772 | Wine | Barolo | Page 10

"The 2006 Barolo Riserva Vignolo literally sparkles on the palate with layers of brilliant dark red fruit, flowers, mint and spices. It shows striking inner sweetness and perfume, with big yet well-integrated tannins and breathtaking balance. This is a great 2006 Barolo in the making. The tannins are huge, but so is the fruit. The 2006 Vignolo is going to be a fascinating wine to follow over the next few decades."

"The 2007 Barolo Lazzarito is a superb, plush wine loaded with dark fruit, flowers of all sorts, sweet menthol and minerals, all of which flow through to the long, powerful finish. The wine's inner perfume emerges over time, adding even more nuance and subtlety to this big Barolo. The 2007 Lazzarito is far from an open, easygoing wine, in fact it needs time, and lots of it."

"Brooding aromas of currant, minerals, tobacco, truffle and earth; strong aspect of medicinal austerity. Suave, bright and young; offers an uncanny combination of sweetness and powerful structure. Very rich, mouthfilling wine with even more power and thrust than the young 2000. Finishes with very fine, sweet tannins and outstanding persistence." Reviewed by Stephen Tanzer.

"The 1999 Sori Tildin is a knockout wine. It offers a classic, expressive nose of flowers and spices and somewhat austere profile of sweet red fruit, minerals and menthol on a mid-weight frame. It is the hardest of these wines to read today, but I found myself coming back to it often and discovering new nuances with each taste."

"Offers Christmas pudding, currant and other dried fruit. Full-bodied, with amazing concentration of ripe fruit and chewy tannins. Yet it's all in balance. Monumental."

"Emerges from the glass with spices, tobacco, leather and mint. This is an especially fleshy vintage for the Lazzairasco. The wine shows fabulous overall balance and a sensual, inviting personality that is impossible to resist".

"The 2005 Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto is a massive, towering Barolo loaded with tons of rich, primary fruit. The wine remains powerful, dense and muscular with superb length even if it is a smaller-scaled Barolo compared to previous great vintages. That said, when I came back to the wine after it had been in the glass for an hour or so, I found that the wine had grown remarkably."

"Deep red. Perfumed nose combines red cherry, redcurrant, rose petal and brown spices. Ripe, sweet and plump in the mouth, with considerable complexity to the harmonious flavors of red fruits and flowers. At once rich and refined, with a silky texture and a light touch. Wonderfully enveloping Barolo with an urgent finish featuring extremely suave tannins. This beauty makes the Arborina seem rustic and dry by comparison."