Nicolas Belfrage: Virtually opaque, with a little garnet on the rim. Dark cherry on the nose, with spice. A big mouthful of wine, with loads of succulent blackfruit flavors and adequate acidity for balance. Very well made, in its slightly blockbustery style. 16.5

Bruno Besa: Deep garnet core to tawny, ruby rim. Restrained, slightly rustic nose, with spices, rosewater, medicinal herbs, and hints of forest undergrowth. Huge tannins, sweet fruit, clean and black, and a long, mineral finish. A Barolo that needs a lot of time. 17.5

Andrew Jefford: Deep black-red. Hugely enticing aromas: sweet, warm, lots of ripe red fruit, with an almost honeyed grace; wild hillside flowers behind. Plus the true, planty force I associate with great Piedmontese red. Very, very impressive—so glowing and resonant that it’s hard to keep your nose out of this glass. Vivid, clear, limpid, and athletic on the palate: pure fruit (currants, plums, sloes), wonderfully troubled by generous, planty tannins. It just sings and surges from the glass, full of coiled energy. Pure, finely focused, and long, storming across your palate—the limpidity and grace of fine Burgundy but a much more masterful phenolic hinterland. Grand Barolo. 19