Very well integrated tannins that spread across the palate and give tension and form to the wine. Medium to full body. Chewy and juicy. Needs time to soften. Better after 2028.

A muscular red that combines juniper, sandalwood and tomato leaf aromas with cherry, strawberry, iron and tar, while burly tannins set the stage for a long, heady finish. Beauty and the beast wrapped in one. Best from 2028 through 2048. 400 cases imported.??–BS??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Barolo Select to Add

Juicy and fleshy, evoking cherry, raspberry, floral and licorice flavors. Harmonious and open-knit, this is approachable now, yet should improve over the next five years. The firm, lingering finish picks up a mineral element. Best from 2025 through 2040. 400 cases imported.??–BS??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Barolo Select to Add

With fruit from Serralunga d'Alba, the Gaja 2018 Barolo Sperss is impossible to confuse with any other Barolo. The bouquet has a firm, etched quality with dark fruit, pencil shavings, iron and red brick. But there is also a fragrant interlude of wild cherry, forest fruit and orange peel. The Barolo Conteisa shows more overall ripeness and silkiness in this vintage, but the Sperss is all about muscle, power and structure. It promises a longer aging potential and bottle evolution.

A fluid style, this red displays cherry, raspberry, currant, earth and tobacco flavors. Iron and tar accents join in as the dense swath of tannins adds closure. Overall, this is light on its feet, intense and lively, hanging together nicely. Best from 2025 through 2048. 1,500 cases made.??–BS??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Barolo Select to Add