The 2006 Barolo is an overachiever in this vintage. Dark cherries, plums, mint, spices, herbs and a host of other balsamic notes are woven together nicely in a wine of notable class. The wine gains richness and volume on the mid-palate, leading to a long, powerful close. This is another impressive effort from Prunotto. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026. A Leonardo Lo Cascio Selection, Winebow, Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620

Prunotto tends to exemplify a ripe, almost jammy style of Barolo with succulent cherry and smoked meat characteristics followed by vanilla, cinnamon, mineral, blackberry and licorice. The intensity is wonderful here but the wine still needs a few extra aging years in the bottle to relax those young tannins.——M.L.(12/1/2010)—— 91