2021 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Romirasco, Piedmont

Packed with black cherry, black currant, blackberry and violet aromas and flavors from the get-go, this intense red is also laced with iron, black pepper, eucalyptus and tar elements. Brooding and solidly built, yet with a sense of finesse, this is balanced, and the finish just seems to go on and on. Stellar.

99 points Wine Spectator

Graphite and minerals dominate on the nose, with potpourri, dried cherries, orange zest, wax and licorice. There is a lot of fruit sweetness on the palate, with firm, dusty yet ripe tannins and long, refreshing acidity. Full-bodied, it will age for decades. Try from 2027.

96 points James Suckling

Romirasco sits at the very top of the Bussia slope in Monforte d’Alba, a windswept, high altitude parcel that consistently delivers one of the most powerful and ageworthy Barolos in Piedmont. Poderi Aldo Conterno has built its reputation on these vineyards, combining traditional methods with an almost obsessive attention to detail, and Romirasco is the flagship expression.

The 2021 vintage shows both muscle and precision. Dark cherry, blackberry and blood orange form the core, wrapped in rose petal, liquorice and a lift of spice. As it opens, more layers unfold, tar, tobacco, dried herbs and a deep, iron laced minerality that speaks directly of Bussia’s soils.

Structure is formidable but refined. Full bodied with dense, tightly woven tannins that grip without feeling coarse, supported by a line of acidity that keeps the wine moving. The fruit is concentrated and layered, stretching into a long, complex finish where savoury, spicy and mineral notes linger.

Winemaking here remains grounded in tradition, long macerations and ageing in large oak, allowing the vineyard to define the wine rather than technique.

This demands serious food. Braised beef, osso buco or slow cooked lamb all make sense. It also works beautifully with dishes like porcini risotto, truffle laden pasta or a rich lentil and mushroom stew, where the wine’s structure and depth have something to lock into.

Still very young and tightly coiled, it needs time or a long decant now, and will evolve over the next twenty to thirty years, gaining incredible complexity and finesse.