, intense Barbaresco. Rich and fruity, with a spine of tannins underneath. Shows fine harmony and length. Best from 2014 through 2026. 1,250 cases made. 

Good full red. Plum, menthol and minerals on the nose, complicated by marzipan and a medicinal quality. Fuller but less expressive than the Gallina, showing less fruit today. I don't find the same mid-palate energy as in the 2009 version but Rivetti says this wine is actually higher in acidity. And it has more stuffing to support its serious tannins than the Gallina. Very imploded today and in need of several years of cellaring.

The 2007 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi bursts from the glass with red berries, sweet spices, roses and mint, all of which come together on a powerful, richly structured frame that is the hallmark of Barbareschi from Neive. The Starderi is the most tannic of the estate’s 2007s but it is a wine with significant promise and a long road ahead of very fine drinking. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2027. - Antonio Galloni

A big-boned Barbaresco, this is a bit gangly at first, settling into raspberry, cherry, floral and a hint of tar flavors. Muscular and tannic, contradicting the notion that Barbaresco is lighter than Barolo. Fine length and ripe tannins. Best from 2013 through 2026. 

Loads of juicy fruit on the nose, with raspberries, spices, and hints of mulberries and plums. Full bodied and round, with soft tannins and a dried berry flavor. This is decadent and fascinating. Pull the cork in 2014. Find the wine

Good medium red. More carnal animal and truffle aromas complicated by dark spices; rather full-blown in the way of the 2006 Valeirano. The biggest of these 2007s but still quite young, even closed, today. Offers impressive depth and sweetness but I don't find as much perfume or apparent acidity as in the 2007 Valeirano. This wine has a serious tannic spine and will need time. - Stephen Tanzer

The 2007 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi bursts from the glass with red berries, sweet spices, roses and mint, all of which come together on a powerful, richly structured frame that is the hallmark of Barbareschi from Neive. The Starderi is the most tannic of the estate’s 2007s but it is a wine with significant promise and a long road ahead of very fine drinking. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2027. - Antonio Galloni

Received the rating of 3 Glasses for extraordinary wines

Good full medium red. Pure, vibrant nose features cherry and minerals. Silky on entry, then minerally and perfumed in the middle, with firm acids and serious ripe tannins giving it sound structural support. This really saturates the palate and teeth. Very suave and concentrated Barbaresco. - Stephen Tanzer

Wonderfully floral, with cream and berry aromas. Full-bodied, with round, chewy tannins and lots of fruit. Generous and rich for the vintage. Best after 2012.

The 2006 Barbaresco Starderi is easily the best of these three offerings, as the wine’s balance is exceptional. Aromatics, fruit and structure are all woven together in an impressive display of power and elegance. The fruit retains the house’s characteristic super-ripe style, but that element is more finely tuned here than in the estate’s other Barbarescos. Simply put, the 2006 is another terrific Starderi from proprietor Giorgio Rivetti and his team. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2024.

Received the rating of 3 Glasses for extraordinary wines

(from Rivetti's oldest Barbaresco vines, at 50 to 55 years of age) Good medium-deep red. Reticent but pure aromas of red fruits, marzipan and menthol, plus a suggestion of grapefruit. Then large-scaled and sweeter than the nose would suggest, with a flavor of red fruit syrup lifted by a repeating suggestion of citrus peel and complemented by nicely integrated oak. Finishes very long and sweet, with broad, fine tannins and exceptional mouth coverage.

The 2005 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi offers up an attractive core of bright, candied red fruit, roses and spicies. Today it comes across as quite vibrant and fresh, suggesting a minimum of several years of cellaring are needed before the wine starts drinking at its finest. The tannins build on the long finish, but they are also beautifully balanced. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2015. Giorgio Rivetti has another set of very solid wines on his hands wth his 2005 Barbarescos. The wines have always shown terrific balance and are just a notch or two below his 2004s.

Plum and berry aromas, with honts of fresh herbs. Full, round and smooth, showing lots of berry, toasty oak and cappuccino with a long finish. Best after 2012. 1,200 cases made, 540 cases imported.

Received the rating of 3 Glasses for extraordinary wines

The 2004 Barbaresco Starderi is a knock-out effort. A dark, brrooding wine it reveals an aary of dark cherries, spices, tar and smoke in a powerful, sinewy style. With each passing moment, it seemingly turns more and more classic in the glass, with only the super-ripe fruit serving as a reminder that this is a more contemporary wine. The balance and use of oak are both masterful. It is easly the finest wine Giorgio Rivetti has ever made, and is also the first wine in the estate's history that can truly challange for a spot in the top echelon of the zone. Anticipate maturity: 2009-2019. this is very strong set of releases from La Spinetta and propietor Giorgio Rivetti. The 2004 Barbarescos are easily the best of his career. The wines still see 100% new Frech oak, 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 rmarkably positive effect in allowing more site-specific character and Nebbiolo fruit to come through. The 2003 Barolo Campe shows that Rivetti is making important strides with this wine as well. Only the 2005 Barberas are disappointing, 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 a substance. The 2004 Barbarescos, and specially the Starderi, are the first wines that truly live up to the glamorous image that Giorgio Rivetti has masterfully succeeded in creating.

(from a vineyard in Neive) Deep red. Rather elegant nose offers strawberry, raspberry, tobacco, truffle, smoked meat and dried rose. Lush, full and rich but harmonious acidity and a minty nuance leaving the wine's thickness. There's a sweet strawberry flavor here but also serious structure and big tannins, giving a suggestion of youthful austerity. An impressive bomb of a Barbaresco: I'd drink the Gallina first and hold this for a five or six years.

Displays intense aromas of plum skin, orange peel and rosebud. Full-bodied with tannins and a long, caressing finish. Balanced, with a lovely texture. Best after 2010. 1,290 cases made, 900 cases imported.

As is general the case, I find the Starderi to be most convincing of the estate's Barbarescos and the 2003 is not exception. It is the ripest and sweetest of the wines, showing generous nuances of licorice, toasted oak, menthol and macerated cherries on a broad, full-bodied frame with terrific length as well as balance. Here the firm tannins are balanced by the wine's greater concentration. Anticipated maturity:2009-2018.

Received the rating of 3 Glasses for extraordinary wines

The masculine and brooding 2001 Barbaresco Starderi is unquestionably the most complex and complete of the La Spinetta Barbarescos. The wine is dark and deeply expresissive, with a the palate of dark roasted fruit, tar, spices, licorice and a lingering note of menthol. Despite its size and notable concentration the Standeri appears to be a bit more accesible than the Valeirano at hte moment. This is a modern-style Barbaresco at its best.

Extremely fresh on the nose, with fruit and raw meat character. Almost leafy underneath. Full-bodied, with big, chewy tannins, but they're round and caressing. This is a big red with a lot of heart. Best after 2007. 600 cases made, 450 cases imported.

The masculine and brooding 2001 Barbaresco Starderi is unquestionably the most complex and complete of the La Spinetta Barbarescos. The wine is dark and deeply expresissive, with a the palate of dark roasted fruit, tar, spices, licorice and a lingering note of menthol. Despite its size and notabe concentration the Starderi appears to be a bit more accessible than the Valeirano at the moment. This is modern style Barbaresco at its best. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2016.

The 2000 Barbaresco Starderi, as in the past, is a potent offering. The intense nose is traditional, with the expressive notes of tar, anisette, and kirsch, and the powerful tarry, mineral flavors are deep and delineated, with an important acceleration and expansion, a rise in the volume and richness form the mid-palate right through to be finish. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2020.

Received the rating of 3 Glasses for extraordinary wines

Received the rating of 3 Glasses for extraordinary wines

The 1998 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi reveals tannin and structure, as well as a restrained, backward bouquet. Dark ruby-colored, round, and full-bodied, with notes of licorice, new oak, and black cherries, it requires 1-2 years of cellaring, and should drink well over the following 10-12 years.

Received the rating of 3 Glasses for extraordinary wines

The 1997 Barbaresco-La Spinetta Vigneto Starderi boasts a dark plum/purple color in addition to full body, great fruit, concentration, and power, but it is firm and closed compared to its siblings. Thre is plenty of potential, but this wine needs 4-5 years of cellaring. It should keep for two decades.

The 1996 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi's deep ruby color is followed by an explosive nose of sweet cherry liqueur, vanillin, and wood smoke. This full-bodied, highly-extracted, intense, sexy, moderately tannic wine is powerful yet well-balanced. Despite its ability to improve for 10-15 years, it is easy to drink at present.