La Spinona Sori Gepin Barolo is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo. : Brilliant deep ruby red with garnet reflections. Bouquet: Rich fruity bouquet with hints of violets , spice and mature berries. Taste: Densely structured with full, complex flavors of ripened red fruits, wood and earth tones. A Huge wine of elegant that become velvety and graceful with aging. The Beruttis bought 4 hectares in 1994 in the then relatively unknown zone of Novello which lies on the confines of Monforte and Barolo. A Sor is an entirely south-facing vineyard. This Sori lies at 230 meters. It is named for the great grandfather that started the Barbaresco vineyards. The vines are an average of 40 years old. The first vintage was the 1996. The Spinona is a special breed of Piedmontese hunting Dog, which the Berutti's raise. As the legend goes, this particular dog, Baica, received her place of honor on the label for an act of great heroism. She saved the Berutti's only son from drowning in the irrigation lake when he was a baby. The son then became a veterinarian to save the dogs and later obtained a degree in agronomy to take care of the vineyards.Brilliant deep ruby red with garnet reflections. Rich fruity bouquet with hints of violets, spice and mature berries. Densely structured with full, complex flavors of ripened red fruits, wood and earth tones. A huge wine of elegant that becomes velvety and graceful with aging. Review: Ripe red berries with a loamy, almost creamy mineral note to this. Medium-to full-bodied with a tight package of fruit and fine tannin that's still closed. But I really like the compact, fine-velvet texture here, suggesting that this has plenty of aging potential. Leaves oyster shell in your mouth at the end. Try this in 2023, when it should have opened a bit more. Better still, cellar it a good while and see.-James Suckling