2008 Guido Porro Barolo Vigna Lazzairasco

Porro’s 2008 Barolo Vigna Lazzairasco impresses for its inner sweetness, perfumed fruit and soft, silky tannins. Guido Porro’s Baroli are never huge, but they are among the most elegant and refined wines of Serralunga. Hard candy, freshly cut mint and roses linger on the sublime finish. In 2008, the Lazzairasco is quite open, but it should also drink well for many years. This is a fabulous showing. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2028. I have been excited about Guido Porro’s 2008s since I first tasted them from barrel last year. The bottled wines live up to all the promise I sensed back then. Simply put, these are the very finest wines I have ever tasted from Guido Porro. They also happen to be among the most fairly priced Baroli readers will come across in today’s market. Porro’s vineyards are in Serralunga, where Baroli tend to be quite powerful, but here the wines are delicate, perfumed and refined, all in a classic, traditional style built on transparency and weightlessness. Guido Porro remains one of the most underrated growers in Serralunga. Importer: Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524

Mid crimson. Light nose of tea leaves and treacle. Resolved. A comfortable forward wine with plump fruit more obvious than any tannin or acidity. Very friendly if not exactly challenging. (JR)

Serralunga d’Alba. Mid ruby with broad orange-tinged rim. Concentrated, sweet Nebbiolo fruit, with almost completely integrated acidity. Grainy, muscular tannin. Good length, just not very complex (yet). (WS)