2005 Barolo Rocche di Brovia

The 2005 Barolo Rocche dei Brovia is all about perfume. Rose petals, violets, mint and cinnamon all lift from the glass. Here the tannins are firm and edgy, but that should not be an issue for those who can still cellar the 2005. Readers who like super-classic Barolos will flip out over the 2005. Today, the wine is bright, precise and utterly crystalline in its beauty. The 2005 will always remain a nervous, edgy Barolo, but classicists will find much to admire. Nebbiolo has a way of surprising, more often than not positively. This is a perfect example of that.

Good deep, bright red. More subdued on the nose than the basic bottling. Distinctly darker in character than the 2006, revealing aromas and flavors of raspberry, coffee, mocha, minerals and dried flowers, plus a hint of animal fur. Silky on entry, then large-scaled, fat and deep-in fact, downright voluminous for Rocche. But there's plenty of acidity here for structure, along with tannins that reach the front teeth. The powerful, resounding finish promises a slow evolution in bottle. This strikes me as less evolved than the 2006.

The 2005 Barolo Rocche is all class and elegance. Sweet, open aromatics meld into an expressive core of small red fruits. As is often the case, the Rocche present a very fine, chiseled expression of fruit framed by relatively soft, silky tannins. In 2005, the Rocche is remarkably accessible, although it will likely firm up a bit in the bottle.