A legendary wine from a Winery that needs no further introduction. The grapes for this wine come partly from Barbaresco and partly from Treiso – the blend consists of 14 vineyards, eleven of which are in Barbaresco and three in the village of Treiso. The soils here are very sandy on limestone and clay. After fermentation in steel tanks, the grapes are fermented separately by vineyard, then in small French barrels – barriques and 500-liter tonneaux. But new wood is never used. After 12 months, the blend is made and then matured for a further 12 months in large barrels. The “botti” used are made by Gamba from French oak and Stockinger from Austrian oak. Bright ruby red. The nose is intensely fruity with ripe strawberries, sweet raspberries, blackcurrants, fragrant violets and ethereal herbs. Aromatically, this year’s wine is almost lavishly opulent, full-bodied and open – it takes me straight into its arms! Experience shows that wines like the 2016s will close up a little in a few years and open up again after around ten years. After the initial, intense wave of fruit, the wine’s many fine tannins linger on the tongue. Firm yet ripe and delicate, they give this Barbaresco the immense structure of a great vintage. In the mouth it is almost monumental! Rosehips, cranberries and sour cherries with a hint of bitter herbs, white nougat and the delicate spice of white limestone. At the moment, this great wine is not giving everything away due to its monumental structure; it deserves a few years in the cellar. Great stuff!