2016 Barolo

The 2016 Barolo is a gorgeous entry-level offering in this range that also shows just how compelling the vintage is. Deep, plush and exquisitely layered, the 2016 has so much to offer. Hints of spice, orange peel, rose petal and tar add pretty aromatic top notes throughout. This is such an alluring and irresistible wine.

From the Bricco Chiesa and Capalot vineyards, both in La Morra, and Fiasco in Castiglione Falletto. Total skin maceration of 27 days. Grapes from the different vineyards are fermented and aged separately, the first year in Stockinger casks of Austrian oak, after which the wines are blended together and aged another year in large oak barrel, followed by six years in concrete. ‘We prefer to blend the wines when they have aged a little’. Mid ruby with orange tinges. A perfect amalgam of perfumed, sweet cherry and herb liqueur with saline hints and a touch of oak, but more like an afterthought than anything else. Succulent cherry, which ends on sour-cherry notes. Firm, finely grained bitter-sweet tannins. Concentrated and tightly knit and enormously long. (WS)

While the fruit is dried and ripe, it’s also very focussed and floral. Dried cherries, dried rose petals and orange zest spring into action. The tannins aren’t the most powerful, but they are beautifully integrated with nothing sticking out, one fine strand building over the next. Medium-to full-bodied and vertical and medium-chewy on the finish. Drink from 2023.