Bruno Besa BB | Andrew JeffordAJ | Michael Palij MW MP
nose. Medium body, lively, slightly simple mid- palate, yet long and clean. | 90 AJ | Bright, pale, and limpid: brilliant garnet. Great charm here: creamy fruits and a rose-petal intrigue. Very attractive, articulate, and pristine. Delicately phrased, yet deft, concentrated, and convincing. Bright, fresh, elegant Barolo. Everything you could wish for in a Barolo of near-Burgundian poise. A long finish, for all that. Delicious. | 91 MP | Attractive mineral notes, including wet stone and earth, allied to ripe pomegranate, redcurrant, and tinned strawberry. Subtle blackberry and black- cherry notes round out the nose. In the mouth, there is medium weight of fruit, with red- and black- fruit notes intermingled with ripe, firm tannins and supporting acidity. All the structural notes are here, but it just lacks that extra gear on the finish. | 91
Rocche Costamagna Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata La Morra (14.5% ABV)
| 91
BB | Ruby to garnet pink. A touch closed on the nose, but clean, ripe, with small red and black fruits, a touch of earth and black truffles. Compact but rich palate, with soft small black fruits, moderate tannins, and a long, pretty, red-cherry finish. | 91 AJ | Bright, clear red fruits. A warm, fruited mist, with apple and raspberry as well as pomegranate and redcurrant. Attractive and gratifying. Mouth- filling, vivid, almost salty-savory at the edges, with big, plump, floppy-eared tannins. A beautifully gratifying mouthful, and in every way what you hope a generous vintage like ’18 will deliver. | 91 MP | Delicate nose, with perfumed, floral aromatics, including rose petal, acacia, and jasmine. On the palate, this has a similarly filigree character of ripe red fruit, including cherry and plum, and a lovely if medium-bodied character with firm acidity, fine tannins, and moderate concentration. There’s a lovely twist of bitterness and phenolic grip on the finish; it’s just a little short on power. | 91
Aurelio Settimo Barolo La Morra (14.5% ABV)
| 91
BB | Garnet to pink. Open, intense nose, with crushed stones, small red and black fruits, earth, road tar, and truffles. Medium-bodied, salty, red- fruited palate, with a lively, inviting finish. | 92 AJ | Darker than most of its peers: grand garnet resonance. Sweet, warm scents, with as much milky nut, leaf, and mushroom jus as bright fruit. Mellow and secondary, but super-attractive. The years have not been spent in vain. Concentrated and rather brisk on the palate—a surprise after the aromas. The fruits are rather light-toned, with pronounced acidity and drier tannins than many. | 88 MP | Gorgeous nose, with red fruit, including cherry, plum, and cranberry, notes of hawthorn, rose, cooked plum, sandalwood, and redcurrant jelly. This is exceptionally fine, with a lingering finish, including cherry, plum, mulberry, damson, and cocoa powder, a huge swath of skillfully judged tannins and refreshing acidity that keeps everything on the boil. A real triumph in this vintage. | 94
Gian Carlo Burlotto Cantina Massara Barolo Verduno (14.5% ABV)
| 90 BB | Deep garnet to pink. Ripe, rich, black and red
fruit, open, a touch overripe, yet a complex, meaty, earthy nose. Medium to full body, ripe black fruit, with a long, clean finish. Good early drinking. | 92 AJ | Bright pale garnet. The freshest of the three Verduno wines in terms of its aromatic fruit expression, but ample charm, too, and that almost ghostly floating quality they all have—stealthy aromatic insinuation. Lovely. Grows much sweeter with time in the glass. Super-soft and super- stealthy on the palate: a wine of tissue-like textures, but the fresh though feline fruit is very convincing, present, long (though stealthy), lyrical, and satisfying. Another truly lovely mouthful. | 94 MP | Very obvious, jammy, fat nose, with cooked plum, tinned strawberry, stewed-fruit compote, and a hint of very gentle oxidation. The palate shows a similar laissez-faire approach, with high alcohol, soft acidity, and very ripe fruit. Drink now. | 83
Ciabot Berton Barolo Roggeri La Morra (14.5% ABV)
| 90
BB | Garnet to pink. Exuberant nose, some new oak, with black and red fruits, forest undergrowth, violets, and dried herbs. Medium to full body, with sweet black fruits, rich and layered, and a long, herbal, refined finish. | 94 AJ | Dark, clear, and bright: deep garnet. Brisk, fresh fruits; a mossy, undergrowth note; some violet. Plum and apple—in fact, sappy and urgent, despite the overall vintage sweetness. Compelling, satisfying aromas. Some small oak here? Not deforming at any rate. Generous and mouth-filling, firm-structured, a touch dry and elemental. Needs a little longer? Or will that slight awkwardness linger? I’m carping, really: well-made, satisfying wine, and many of its edges will disappear with food. | 90 MP | Textbook La Morra nose, with violets and rose petal, allied to oak notes of vanilla and sawdust; the wood seems to steal the show on the nose. On the palate, the obvious oak tannins are occluding the fruit, and the vanilla, coconut, and cloves are very much in the foreground. Acidity and fruit are marching behind the wood on the finish. | 86
Damilano Barolo Cannubi Barolo (15% ABV)
| 90
BB | Garnet to tawny. Mature nose, cedarwood and tobacco, earthy, with prunes and plums and hints of road tar and smoke. Medium to full body, balanced, layered black fruit, and a long and herbal finish. | 93 AJ | Clear, deep black-red. Lovely felted intricacies here, with dried-mushroom warmth, too. The fruit is amply modulated already, but if the modulations are this enchanting, so much the better. Dense, rich, textured: beautifully crafted, suede-textured tannins, lively fruits, ample length and breadth and inner energy. A fine spring-heeled Barolo, with lots to give over the medium term. Fine work here. The glorious aromatics all spring from the fruit itself, not the handling or aging. Super wine. | 94 MP | Ripe, stewed fruit, including clove, date, fig, cassis, coffee, and cocoa. Shows a very evolved, forward, and developed character, which suggests the low acidity and very ripe, soft tannins are unable to support further development. Simple. | 82
Poderi Luigi Einaudi Barolo Ludo Blend (14% ABV)
| 90 BB | Garnet to tawny, pale. Restrained, floral, touch
simple, small red fruits nose, some tobacco, orange marmalade. Medium body, lively, high tone acidity, refined tannins, moderate length. | 91 AJ | Translucent pale red. Light, fragrant, aerial, lifted: gentle, coaxing fruits. Quietly attractive. Intense on the palate, with impressive concentration and poise; firm grip, too. Dry, firm, classical; serene yet authoritative. | 91 MP | Discreet and delicate nose, with red fruit including redcurrant, raspberry, and tinned strawberry. Nicely managed tannins and soft-ish acidity. Decent length and attractively packaged, though it lacks power and depth. | 87
Gagliasso Barolo Torriglione La Morra (15% ABV)
| 90
BB | Garnet to tawny. A touch medicinal on the nose, with black fruits, herbs, and road tar. Medium-bodied, lively, slightly green yet layered palate, with moderate length. | 88 AJ | Dark black-red, but still translucent: darkly promising. Emphatic: a big heave of fruits here, but mellow and complex, as you always hope Barolo will be. Lovely aromas, whose wealth is matched by finesse. Crushed pencil lead and root spice to finish, once the fruits have breezed through. Mouth-filling and big-boned, exuberant yet accessible, too, with unforbidding tannins and the warmth of style evident on the nose. Tongue-coating and long, with grand wealth of fruit. Hugely enjoyable wine. Some may consider it on the edge of overripeness, but most drinkers will just smile and enjoy. | 92 MP | Rich, ripe, and savory but not oaky, which reflects the full physiological maturity capable in 2018. The finish is long, with notes of coffee, cold ash, beef dripping, black cherry, violets, and vanilla. It manages to just about balance the oak with ripe fruit and firm acidity. It lacks the complexity of the best examples in this tasting but still delivers a decent slug of Nebbiolo charm. | 89
Azienda Agricola E Pira e Figli Chiara Boschis Barolo Mosconi Monforte d’Alba (14.5% ABV)
| 90
BB | Dark garnet to tawny. Open, pruney, earthy, black-fruit, forest-floor nose. Ripe, slightly overripe palate, with fine tannins, fruit, and a clean finish. | 91 AJ | Dark black-red; translucent at the core. Fresh, spicy, brisk; lovely sloe fruits with crushed sloe stones, too. Alert and engaging, though very vividly fruity. Mouth-filling and smooth; softer tannins than many, but a lovely wealth of fruit and roundness of contour. Gorgeous wine to sip—almost gluggable (and you don’t often write that about Barolo). | 89 MP | Viscous; closed on the nose. Warm-season fruit, including blackberry, hay, licorice, and tar. The tinge of new oak on the finish suggests that this has seen the inside of a barrel. The palate is well resolved, though dominated by the tannins. | 91
Aurelio Settimo Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata La Morra (14.5% ABV)
| 90
BB | Garnet to pink. A touch rustic and earthy on the nose, with road tar and black fruits. Sweet red and black fruits on the palate, fine tannins, layered and long, with bing cherries, fresh herbs, and a salty finish. Needs some time, great effort. | 91 AJ | Very dark black-garnet red, though translucent
THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 79 | 2023 | 207
2018 BAROLO
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