5 | Wine | Barolo, 750 ml | Page 2

"Sweet fruit is the overarching theme in this lush red. Cherry, raspberry, eucalyptus, iron and tea flavors combine with the well-integrated structure as this glides to an aftertaste of cherry and iron."

"Ripe plum, verging on prune, with coffee and dark chocolate character. Full-bodied, with soft tannins that are very velvety and caressing. Chewy and concentrated. Sneaks up on you. A superb debut Barolo from Piedmont's best Dolcetto producer."

"The 2008 Barolo Bricco Viole shows the personality of the vintage and freshness of the site. Sweet red berries, flowers, mint, sage and herbs are some of the nuances that emerge from this chiseled, finessed Barolo. The cool weather personality of the year comes through in this vibrant, wiry Barolo. The Bricco Viole is a wine that needs to be served at the dinner table, where its energy will shine brightest. In 2008, the Bricco Viole is pure elegance."

"The 2008 Barolo Monfalletto is a classy wine bursting with sweet red fruit, flowers and mint. The 2008 shows gorgeous finesse from start to finish in a feminine style that is hugely appealing. A vibrant, floral finish adds lift and energy. This is a delicious 2008 from Cordero di Montezemolo. I would not be surprised if the wine develops very well in bottle. It is all class and elegance."

"All of the elements come together beautifully in the 2007 Barolo San Rocco. ...a wine that captures the essence of this great vintage as seen through the lens of one of Serralunga’s top sites. A dark, sensual Barolo, the San Rocco offers up a compelling array of blueberries, blackberries, smoke, licorice, spices and menthol. The finish is round, enveloping and powerful. There is an element of mystery to the San Rocco that is particularly intriguing."

"The 2008 Barolo Margheria opens with a sweet, inviting bouquet redolent of hard candy, flowers, mint and licorice. Deceptively medium in body, the Margheria packs quite a bit of punch, even if that isn’t totally obvious at the outset. Layers of dark fruit flow through to a powerful, incisive finish laced with dried flowers and spices. The Margheria is notable for its intensity and textural depth."

"The typical power and weight of this site comes through, but in 2008 the Margheria has an extra dimension of sexiness that makes it highly appealing. Dark cherries, plums, asphalt, melted road tar, dried rose petals and licorice are some of the many notes that come to life in the glass."

"The 2007 Barolo Pajana is a showstopper. Waves of intense, beautifully delineated fruit flow onto the palate as the wine opens up in the glass. Sumptuous and elegant through and through, the Pajana shows marvelous delineation and clean, minerally notes that underpin the opulence of the fruit.This is a marvelous, totally complete Pajana of the highest level."

"A very pretty, harmonious wine endowed with tons of purity in its fruit. All of the telltale aromas and flavors of Monprivato are there – geraniums, roses, spices and flowers – but backed up by quite a bit of heft and body as well. Today, the 2005 Monprivato is quite tannic, but it should come around with a few more years in bottle. In some ways, the 2005 reminds me of the 1999, another vintage in which the Ca d’Morissio was not produced. Monprivato is typically one of the hardest wines to accurately assess when young, and only time will tell what heights it ultimately reaches. For now, the future certainly seems bright. This is a mysterious, seductive Monprivato that will be fascinating to follow. Mascarello was especially selective with his Monprivato and only bottled about 50% of his production. He also blended in the juice kept separately for the Ca d’Morissio, which in this vintage is about 20% of the final blend as opposed to the more typical 10% in vintages when the Ca d’Morissio is produced." 94+ pts.