With most of its fruit from the Gattera vineyard, the Cordero di Montezemolo 2016 Barolo Monfalletto is a proprietary blend of fruit from La Morra, where this historic winery is headquartered, near the iconic cedar of Lebanon that dominates this picture-perfect landscape. This is a fabulous set of new releases, starting with this classic (entry-level) Barolo that is linear, direct and beautifully focused. The fruit is soft, elegant and open-knit in nature, with berry nuances, oak spice and crushed limestone. I also notice a specifically minty note that I recall from previous vintages, only it appears with more brilliant clarity in this beautiful 2016.

The 2016 Barolo Monfalletto is a gorgeous wine that shows just how fabulous the year is. Bright, floral and light on its feet, the 2016 is all class. The elegance and refinement of La Morra come through loud and clear in a mid-weight, aromatically expressive Barolo that hits all the right notes. Best of all, the 2016 will drink well right out of the gate. This is such a gorgeous and classy wine. Wow.