2008 Barolo Le Coste Mosconi

Parusso’s 2008 Barolo Le Coste-Mosconi bursts from the glass with an exotic melange of raspberries, plums, violets, mocha, espresso and tar. The Le Coste-Mosconi is one of the more muscular, fruit-driven wines in the lineup. It shows a little more French oak influence, but that isn’t terribly distracting given the style of the wine, as the flavors marry quite well. Layers of fruit build towards a huge, sweeping finish supported by insistent underlying minerality. This broad, sweeping Barolo is flat-out stunning. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2028. Marco Parusso is one of the most adventurous producers in Piemonte. Never content, Parusso is willing to take more risks in the pursuit of greatness than the vast majority of his colleagues. A visit here is always fascinating because so many things are in motion. In recent years, Parusso’s biggest experiments have been with whole cluster fermentation, which is common in Burgundy, but rarely seen in Piemonte. The 2008 harvest was one of the latest on record. The fruit was brought in between October 15 and the end of the month. Importer: Montecastelli Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 414-4898

Good full red. Black cherry and smoky torrefaction on the nose. Fat, superripe and a bit chunky, but with very good depth to its flavors of exotic fruits, chocolate and coffee. Still seems a bit extreme for the 2008 vintage, finishing with rather granular oak-driven tannins.