1999 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe

The 1999 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe is a dark, powerful wine. Leather, gravel, incense, tobacco and scorched earth confer tons of pure, virile intensity. This strapping, potent Barolo is still quite young but has so much to offer. It will drink well for another 15 to 20 years, maybe more. There is just a bit of rusticity in the tannins that remain.

A powerful, imposing brute, the 1999 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe blasts across the palate with serious intensity. Next to the Vignolo, the San Giuseppe comes across as lacking finesse, but it is still super-impressive. Melted road tar, smoke, licorice, plums and black cherries race across the palate in a pulsating, tense Barolo that is all about structure. Readers who like virile, imposing Barolos will flip out over the 1999. Today, the only real competition comes from the Vignolo, Cavallotto's other Riserva.

It appears I underestimated the 1999 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe when I last tasted it a year or so ago. It is another classic San Giuseppe, with an expressive nose that is remarkable for its detail. Spices, violets, tar, menthol all emerge to complement the sweet dark fruit that hides under the wine's intense, massive structure. A weighty, complex Barolo, it opens beautifully in the glass, gradually revealing the true nature of its potential. Today it comes across as closer to ready to drink than previous tastings have suggested, although patience will be highly rewarded. This is another remarkable wine from the Cavallotto brothers.