The 2016 Barbaresco Bernardot is a super-classic wine. Finely cut, the Bernardot is all about energy and tension. Dark red cherry, cedar, tobacco, spice and leather gradually develop in the glass, but the 2016 is tightly wound and nowhere near ready to show all of its cards. It may very well be the most powerful, austere Bernardot I have tasted here. There is a real sense of weight and gravitas to the 2016 that adds to its embryonic feel.

The 2016 Barbaresco Bernadot takes the intensity level up a notch when compared to the base Barbaresco that I tasted immediately before this wine. The Bernadot is silky and fine with a pretty embroidery of floral aromas, cola, grilled herb and balsam herb. It will enjoy a long cellar life, at least a decade, but this wine is also perfect for near and medium-term drinking. Some 10,600 bottles were made.