1978 Barolo Bricco Rocche Prapo

Medium evolved red. The Prapò, from a vineyard in Serralunga, is on an entirely different level. Initially the nose is potent and backward, but with some time in the glass notes of spices, underbrush, tar, licorice and cocoa appear, followed by sweet, dark fruit and a kick of menthol on the finish. Serralunga Barolos typically take longer to evolve and this wine comes across as more youthful than the Brunate, with enough concentration and focused fruit to balance the tannins, giving the wine a sense of greater overall harmony. I can't imagine that this wine will improve much with additional cellaring, but it doesn't appear to be declining either. My preference, though, would be to drink it sooner rather than later. It would be a shame to miss this wine at this very expressive, beautiful stage of its life.