The 2009 Barolo San Giuseppe is an elegant and tight wine with mild spice aromas folded within dark fruit, plum, dried cherry, licorice and tar. Those pretty fruit tones are immediately followed by distant touches of cured meat and pipe tobacco. This is a promising effort that could use another few years of aging. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2022. Pecchenino makes some of the most food-friendly wines in Italy today. Specialized in Dolcetto and the other indigenous grapes of Piedmont, I have enjoyed pairing their wines with slices of sharp pecorino cheese, pizza topped with spicy chorizo and grilled sausage packed with fennel seed. The Dolcetto grape in particular is well-suited for cold cuts or foods with a high fat content because its sharp flavors keep the palate clean. Pecchenino also makes two top-shelf expressions of Nebbiolo. Importer: Vias Import; New York, NY; tel. (212) 629-0200

The graphite and balsamic aromas are piercing, followed by flavors of rose, cherry and briar. Light and elegant, with an aftertaste of tobacco and spice. Best from 2015 through 2027. 466 cases made.??–BS??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Barolo Select to Add