1993 Barolo Rocche dell Annunziata Riserva

Paolo Scavino, and more recently his daughter, have always made fabulous Barolos, as evidenced by my previous tasting notes on the 1988s, 1989s, and 1990s. However, in 1993, he began utilizing small barriques (the percentage of new wood varies according to the vineyard), pushing his wines to an even higher level of quality. While the 1993s may not possess the power, intensity, and extract of the great 1990s, qualitatively they are equals. For example, the 1993 Barolo Rocche Annunziata Riserva is one of the great Barolos of the vintage. The wine is deep, dark garnet/ruby-colored, with a stunningly sweet nose of lead pencil, blackcurrants, cherries, smoke, roasted meats, toast, and vanillin. Made from 56-year old vines, it is broad, rich, and packed with fruit and extract. Full-bodied, broodingly deep and intense, this compelling Barolo manages to marry power and richness with a sense of elegance, harmony, and finesse. It needs another 1-2 years of bottle age, and should drink well for 15+ years. Sixty-six percent new oak casks were used for this vineyard.