2016 Paolo Scavino, Barolo, Prapo

The 2016 Barolo Prapò is an exotic, beguiling beauty. Dark cherry, black plum, cloves, new leather, spice and menthol infuse the 2016 with captivating nuance and inner sweetness. In 2016, the Prapò is a wine of substantial depth and intensity. It is also the first wine in this range with a fruit profile decidedly on the riper side of things.

The Paolo Scavino 2016 Barolo Prapò (with fruit from Serralunga d'Alba) opens to a beautifully saturated appearance with bold fruit aromas of black cherry, plum and dried currant. Those rusty mineral notes that are so distinctive of this growing area come through loud and clear. This is the second harvest to emerge from this plot of land in Prapò that the Scavino family purchased in 2008 and replanted two years later. We're off to a great start with high-scoring and cellar-worthy wines from both 2015 and 2016. I'd give a slight edge to this vintage, thanks to the sharp precision and linearity of its aromas.