The 2016 Barolo Castiglione is a dazzling wine that will show readers just how compelling this vintage is, even among entry-level wines from top producers. Rich, ample and explosive, the 2016 possesses tremendous richness and resonance from the very first taste. Bright red cherry and red plum fruit, wild flowers, mint, blood orange and spice build as this sumptuous, dramatic Barolo shows all it's got. As always, the Castiglione is built on a core of fruit from Ravera. In 2016, the Castiglione benefits from the inclusion of several new sites, including Ginestra, Mosconi, Bricco Ravera (in Monforte), Le Coste, Costabelle, Meriame, Briccolina and Codana. All I can say is: What a wine!

Tight and focused with racy, fine tannins. I like the bright fruit and vivid acidity. Cedar, berry and white-truffle flavors. Tight and linear. Needs time to open. Try after 2022.

Lastly, the 2016 Barolo Castiglione from Vietti shows the warmer style of the vintage with its ripe, sexy style yet has a wonderful elegance as well as medium to full body, ripe, integrated tannins, and layered notes of black raspberries, cherries, spring flowers, orange blossom, and violets. It's not massive, but it’s beautifully complex, with plenty of richness and depth on the mid-palate, and shows the sunny, sexy style of the vintage, followed by a great finish. Drink this fabulous Barolo over the coming 15-20+ years or more.

The Vietti 2016 Barolo Castiglione opens to a grounded and authentic profile with hints of mint, balsam herb and tilled earth. The primary fruit is neatly folded into all those other components, and all received equal billing when the final results are counted. The entry-level Castiglione is always the most accessible of Vietti's Baroli, but this vintage shows a heightened level of intensity, complexity and freshness. Those silky tannins are followed by beautiful menthol brightness. This is a real charmer. ML

Appealing aromas and flavors of rose, black currant, cherry, earth and tobacco mark this harmonious red, which is beautifully balanced and lingers with accents of fruit, earth and tobacco. Best from 2022 through 2040. 8,346 cases made, 1,800 cases imported. — BS