2016 Barolo Cerretta Piani

Cerretta is one of my personal favorite growing sites in Serralunga d'Alba, thanks to that more pronounced mineral signature of rusty nail or crushed stone that comes into plain view. White marl soils cover reddish clay not too far under the surface. Those territorial markers are especially well defined in this classic vintage. The Luigi Baudana 2016 Barolo Cerretta unfolds slowly in the glass to reveal orange peel, blue flower and camphor ash. There is generous black fruit in there as well, carefully woven into the greater texture of the wine. The tannins are accessible and integrated, and that's an important fact to know when measuring the wine's drinking window. You could age it longer or even contemplate a cork-popping in the not-so-distant future (say after 2025). I love the lingering linearity of this 3,000-bottle production.

The 2016 Barolo Cerretta is dark, virile and imposing. Black cherry, lavender, scorched earth, cloves, leather and a range of balsamic notes give the Cerretta its somber, virile feel. Ample and powerful yet also medium in body, the Cerretta captures so much of what makes Nebbiolo so captivating, specifically the ability for a wine to constantly transform in the glass. (AG)