Giovanni Almondo is among the best known Roero houses imported into the United States, and this fame is largely because of the Bricco Ciliegie. The Almondo family has been in or around the town of Montà since the 1300s, but the modern history began with Domenico Almondo’s decision in the 1980s to produce fine wine. The Bricco Ciliegie was his prized vineyard from the very start, a hilltop site at 390 meters above sea level of sand streaked with chalky clay. The wine ages in a mix of neutral barrel and stainless steel for a balance of weight and freshness, and the wine always has plenty of both. Aromas of sun soaked apricots, jasmine, lemon, white strawberry, tomato leaf, celery salt and wet clay preview a well defined palate brimming with zesty orange and apricot and sage. The palate is intense because the wine is bold, reaching to every nook and cranny of the palate to deliver another pop of salty minerality. This wine is a benchmark that wineries all over Roero strive for but rarely reach. Great for squash raviolis and seared seafood dishes.