2008 Langhe Rosso Merlot

The 2008 Merlot is super-polished and elegant in this vintage. Dark cherries, plums, grilled herbs, leather and licorice are woven together in this highly attractive, mid-weight Merlot. A clean, mineral finish rounds things out in style. There can be no doubt this is cool-climate Merlot, but it works because of Roberto Voerzio’s commitment to maniacal work in the vineyards. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026. These wines from Roberto and Davide Voerzio represent a significant turning point stylistically. This is the first year in which most of the Baroli were aged partly in cask and partly in barrel, the same approach the estate used for its early wines, up to and including the 1993 vintage. The 2008s spent their first year in equal parts cask and barrique, and a second year in French oak barrels, just 20% new, a major change over the recent past. The exceptions are the Baroli Voerzio bottled only in magnums (Sarmassa and Vecchie Viti dei Capalot e delle Brunate), which were aged exclusively in French oak because of the tiny quantities of those wines. Roberto Voerzio describes 2008 as a year that was cold from start to finish. The wines are huge, tannic and likely to require quite a bit of patience. With time, though, the pedigree of the great Barolo vineyards simply can’t be denied. The best of Voerzio’s 2008s are pure magic. A Leonardo Lo Cascio Selection, Winebow, Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620

The 2008 Merlot is super-polished and elegant in this vintage. Dark cherries, plums, grilled herbs, leather and licorice are woven together in this highly attractive, mid-weight Merlot. A clean, mineral finish rounds things out in style. There can be no doubt this is cool-climate Merlot, but it works because of Roberto Voerzio’s commitment to maniacal work in the vineyards. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026. Apr 2012, www.robertparker.com