Ten years on.

From magnum.

Ruby. The nose has a good airborne purity, amarena and nuggety red fruit at the core, garlanded in lavender, roses, and a touch of rosemary. With air, more savory elements emerge, tar, black tea, smoke, a meaty nuance, crushed limestone minerality, and even a faint hint of bitter chocolate. There is both fragrance and gravitas here, puts the Monforte in the blend front and center.

On the palate, the wine walks a fine line between elegance and muscle. The entry is surprisingly approachable, it’s fresh, pure, red-fruited, but the structure steadily asserts itself. Tannins are crisp, mobile, and ripe, giving the wine a buttressed profile that promises longevity. Acidity keeps everything vibrant and precise, while the fruit intensity builds through the mid-palate with impressive persistence.

This is a young, structured Barolo that remains somewhat tightly wound despite its aromatic openness. It should evolve gracefully over the next 15–20 years, gaining further complexity as secondary and tertiary notes develop. A precise, muscular yet refined expression with good aging potential. Now – 2045+.

Alan Manley’s second vintage. A blend of purchase and estate fruit, including a Monforte block right next to Ginestra and a Serralunga block next to Vigna Rionda. Made like Mascarello, blended before fermentation, long macerations, Slavonian oak botti aging, although the 2016 vintage saw time in steel for logistical reasons.