The 2001 Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda X Anni is pure sensuality. Freshly cut roses, tar, licorice and sweet red cherries are some of the many notes that flow from this superb, beautifully delineated Barolo. The silkiness of the tannin and precision of the flavors are utterly breathtaking. This is all about understated elegance and class. The 2001 Rionda remains inviting and impeccable from start to finish. With air the wine is approachable today, but it will be even better in a few years’ time. It represents a great achievement from Roberto and Franco Massolino. The X Anni is a late release from the estate’s library, but it is the very same wine that was sold a few years ago as Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2031. I can’t think of too many things the Massolino brothers don’t do well. Their estate remains one of the lesser-known jewels in Piedmont. Importer: Domaine Select, New York, NY; tel. (212) 279-0799

The 2000 Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda Dieci Anni represents the essence of refinement and elegance. Dried roses, tar, licorice, cherries and leather are some of the notes that spin out effortlessly from this sublime, pedigreed Barolo. Today the 2000 Dieci Anni is in an in-between state where the earliest signs of tertiary aromatics suggest the wine might be close to being ready to drink, while the foreboding tannins tell another story entirely. This powerful, sensual Rionda needs at least another few years in bottle, but it is already shaping up to be a beauty. This is one of the best Riondas Massolino has ever made. The Dieci Anni is a re-release of the 2000 Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda from the estate’s library. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030. Importer: Domaine Select, New York, NY; tel. (212) 279-0799