The 2000 Barolo Brunate is a fabulous, explosive wine. Still impossibly young and vigorous, it shows remarkable intensity and power. Sweet, balsamic notes develop in the glass, lending further notes of darkness and seductiveness. This is a beautiful, centered Brunate that is sure to provide fabulous drinking for another two decades.

The 2000 Barolo Brunate, with a ripe nose, is sweet and spicy in character, round and soft on the palate and with more length and structure than the Capalot-Brunate blend. Drink: 2005-2016. Importer: Winebow, Hohokus, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620

Medium red. Redcurrant liqueur, smoke and nutty oak on the superripe nose, with an intriguing iron-like element. Very sweet and suave in the mouth, conveying a more layered impression than La Serra. Flavors of red fruits, minerals and flowers seem more clearly delineated. Finishes with big but ripe tannins and very good length.