Valter Fissore's Ravera is highlight of the vintage, combining elegance, freshness and power in a superbly balanced wine. It opens like a bouquet of rose petals and bursts with flavors of fresh cherry, mulberry and menthol. Fissore likes vintages in which the vines find their own balance, and that's what happened in 2016, a year that required minimal green harvesting. He works hard to manage tannins by picking at the optimal moment, and he clearly nailed it in 2016 with a wine that is tautly structured and built for aging, yet so juicy and accessible that it's difficult to resist now....

Crystalline purity to this Barolo with red currants, fruit tea, lemons, freshly squeezed oranges and rosemary. Medium-to full-bodied with inward-looking, sophisticated tannins that thread vibrant red fruit in ribbon-like shapes. Drink from 2024.

A compact, dense red, both in terms of fruit and tannins. Cherry, strawberry, iron, tobacco and tar flavors hold court while the vivid acidity and beefy tannins lend structure. Terrific length. Everything is in the right place; this just needs time to harmonize. Best from 2023 through 2045. From Italy.

Of the many great contributions made by the winemaking team at Elvio Cogno, perhaps the greatest is the importance they brought to the Ravera cru of Novello. Little-known before their efforts, this vineyard has risen in high regard in recent years and continues to show impressive potential. The 2016 Barolo Ravera offers an important education in why this site deserves the spotlight. The wine shows terrific balance and depth, with rich fruit aromas framed by smoke, tar, ferrous earth and tangy licorice. The tannins are softly contoured, and the wine moves over the palate with profound length...