tasting / laying down / 2020 Barolo
core in the driving seat backed by supple tannins and mellowly fruity acidity. 2025–37. | 91 MP | Pronounced and elegant nose, with subtle red-fruit aromas of strawberry, cranberry, raspberry, and pomegranate. These combine with fine tannins and fresh acidity to help drive a finish that shows the linear red fruit supported by plum and mulberry together with vanilla, coconut, cedar, and licorice. The finish is of moderate length but the balance between fruit and structure is just where it should be. Drink now and for another 10 years. 2026–36. | 96
GD Vajra Barolo Ravera Novello 2020 (14% ABV)
| 91
SH | The color is a bright, youthful, blue- toned ruby. The nose is clearly delineated and persistent, precise and vibrant, with just-ripe, crunchy, black cherry, and a wonderful floral fragrance like freesias. Very juicy, mouth- watering acidity, and assertive, refined tannins which are savory and fine-sand-like in texture. Beautifully made; an assertive, bold wine but with plenty of charisma, too. 2026–36. | 94 AJ | Clear scarlet-red. Some welcome energy and architecture of fruit here: red currant, plum, pomegranate, and even black cherry, in searching style. Earth behind, and grape skins in the foreground. A good aroma; characterful and enjoyable. Vividly fruity in the clear, open, limpid, and rather artless style typical of the vintage. Almost juicily exuberant, with medium levels of concentration. 2026–31. | 88 MP | Delicate nose, with fresh red currant, crushed strawberry, mint, black cherry, violet, cedar, vanilla, and sawdust. Powerful on the palate, with chalky tannins coating the palate and a long finish driven by oak but also with concentrated cherry, plum, and currant. The firm tannins are in charge at the moment, but they may yield some ground with time. 2028–35. | 92
Poderi Luigi Einaudi Barolo Cannubi Barolo 2020 (14.5% ABV)
| 91
SH | Softly fragrant, sweet spice, cream, and white chocolate aromas from the oak. On the palate, the fruit is much less ripe, leaving a slightly hollow, empty feeling in the middle, but there is refreshing acidity and a citrus/orange- peel flavor that is intriguing. 2025–32. | 88 AJ | Pale and translucent against its peers. Another 2020 tarry nose (for whatever reason), slightly occluding the fruits here. It does clear a little with air though (so could it be a kind of reductive feature?), and you then get plenty of warm currant and pomegranate. Sound, fresh, and frank on the palate. Relatively dilute but enjoyable, clean, and fresh. A touch more smoke and tar on the finish. 2025–32. | 88 MP | Bold and dramatic nose, with ripe black fruit holding court, including cherry, plum, mulberry, and blackberry supported by oak notes of vanilla, cedar, and exotic notes of incense and sandalwood. The finish is exceptional, with the chiselled acidity driving proceedings and the dusty tannins playing a supporting role. There is a wonderful array of fruit that bolts along and helps drive the aftertaste. Classic Barolo, with pace and pluck, plenty of fruit, and perfectly judged structure. 2029–40. | 98
202 | THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 87 | 2025
Cavallotto Barolo Bricco Boschis Castiglione Falletto 2020 (14.5% ABV)
| 91
SH | Castiglione Falletto has sweet/savory aromas like raspberry jam and Maldon sea salt. Round and savory, with a salty, drying finish. Not as rich and lush as La Morra but with the combination of some ripe black cherry and the savory, sea-saltiness of Serralunga. Castiglione Falletto is often described as the crossover point between Searralungo and La Morra because the soils here begin to transition between the two. Rounded, subtle, and well composed, with a savory, dry, licorice finish. 2025–32. | 92 AJ | Very transparent and translucent, with a light garnet core. Lifted, though just a touch warm and dry-grassy, lacking roundness and vivacity of fruit. Similar on the palate, so a slightly dry wine, in which you notice the firm tannins more than you might wish, and the fruit is set back somewhat. On the plus side, it is concentrated and commanding, so if you like that dryer, less exuberant style, this might be worth a look. It will last a decade, for sure, before the tannins get the upper hand; there is supporting acidity, too, in a slightly hard style. 2025–34. | 88 MP | Attractive nose, showing ripe red fruit, including wild strawberry, cherry, and cranberry allied to black-fruit notes of blackberry, black currant, and black cherry. The palate shows a lovely blend of acidity and tannins that support the fruit and suggest good potential for future development. There is a slight vegetal note on the nose that stops it from getting a higher score. 2027–32. | 94
Casa E di Mirafiore Barolo Lazzarito Serralunga d’Alba 2020 (15% ABV)
| 91
SH | Some charming red fruits on the nose, wrapped in a smoky spice; bright, not heavy or dense with oak. There is a lovely, transparent openness on this wine. It is concentrated and full on the palate without being dulled by oak; vibrant, tingling acidity and a slight nervosity of style. This is an edgy and energetic wine but maybe lacks just some ripeness of fruit in the middle to soften some of these vibrant qualities. 2025–35. | 94 AJ | Bright, translucent black-red. The tarriness of the vintage is evident here again, but it’s a complexing factor over sweet, elegant, serene cherry fruits. A little bitsy bit of burn inside the tar. Vivid and full on the palate, with just a little more seize than some of its peers, and this gives the fruit a seriousness and thrust that has been hard to find in this tasting. Overall, though, the style is drinkable and gourmet; there is lovely balance here. Fresh and graceful, yet full, deep, and juicy, too. On the palate, the tarriness is unbothersome—just a minor complexing detail and indeed welcome as such in this vintage, in which we are searching for complexing elements. Very fine for the vintage. 2025–35. | 92 MP | Obvious nose, with vegetal notes of forest floor, cauliflower, and cut grass. The finish lacks the definitive structural elements that define the best examples, and this seems simple and short. 2026–31. | 88
THE FINISH IS
EXCEPTIONAL, WITH THE CHISELLED ACIDITY DRIVING PROCEEDINGS AND THE DUSTY TANNINS PLAYING A SUPPORTING ROLE. CLASSIC BAROLO
Luigi Baudana GD Vajra Barolo Baudana Serralunga d’Alba 2020 (14% ABV)
| 91
SH | Deeply colored. Clear, bright, black-cherry jam, with spicy oak notes. Tight and compact, dense tannins, silty in nature but lacking some inner harmony and ease. The structure is overwhelming the fruit rather than supporting it, and it all feels a bit heavy-handed. Great potential, but not quite realized. The fruit has an unripe, bitter, red-fruit quality. 2025–28. | 88 AJ | Translucent garnet-red. Lively red fruits over a soft, cereal sweetness. Some vegetal notes, too; complex and engaging, with some layering here. Concentrated and articulate on the palate, with better fruit depth than most. It is a little dry overall, and there are few bitter notes; some vegetal complexities on the finish. Soundly made wine, which should acquire more harmony and finesse as it ages. Ample curranty flavors on the aftertaste. 2025–35. | 90 MP | Sheer brilliance in the glass, exuding the Serralunga signature notes of wild strawberry, dried rose, and cranberry. Here this is ably supported by allspice, ginger, hay, licorice, and an exotic whiff of sandalwood and incense. The fruit drives the palate in this wine, with the silky tannins providing a backdrop on which the fruit can play. The length is impressive, and the balance in this young wine suggests that this will improve for a decade. 2030–35. | 96
Mauro Marengo Barolo Ravera Novello 2020 (14.5% ABV)
| 91
SH | A bright, medium-deep, translucent garnet, already showing some evolution in color. The nose is already a little more tertiary; slightly waxy, with oil-tar rather than fruit aromas, the intertwined smoke and spice suggesting a more traditional, oxidative approach to wine handling. On the palate, there is plenty of ripe, sweet, black cherry, cream, and spice, and an attractive balance of acidity and tannins. This wine has a very traditional old-school feel about it, but within that context, it has its appeal and charm. 2025–32. | 89 AJ | Our second Novello wine is both paler and more tile-hued than the first. Secondary on the aromas, with hospital-corridor or peaty phenol notes as well as earth and hedgerow warmth. It’s all done quite subtly, though, and the overall effect is enticing. Ditto on the palate, where there is perhaps a little too much phenol for me.
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