2016 Barolo

A great example of the year, especially within its peer group, Burlotto's 2016 Barolo is deep, expressive and flat-out gorgeous. Dark cherry, lavender, spice, menthol and pine all meld together in a striking, wonderfully nuanced Barolo that has so much to offer. In the glass, the 2016 is fabulously deep, rich and super-expressive, with tremendous depth and intensity that carries all the way through from start to finish. The 2016 is a blend of fruit built on a core of Breri, Rocche dell' Olmo and Neirane. Burlotto's straight Barolo is without question one of the very finest wines in its peer group. Some of the better-known wines in this lineup have become almost impossible to source. Readers will find plenty of Burlotto signatures at an accessible price here. (AG)

Verduno. 7,000 bottles produced. Soft, fine, lifted cherry and raspberry nose with a hint of rose hip. Great focus, concentration and purity. Still a little austere, but with a wonderful, aromatic, long finish with tangy, succulent acidity and long, gorgeous, chewy tannins. (WS)

Rose petal, verbena flower and lilac open the spectacular bouquet of the Comm. G.B. Burlotto 2016 Barolo Cannubi. This wine is aromatically stunning. It shows fluid movements and deep inner sensuality, wrapping carefully over the palate with delicate softness and silkiness. Incredibly, I kept this open bottle in my cellar for days, and it revealed a beautiful new side every time I came back to check on its progress. There is a touch of chalkiness on the tannins, but the wine finishes with length and impressive persistence. It is fermented in open oak casks and aged in botte grande. Dried cherry, cassis, plum, apricot, spice and blue flower add to the wine's aromatic intensity. This is one of the most beautiful wines to emerge from Italy in the last decade, and tragically only 4,000 bottles were made.