The 1990 Barolo delivers many surprises across the board. It opens to a dark brick color and saturated tones of red and copper brown. That the wine has held its color so nicely is a sign of more good things to come. The bouquet is evolved and complex with an infinite range of tertiary aromas that span from dried tobacco to licorice root. But it also shows an inner energy with pressed forest fruit and dried currants that add an extra layer of soft intensity and general vitality. In the mouth, it delivers a natural sense of heft and richness that reflects the fruit-forward nature of the vintage. The wine is drinking beautifully right now but can still hold court for more years to come. Drink: 2014-2020.

The 1990 Barolo is a touch lean for the vintage, but it is marvelously fresh and totally intact, with pretty aromatics and a soft core of fruit. This is a remarkable level for a wine made with modest ambitions and resources. Quite honestly, many producers would kill for a 1990 Barolo like this. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2015. These two Barolos from Cascina Bongiovanni are really more curiosities, as the wines were never released commercially. Still, they make a compelling argument for the potential of the estate’s Pernanno vineyard in Castiglione Falletto. Proprietor Davide Mozzone found these Barolos, which were made by his grandfather, in demijohn when he took over his family’s property in the mid 1990’s. The wines, originally intended for the bulk market, were vinified in cement and subsequently aged in the refurbished beer casks that were common in Piedmont during this period.