2013 Elvio Cogno, Barolo, La Vigna Elena Riserva

This is a beautiful wine from Elvio Cogno and, not surprisingly, the best from this batch of samples. The much-anticipated 2013 Barolo Riserva Ravera Vigna Elena is aged in large Slavonian oak casks and only made in select vintages. It breathes delicate truffle notes and forest berry flavors with just a touch of exotic spice. The wine is soft, lush and well textured, and it makes your mouth salivate. Showing the power and inner structure of the Ravera cru, this Barolo should age beautifully over the course of the next two decades.

The 2013 Barolo Riserva Vigna Elena captures all the pedigree and intensity of the vintage. Soaring aromatics meld into a core of bright red stone fruits, all with the support of a vertical spine of tannin. Even with all of its intensity, the 2013 offers exceptional purity. The tannins are searing and insistent, but also very well integrated for such a young wine. In the early going, the 2013 is shaping up to be magnificent.