The 2001 Langhe Rosso Arte has aged beautifully, especially for a wine that was meant to be enjoyed young. Sweet red cherries, flowers, mint, leather and tobacco are some of the nuances that emerge from the glass. The aromas show lovely tertiary complexity, while the youthful tannins have largely softened. The 2001 Arte is peaking, but it has enough fruit to continue to drink well for at leastnother few years, perhaps longer. This is a very pleasant and totally unexpected surprise. Arte is 90% Nebbiolo and 10% Barbera. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018. Without question the most surprising 2001s I tasted were those of Domenico Clerico. I loved these wines when they were released, rated them highly and bought them for my own cellar. I tasted the 2001s with Domenico Clerico and his team during a visit in November 2011, and then opened the wines from my own cellar back in New York. Oddly, I found the wines from my cellar in better shape than the wines I tasted in Piedmont. Still, time has not been kind to Clerico’s 2001s. I found all of the Baroli surprisingly forward and evolved. The tannins have softened some over the years, but now the fruit is dropping out and the wines are evolving rather quickly. The Langhe Rosso Arte, a 90% Nebbiolo/10% Barbera blend, is the wine that has aged best. And when the entry-level wine (Arte was the entry-level wine in 2001) has aged better than the top selections, there is a problem. Clerico was a long-time proponent of French oak, which he employed in very high levels until around 2005 or so. Maybe it was the toast levels. It’s hard to say exacly. What is pretty clear is that the 2001s are evolving at a fast pace and aren’t likely to improve much from here. Importers: Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300, Classic Wine Imports, Norwood, MA; tel. (800) 862-4585, Cutting Edge Selections, Mariemont, OH; tel. (513) 561-8555, Robert Houde Wines, Elk Grove Village, IL; tel. (847) 430-3887, Robert Panzer Selections, Wilmington, DL; robertpanzer@hotmail.com, Bacchus Importers, Baltimore, MD; tel. (410) 633-0400, Selected Brands, FL; tel. (954) 428-0019, Giuliana Imports, Boulder, CO; tel. (303) 547-6343, Estate Wines, tel. (415) 706-7975, Vinum Wine Importing & Distributing, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 621-8843, Bommarito Wines, Saint Louis, MO; tel. (314) 961-8996