Lactic, greenly aromatic, jewel-like nose. Unfurled gently on the palate, quite soft, warm and golden overall but bitter towards the finish. Lovely, easy-drinking wine, but not as impressive as La Rocca seems to be.

85% Chardonnay, 15% Pino Bianco (I wouldn't have been able to spot the PB). A big, fairly energetic and yeasty nose, that was rather alluring. Chewy and creamy on the palate, a good degree of fizz, and plenty of lemon sherbet. All very fine and elegant, and reminiscent of a Pierre Peters blanc de blancs.

I was quite a fan of this, although it's not the most subtle wine. Deep and dark, with lots of tar and blackcurrant on the nose. Rich and vivacious, the tannins ripe and approachable, long finish, straightforward and easy to enjoy.

Initially subdued, with only a touch of oak showing on the nose at first, then a little more fruit. 18 months ago I labelled this wine "lightweight", and I will now upgrade that to "refreshing", but it still feels young, with a slightly drying, grippy finish. Overpowered and perhaps outclassed by tonight's other Barbarescos.

Really good. Rounder than the other two wines in the flight. Mineral nose, then more floral with time. Restrained on the palate, especially at first, but not closed or unrefined, just somewhat buttoned-up. That abated with time, with flavours of delicate cherry and smoked meat showing themselves... mmm. Really nice smooth roll-off from the mid-palate onto the long, juicy finish. Surprisingly approachable already, and looking forward to more of these in the future. My WOTN.

Savoury, relatively mature nose, with delicate floral notes. Very classy and compelling on the palate, with red fruit and more flowers, a touch of almond and liquorice, and lovely powdery tannins. An excellent wine, with both depth of flavour and a lightness of touch. My #3 tonight

A good amount of fruit on the nose, which was also spicy and slightly sweet, like a crumble. More savoury on the palate, which was tart, had a note of tomato and a gorgeous clean finish. Not a stand-out tonight, but definitely a good wine.

One of tonight's most distinctive wines, although probably the weakest of the flight. Quite shy and refreshing on the nose, and herbal and minty like a green Chartreuse. Delicate, clean and crisp on the palate, with red berries and more herbs. One of the younger-feeling and more tannic wines, too, and that sense only grew with air. That said, the interest on the nose was considerable.

This wasn't as joyous as the 2018 we had recently, but its character was consistent: bright and refreshing, delicate without being thin or flavourless, and somewhat grippy despite all of that. Notes of damp earth, cola and spice showed some development, but this remains a young wine, scarcely in its drinking window. My #2 tonight (although, with hindsight, I think I preferred the Segni).

Deep and restrained on the nose, with some menthol. Quite a bit of sandy tannin, which felt well-handled and liable to develop into something nice with time. Despite that, I didn't really care for the wine, which felt almost too clean and sterile, and at a disjointed moment of its development. Will wait at least two years for the next bottle.

Deep, savoury and evolved on the nose, which blossomed with air to show a really lovely and bright strawberry note. Red-fruited and sweet on the palate too, and easy to drink. Voted group WOTN, but seemed a bit too straightforward and meretricious to get any of my votes.