Nicolas Belfrage: Medium depth. Faint floral notes, grows. Some sweet fruit on palate—figs and Christmas-cake fruits, but drying tannins spoil the show. Very correct but not unlike hard work to get through to the honest core. 15.5

Andrew Jefford: Deep, meaty black-red. Very ripe and warm—almost strawberry jam—yet it’s never that simple in Piedmont, and the longer you sniff, the more you realize that there is something dense and provocative there. On the palate, this is smooth though thick-textured, refined and long, very present in the mouth yet also very seamless, with wonderful flavor of ripe red fruits qualified by walnut and sloe. Almost artless—yet patently wonderful vineyards and excellent viticulture. One of those wines where you really do feel you are drinking the vineyard. Totally satisfying, but there are stylistically more refined wines than this in the tasting. If the raw materials are this good, though... 17.5

Franco Ziliani: Good intensity of color; concentrated ruby. The nose is surprising, advanced for the young age of the wine. Lacking freshness, and the wine seems almost five years older. Very interesting and fall-style notes of evolution— tobacco, dried flowers and leaves, cinnamon, plum, candied orange—but the wine seems very strange: very warm on the palate, with drying tannins that have no real harmony. Lack of fruit, freshness, and elegance on the finish; too dry. 14.5