The 2005 Barolo Cerretta is decidedly more linear and focused than the Baudana, showing terrific energy and vibrancy in its dark red fruit, flowers, minerals and spices. Here, too, the wine reveals plenty of length and a powerful, deeply resonating finish. This is another gorgeous Barolo from Vajra. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. Baudana was purchased in 2008 by Giuseppe, Francesca and Isidoro Vajra, the children of Aldo and Milena Vajra and is run as a separate property. These 2005 Barolos were made by Baudana, although the Vajras oversaw the final assembly and bottling of the wines. One of the big changes here has been a move towards a much more stringent selection when it comes to the single-vineyard Barolos. A new Barolo, the Serralunga, was created for the lots that don’t make the cut for the single-vineyard wines and now consists of fully two-thirds of the estate’s Barolo production. I was amazed by the quality of these 2005s, given that they were fully made by Baudana, a producer with an indifferent track record. It is fairly obvious that the missing key to quality here was simply instituting a more disciplined approach to barrel selection. In a sense, Baudana may have never have had the desire or the ambition to bottle the outstanding wines his vineyards were clearly capable of. From here, things can only get better, and it will be fascinating to follow this re-born winery in the coming years as renewed focus is given to farming the vineyards and working in the cellar with more diligence than was the case in the past. Certainly the young Vajras could not have had better teachers, and the new Baudana is a terrific success story. Importer: Artisan Wine, Norwalk, CT; tel. (203) 866-4552