2014 Barolo Bricco Fiasco

Castiglione Falletto. Tasted blind. Mid ruby with bricky rim. A bit herbal with soft cherry fruit on the nose and hints of shoe polish. Not immediately fruit driven. Succulent, and just enough fruit to keep it going. Plenty of grainy tannins on the finish, but a little stingy on the fruit. (WS)

The 2014 Barolo Bricco Fiasco is a typical wine for the vintage. Sweet red cherry, pomegranate, smoke, iron and dried rose petal build in this super-classic, light to medium-bodied Barolo from Azelia. The wine displays lovely persistence and grip but, like all of the 2014s here, is tightly wound and a bit edgy.

The 2014 Barolo Bricco Fiasco offers a carefully balanced and elegant bouquet that is partially based on vibrant primary fruit and partially based on the more ethereal varietal notes you get from Nebbiolo. These aromas recall powdered licorice, tar and balsam herb. Vines in the Fiasco vineyard were planted in the 1940s, and the Fiasco site in Castiglione Falletto has a greater component of sand, which helps to establish those fine fruity and floral aromas. The mouthfeel is less impactful compared to recent past releases. Jun 2018, www.robertparker.com