Usually rather open and expressive, in 2006 the Barolo Rocche has the makings of a long-distance runner. From time to time its perfumed red fruit makes an appearance yet this remains a powerful, inward Rocche in need of significant cellaring. There is plenty of muscle in the glass, in fact the wine continues to gain weight with air. Sweet roses and tar have the last word on the magnificent, perfumed finish. The Rocche has become marvelously expressive since I tasted it last year.

Good deep red. More floral and more balsamic on the nose than the basic Barolo, offering highly perfumed aromas of rose petal, violet and minerals. Juicy, sweet and firmly built, with lovely definition to the flavors of dark fruits, mentholated herbs and graphite. The tannins are penetrating but sweet and broad, giving an elegant quality to this complex, fine-grained wine, which comes from lighter soil and a southeast exposure.