The 2005 Barolo Rocche shows lovely richness and depth in its dark fruit, flowers, herbs and French oak. The Rocche comes together beautifully in the glass, as the tannins soften a touch and the wine gains clarity. High-toned, floral aromatics accompany the fruit through to the long finish.

Shows ripe strawberry and black cherry aromas, with hints of flowers. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and lots of fruit, vanilla and even white pepper character. Long and rich. This is really amazing. Best after 2012.

Good deep red. High-pitched aromas of blackberry and bitter chocolate; more like the basic Marcenasco in its fruit quality than the Conca. There's a penetrating quality and enticing minerality to the pure dark berry flavors; this, too, strikes me as Burgundian. Finishes with the densest tannins and the greatest length of these three bottlings, but the tannins are fine-grained and arrive late, coating the teeth. A very good example of the grand cru quality of the Rocche.

The 2005 Barolo Rocche shows lovely richness and depth in its dark fruit, flowers, herbs and French oak. The Rocche comes together beautifully in the glass, as the tannins soften a touch and the wine gains clarity. High-toned, floral aromatics accompany the fruit through to the long finish. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. AG

This is a wonderful set of new releases from Renato Ratti, one of Piedmont’s historic names. The 2005s are especially beautiful for their soft, textured fruit and well-integrated French oak, something that hasn’t always been the case in recent vintages.