2013 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Romirasco

Monforte d’Alba. The wine spends five weeks on the skins and is aged for 32 months in 25-hl Slavonian oak barrels. Lustrous ruby with narrow orange rim. Beautifully perfumed and almost opulent nose. Bags of spice and Marasca cherry. Tight fruit palate packed with firm tannins and mouth-filling aromatics. Thick layer of chewy tannins while the juicy cherry fruit keeps up effortlessly. Gorgeous. (WS)

The stunning 2013 Barolo Bussia Romirasco represents a stylistic blend between the elegance of Monforte d'Alba and the brooding power of Serralunga d'Alba. These are magnesium-rich soils mixed with limestone and clay. Romirasco is also home to some of the estate's oldest vines at 55-years-old on average. This beautiful wine opens to a dark and rich garnet color that comes from the concentrated fruit produced by these old plants. The bouquet is laced with mineral and iodine-like nuances with rust and iron. It comes across as rich and intense and the mouthfeel is slightly softer, but denser overall. The wine ends with long balsam tones of rosemary and dried ginger. Jun 2017, www.robertparker.com

Beautiful dark fruits of crushed raspberries and blueberries plus hints of champignon mushrooms and black truffles. Lavender undertones. Full and chewy with lots of tannins. Old vines give this a mossy, bark-like undertone. Needs five to six years to come around. Jul 2017, www.jamessuckling.com