2012 Barolo Gramolere

The 2012 Barolo Gramolere is the most complete and convincing of the three single vineyard Barolos. It is also the wine with most intense expression of site. Blood orange, mint, rose petal, pine, kirsch and anise give the 2012 its characteristic high-toned aromatic profile, while intensely saline, Gramolere tannins add backbone. Deeply colored yet translucent, with notable freshness, the Gramolere is the star this year. Specifically, the 2012 is remarkably vivid, with all the nuance and complexity that only Nebbiolo can deliver.

Monforte d’Alba. Maturing ruby with orange tinges. Very ripe strawberry fruit on the nose and lots of concentration and ripeness on the palate, yet with a medium-bodied feel to it. Elegant wine that needs more time to gain complexity. (WS)

Cask sample 1 (taken from a 25-hl oval Pauscha cask): Just mid ruby with the beginning of orange tinges. Minerally and a little salty on the nose. Quite tight, dark and brooding at the same time. Much less perfumed and flowery than their 2012 Verduno. Richly tannic structure and with succulent acidity, but at the same time there is real lightness of body.  Cask sample 2 (taken from 25-hl oval Pauscha cask): A shade deeper ruby. Plenty of fruit on the nose and with spicy top notes. Muscular tannic structure, but at the same time this is wonderfully transparent and with juicy acidity. Quite stunning and with a bold structure. Cherry and tea leaf on the finish. Key word is elegance rather than power. (WS)