Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata DOCG 2018 Renato Ratti

The Renato Ratti 2018 Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata (with 5,500 bottles produced) is the estate's headline wine with fruit from a special 1.5-hectare site with characteristic Tortoniano blue marl mixed with veins of sand. The wine is aged in a combination of new barrique and Slavonian oak casks. The results are fine and filigreed with aromas of sour cherry, smoke, tar and pencil shaving. I love the precision of this Barolo and the energy capped within its lean and tight mouthfeel.

Aromas of red cherries, redcurrants, strawberries and sweet nuts follow through to medium-bodied, silky palate with ultra-fine tannins that create a light but well-balanced framework. A lighter structure this year, but good intensity and elegance. Best from 2023.

Supple, offering cherry, orange peel, licorice, mineral and sweet spice flavors. The balance and length suggest this will age over the short- to medium-term. Approachable now, with light, pliable tannins lining the finish. Drink now through 2038.