2016 Renato Ratti Barolo Conca DOCG, Piedmont

What a beautifully juicy red with plums, chocolate, cedar and some salted nuts. It’s full-bodied with round, soft tannins and a flavorful finish. Savory and fruity. Fantastic.

95 points jamessuckling.com

Fragrant, elegant and brimming with youthful tension, this radiant red has enticing aromas evoking red rose, forest berry, camphor and dark spice. Loaded with finesse, the focused palate doles out juicy red cherry, pomegranate, licorice and a mineral tone alongside taut, refined tannins. Fresh acidity keeps balance and focus. Drink 2026–2036.

97 points Wine Enthusiast 

Renato Ratti Barolo Conca is one of the most important single vineyard Barolos ever bottled, coming from the historic Conca cru in La Morra, a gently curving amphitheatre of marl and limestone that has been famous for producing some of Barolo’s most aromatic and elegant wines. Renato Ratti was a visionary in Piedmont, the man who first mapped and classified Barolo’s great crus in the 1970s, and Conca was one of the first vineyards he chose to bottle on its own, long before single cru Barolo was fashionable. Today his son Pietro Ratti continues that legacy, farming the vineyard with deep respect for both tradition and terroir.

In the glass the wine shows a luminous garnet colour, opening with haunting aromas of rose petal, sour cherry, red plum, licorice, dried herbs and subtle spice. The palate is refined yet powerful, layering bright red fruits, earthy minerality and firm, fine grained tannins that promise long life and graceful evolution. It is a beautiful partner for braised beef, wild game, truffles and aged Parmigiano, and it will continue to develop for twenty years or more, gaining truffle, leather and dried flower complexity as it matures.