Nicolas Belfrage: Medium-deep with a garnet rim. Low-key nose (though mine’s suffering from oversniffing Barolo). Good fruit on the palate, but a certain bitter kick detracts. As in so many cases, needs time. At present it lacks charm. 15

Bruno Besa: Deep garnet to ruby. A touch damp on the nose, with small black fruits and spices. Full body, with mature black fruit and a long, mineral finish. Not very elegant but generous. 16.5

Andrew Jefford: Deep garnet red. Warm, rich, already midevolution in terms of aroma, soft, truffley, earthy, and rewarding. Gorgeously generous and enticing wine. Some incense spice afterwards. On the palate, soft, open, deftly crafted, evidently ripe, with dark black primary fruit backed by plenty of phenolic grip and a long, lingering finish. This is truly excellent Barolo, with the limpid, open core of the classicists, yet with levels of ripeness and generosity more characteristic of the new wave. The more I sip this accessible yet magnificently constituted wine, the more enthusiastic I become. A wonderfully articulate expression: open-hearted yet endlessly resonant Barolo. 18.5