The 2008 Barolo Cerequio comes across as dark, powerful and rich. Black cherries, leather, spices, licorice and tar are some of the nuances that take shape in this intense Cerequio. Here, too, the flavors are dark and brooding. With time in the glass, the Cerequio turns suave, polished and elegant, all qualities that are typical of this site, but the 2008 never fully drops its sheer muscle. The 2008 remains big, powerful and structured. A finessed finish covers every inch of the palate with small bursts of energetic dark red fruit. This is another drop-dead gorgeous wine from Roberto and Davide Voerzio. Little of the early appeal and sensuality that is typical of Cerequio is to be found in the 2008, so readers will have to be patient. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2028. These wines from Roberto and Davide Voerzio represent a significant turning point stylistically. This is the first year in which most of the Baroli were aged partly in cask and partly in barrel, the same approach the estate used for its early wines, up to and including the 1993 vintage. The 2008s spent their first year in equal parts cask and barrique, and a second year in French oak barrels, just 20% new, a major change over the recent past. The exceptions are the Baroli Voerzio bottled only in magnums (Sarmassa and Vecchie Viti dei Capalot e delle Brunate), which were aged exclusively in French oak because of the tiny quantities of those wines. Roberto Voerzio describes 2008 as a year that was cold from start to finish. The wines are huge, tannic and likely to require quite a bit of patience. With time, though, the pedigree of the great Barolo vineyards simply can’t be denied. The best of Voerzio’s 2008s are pure magic. A Leonardo Lo Cascio Selection, Winebow, Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620

Starts out with cherry, raspberry and underbrush flavors, backed by dense, fine grained tannins, turning tighter and more closed in as it builds on the palate. Yet this remains fresh in the end, finding balance and lingering with a hint of coffee. Best from 2016 through 2032. 333 cases made.??–BS??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Barolo Select to Add