2016 - Barolo Gramolere, Fratelli Alessandria

If you consider the Barolo playbook at Fratelli Alessandria, the 2016 Barolo Gramolere takes the intensity and power up one more notch. You get black fruit and blackberry, but there is enough vibrant red fruit to keep this wine aligned with the more elegant and traditional side of Barolo. The wine shows compelling infinities with both the powerful and the elegant side of Nebbiolo. There are noticeable mineral notes and even a spot of savory salinity. However, Gramolere definitely has the power and inner grit to withstand long cellar aging. Only 7,000 bottles were made.

The 2016 Barolo Gramolere is another striking wine in this range from Vittore Alessandria. It offers a fabulous combination of structure and depth that makes it easy to appreciate in the early going, in relative terms. Bright red berry fruit, chalk, white pepper, dried herbs and deep spicy notes are all laced together. Somewhat surprisingly, the Gramolere is the most approachable of the 2016s today, although I would not plan on opening a bottle for at least a few years.

Monforte d’Alba. 55-year-old vineyard. Brooding concentration and huge depth yet amazingly contained. Energetic acidity cutting through the rich fruit. Beautifully perfumed, balsamic palate and with fine tannins that grow slowly in stature on the finish. Very long and multi-layered. (WS)