Bruno Besa BB | Andrew JeffordAJ | Michael Palij MW MP
nature of the fruit, which is obvious and slightly clumsy on the finish. Can this really improve? | 88
Ca’ Rome’ (Romano Marengo) Barolo Cerretta Serralunga d’Alba (15% ABV)
| 92
BB | Garnet to pink. Closed but clearly complex, with leather, bing cherry, petrol, and tar on the nose, with a crushed stones and violets character. Sweet red fruits, refined tannins, and a long, salty finish. | 92 AJ | Clear, dark black-red. A slightly reduced aroma when first poured, which soon dissipates. Fresh tea, rose petals, and pomegranate fruits emerge: very clear and classical, bright and engaging. What emerges is actually one of the loveliest of all the aromatic profiles in the tasting. Clearly a lovely wine, with a subtlety of grain to accompany the intensity of fruits, which few of its peers can match. Mouth-filling, pure, and round-contoured, even though intense, long, and concentrated. Barolo of great grace, as well as nourishing amplitude. Very fine indeed. | 94 MP | Very gamey and obvious on the nose. Simple red fruit, candied strawberry, raspberry juice, very ripe and not showing any complexity. The wine shows the first hint of oxidation and tertiary development, without the requisite complexity from esterification. Ready to drink now. Attractive and obvious, but will never give more of itself. | 90
Castello di Verduno Barolo Massara Verduno (14% ABV)
| 92
BB | Pale, transparent garnet to tawny. Delicate, refined, earthy, tobacco leaf, mineral, small-red-fruit and white-truffle nose. Medium body, weightless palate, clean, touch simple finish. | 89 AJ | Very pale, rose-petal red. Gentle, fragrant, ethereal, and enchanting: classical Verduno. A soft pulse of curranty fruit, bobbing in the glass; fruit blossoms in the background. Ample yet graceful and floating in the mouth: aerial fruits, yet the fine-meshed tannins give it attractive corporeal presence, too. Super wine. Just a touch of tar on the finish to assert the vintage in this wine. | 91 MP | Complex, delicate, aromatic, notes of hawthorn, red cherry, violet, red currant, hay, damson, cranberry, and sandalwood. Gorgeous finish, with complexity and perfectly weighted tannins and acidity providing the structural framework for the black cherry, plum, strawberry, and licorice to work their magic. An exemplary 2018 that shows the value of heterogenous vintages such as this, where careful attention in the vineyard and a hands-off approach in the winery can deliver genuinely thrilling wines. | 97
Gagliasso Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata La Morra (14.5% ABV)
| 92
BB | Garnet to tawny. Restrained and a touch closed on the nose: red cherries, herbs, and roses. Clean, lively, and inviting. Medium-bodied, with balanced tannins and a long, if slightly simple, finish. | 90 AJ | Translucent garnet-red. Subtle and quietly phrased aromas in sweet, warm style, almost with a chocolate/toffee note (though no oxidation). Aromatically gentle, graceful, and smiling; perhaps lacks a little vitality. Concentrated and deep, with
BRUNO BESA’S VERDICT
I found the 2018 Barolos approachable young, with considerable of finesse and charm. I am also very glad to report the ever-more judicious use of oak and the uniformity of styles. Village characters were fully on display—from the
TOP WINES
Luigi Baudana Barolo Baudana 96 Luigi Baudana Barolo Cerretta 95 Ca’ Rome’ (Romano Marengo) Barolo Rapet 95
Azienda Agricola E Pira e Figli Chiara Boschis Barolo Cannubi 95 Ciabot Berton Barolo Roggeri 94 Bruna Grimaldi Barolo Camilla 94
Rivetto Enrico Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d’Alba 94 Christian Boffa Barolo 93 Domenico Clerico Ciabot Mentin Barolo Ginestra 93 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Francia 93 Giovanni Corino Barolo Bricco Manescotto 93 Damilano Barolo Cannubi 93 Poderi Luigi Einaudi Barolo Cannubi 93
Poderi Luigi Einaudi Barolo Terlo Vigna Costa Grimaldi 93
sweet fruits. Not a wine of huge dimensions, but satisfying and affable. | 89 MP | Gorgeously perfumed, with hawthorn, violet, rose, tinned strawberry, raspberry and cherry. In the mouth, this develops gently and slowly unfurls deftly managed tannins that wrap the core of complex red fruit dotted with floral highlights. The fresh acidity and alcohol work to provide balance and to drive the fruit flavors along with the tannins. Admirable balance and length. Keep. | 96
Giovanni Manzone Barolo Gramolere Monforte d’Alba (14.5% ABV)
| 92
BB | Garnet to pink. A touch closed, with crushed stones and red fruits, and herbal, forest-floor undertones. Medium to full body, balanced, with black fruits, and clean, herbal, menthol finish. | 92 AJ | Dark and translucent red-black. Admirable aromatics: a rich compost of moist tobacco leaf, forest copse, dried cèpe, and confit fruits (the sweetness of the vintage to the fore). Mesmerizing and inviting in equal measure. Deep, resonant, and reverberative, a big arc of broad, ripe fruit; ample soft tannins; and the range of rich, composty complexities that the aromatic profile outlined. Exuberant yet complex wine. | 91 MP | Convincing nose, with blackberry, licorice, tar, sandalwood, bramble, and hawthorn. So much going on here and inviting in its way, with a subtle hint of clove and cinnamon alongside the shipyard notes and obvious complexity. Huge on the palate, with so much fruit, tannins, and acidity that this has a remarkable future in its sights. Keep for 5 to 10 years. | 93
Giacomo Fenocchio Barolo Villero 93 Massolino Barolo Serralunga d’Alba 93 GD Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole 93 Gian Carlo Burlotto Cantina Massara 92 Ca’ Rome’ (Romano Marengo) Barolo Cerretta 92 Poderi Luigi Einaudi Barolo Bussia 92 Giovanni Manzone Barolo Gramolere 92 Aurelio Settimo Barolo 92 GD Vajra Barolo Coste di Rose 92 Arnaldorivera Barolo Vignarionda 91 Gian Luca Colombo Barolo 91 Poderi Luigi Einaudi Barolo Ludo 91
Azienda Agricola E Pira e Figli Chiara Boschis Barolo Mosconi 91
Rocche Costamagna Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata 91 Aurelio Settimo Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata 91
Rivetto Enrico Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d’Alba (14.5% ABV)
| 92
BB | Garnet to pink. Open, rich, mature red and black fruit, with tar, roses, and red plums. Salty, rich, medium to full body, with a long, salty finish. | 94 AJ | Bright, clear black-red. Earthy and full; gutsy; spicy. A little less aromatically seamless than some, but engaging and characterful. Very sweet fruits here, with very low acidity and very soft (though plentiful) tannins, too. Hugely enjoyable and accessible: unintimidating and a total charmer. Lovely warm fruit core, for all that. Supple, graceful, sumptuous, and long. Don’t be disarmed by the ease of access; this is a gentle, expansive, but finely detailed wine that will continue to provide pleasure for many years. | 93 MP | A rich, obvious, and developed nose, with ripe red and black fruit. The tannins and acidity suggest the hot, ripe vintage, where the alcohol and fruit dominate the acidity. There is some complexity and development, but the acidity suggests that this will not have the freshness required to improve. | 88
GD Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole Barolo (14.5% ABV)
| 92
BB | Pale garnet to pink. Open, floral, red-fruit nose, with fresh and dried herbs and hints of rosewater. Medium body, refined tannins, layered, rich fruit, and a long, clean, inviting finish. | 93 AJ | Dark black-red; bright garnet to the rim. Earthy, rather forceful aromatics; lots of sweet fruit in emphatic, trumpet-note style. Ditto on the palate—but I’m liking it more. The aromas, too, have modulated with air toward something more
THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 79 | 2023 | 205
fruit-driven wines of La Morra, to the compact, mineral examples from Serralunga. This is certainly not a vintage for long cellaring, but it can provide a great deal of pleasure in the short to medium term.
2018 BAROLO
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