2000 Pio Cesare, Barolo, Ornato

(80% new barriques Saturated medium ruby-garnet. Subtly complex aromas of redcurrant, truffle, tar and underbrush; I never would have guessed the vintage. Silky on entry, then wonderfully intense but supple, with flavors of dark cherry and iron. A huge, seamless wine of great thickness and richness. Incredible slow-building, classy finish really stains the palate. Any coffee and chocolate from the oak is hidden by powerful minerality. Boffa told me this wine boasts 37 grams per liter of dry extract, which is higher than either the '99 or the '01. A knockout.

The 2000 Barolo Ornato bursts onto the palate with sweet spices, leather, licorice, dark fruit and French oak. This modern Barolo has aged exquisitely, and while I don't expect it will last decades, it will continue to offer highly rewarding drinking for the next decade or so. If anything, it still has some tannin to shed. A rich, expansive finish rounds things out in style.

The 2000 Barolo Ornato, from a highly rated vineyard in Serralunga d’Alba is a rich and potent wine, riper than the regular 2000 Barolo and with more definition in its ample nose of roses, caramel, and anise. Warmer, denser, and more solid in flavor, its tongue-coating tannins and packed texture suggest that it will drink well for more than a dozen years to come. Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900