The Parusso 2016 Barolo offers that distinctive Parusso nose that I have come to understand over the years I have been tasting these wines. There is a touch of ripe fruit, dried grape skins and stems that pop out over rich black fruit, tar and black spice. There's a sultry and smoky aspect to the wine with extra concentration and tannic astringency on the finish. This vintage is even more structured, suggesting a longer cellar aging time. If you are invested in the Parusso philosophy, this is a good place to start.

The 2015 Barolo is a nicely balanced and fresh offering from Parusso, with sensations of dark plum and ripe fruit. This wine, aged for 18 months in barrique, always seem to distinguish itself in every vintage by the ripe fruit or grape-skin aromas that come with very apparent tannins and even a bit of sourness. There is some exotic spice on the close of the 2015. I like this type of Barolo with veal in a tomato sauce.

The 2013 Barolo is a wine of deep intensity and full-force flavors. In contrast to virtually every other Barolo producer, Parusso's wines strive to downplay the high acidity found in Nebbiolo and accentuate (by a large margin) the grape's noble tannins. This wine sees anywhere from 50% to 70% stem inclusion and the fruit goes through a mild dehydration process before fermentation. The wine's flavor and color profiles have been greatly enhanced as a result. This Barolo from a relatively mild vintage opens to a dark garner color and delivers bold aromas of blackberry preserves, Spanish cedar and spice. The wine makes a bold statement with impenetrable structure (especially now in its youth) and thick density. It needs to age. It is nowhere near approachable now.

Marco Parusso has made a highly individual wine in a vintage that is good, albeit slightly monotonous when considered with a wider lens across the territory. The 2012 Barolo shows distinct character and an all-encompassing approach. The wine strives for intensity, fullness and length. It achieves these goals with abundance. In fact, it probably crosses the line (maybe a few of them) if you are a traditional Nebbiolo purist. The idea here, however, is to create new boundaries and new goal posts for the finicky Piedmont grape. The aromas are direct and opulent with dark fruit and some dried prune. The mouthfeel is velvety and firm.

The 2010 Barolo opens to a thick and impenetrable appearance. This is a darkly saturated expression that offers bold fruit aromas of dried blackberries, tar, licorice, roasted chestnut and exotic spice. Consider that the aromatic intensity of the wine is taken up an important notch. Fruit is "rested" before fermentation to achieve a light dehydration and to soften the crunchiness of the skins before fermentation. The wine also delivers a lower threshold of perceived acidity coupled with a stronger tannic footprint (the wine is fermented with stems). This pretty vintage still needs a few more years of cellar aging.