The 1989 Barolo Vigna del Gris offers copious quantities of sweet, jammy, black-cherry fruit intermingled with aromas of herbs, tar, and smoke. The wine is full-bodied, with excellent definition, richness, and purity of fruit. The style falls somewhere between the rustic traditionalists and the small barrique-aged modernists. Drink it over the next 15-16 years. As my notes so admirably attest, Conterno Frantino is an up and coming Piedmontese star. Both 1989s are terrific wines. Both the 1990 cuvees were closed and more difficult to assess, hence the more conservative scores. With more time in the bottle, these wines will prove to be as persuasive as the 1989s. Importer: a Neil Empson Selection, Empson, USA, Inc., Alexandria, VA.