2006 Barolo Vigneto Campe

The 2006 Barolo Campe’ is one of the most elegant wines I have ever tasted from La Spinetta. A deep, translucent red, the Campe’ opens with a captivating bouquet of roses, spices, flowers and cherries, all of which resonate on the palate. The wine turns muscular in the glass, with powerful tannins that frame the expressive, generous fruit. There is plenty of richness and concentration, yet without the over-ripeness and excessive oakiness of past vintages. Smoke, tar and herbs are just some of the nuances that come to life as the dense fruit provides a wonderful foil to the tannins on the finish. This, too, is a terrific effort from La Spinetta. The 2006 Campe’ was fermented in rotary tanks for 7-8 days and underwent malolactic fermentation in new French oak, where the wine was aged for 24 months prior to being bottled. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2026. This is a highly successful set of new releases from La Spinetta. The wines show great balance and class across the board. Importers: Indigenous Selections, Fort Lauderdale FL; tel. (954) 530-4021 and Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY (516) 677-9300

Good deep red. Quite closed on the nose. Dense, sweet and powerful but very primary today, even a bit mute. This has plenty of acid spine and building, toothcoating tannins but is much harder to taste today than the 2005. In a less elegant style but quite promising nonetheless, and riper.