While the 2004 is a finessed wine, the 2006 Barolo is all brute power and intensity. Raw and explosive, with tons of underlying structure, the 2006 simply dazzles from the very first taste. With time in the glass, a host of dark, balsamic-inflected notes start to blossom. Even so, the 2006 is a wine to bury in the deepest corner of the cellar and forget about for at least another 5-10 years, as it is very much still on the ascent. What a wine.

The 2006 Barolo is flat-out great. It possesses dazzling inner perfume, intense color, beautifully nuanced fruit and a classic, austere young-Barolo profile that will allow it to age gracefully for decades. The 2006 is shaping up to be a gem. Anticipated maturity: 2021-2036.

(bottled in August of 2009, with the 2007 barbera) Bright medium red. Captivating nose melds dark fruits, camphor, tobacco and dried flowers. Large-scaled, rich and sweet but juicy, with great energy and compelling inner-mouth perfume; this really builds in the mouth. Wonderfully primary and fresh Barolo that offers a rare combination of silky texture and underlying power-in the style of great old vintages from this producer but with perhaps even purer and more primary flavors. The very long, rising finish features big, broad dusty tannins; clean, sweet fruit; and superb grip. As this wine opened in the glass, my score kept going up.