772 | Wine | Barolo, $50 to $100

"The 2008 Barolo Turne is drop-dead gorgeous. Dark red berries, rose petals, mint and spices flow effortlessly from this mid-weight, gracious Barolo. The long maceration time and aging in cask seems especially well-suited to the personality of the vintage. This is one of the most impressive Baroli I have ever tasted from Grasso. The 2008 is classy, elegant and first-rate. The Turne is completely different from the other Grasso Baroli because of the traditional approach to vinficiation and aging, but it is striking in 2008. Ethereal floral notes underpinned by veins of chalky minerality support the long, brilliant finish."

"This shows superb purity on the mid-palate, where hints of smoke, tar, licorice and a host of other aromas and flavors add complexity to the seamless fruit. A minerally, saline finish rounds things out in style. This is a stunning Barolo from Azelia."

"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."

"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 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.

"The 2008 Barolo Bric del Fiasc is incredibly fine in this vintage, probably because of the addition of a new Riserva from this vineyard into the lineup. Dark red fruit, flowers, mint and spices flow from this graceful, refined Barolo. It will be interesting to see where the 2008 goes from here. I can’t say the 2008 is a very typical Bric del Fiasc because it is more finesse than power, but it is a very beautiful wine just the same."

"Fabulously rich, dense and well-balanced in this vintage. The Costa Grimaldi is made from a parcel of the Via Nuova vineyard in Barolo at 350 meters above sea level with a sheltered south-east exposure that provides respite in warmer years. This shows tons of vintage character in its racy, elegant fruit and silky tannins, along with superb depth and intensity, all of which have been achieved in a fairly restrained style. This is a fabulous effort from Einaudi."

"Cherry, red berries, menthol and a whiff of marzipan on the nose and palate. Firm, harmonious acidity gives this wine lovely vinosity and elegance, with an enticing minerality adding complexity. This is riper and sweeter than the 2005-more glyceral-but has excellent energy. In fact, it's still a bit youthfully compressed. Carlo Revello noted that the estate increased the quality of its crus by declassifying a good bit of fruit in '06, but that this move was done "due to the market." This is the only Barolo here that's made in larger barrels."