2006 Barolo Castelletto

The 2006 Barolo Castelletto is simply lovely. This is the darkest of Veglio's 2006s. Dark plums, cherries, violets, mint, minerals and menthol flow effortlessly from the glass. The wine turns a touch firmer in the glass, as the youthful tannins take over, then finishes with substantial density and persistence on the close, where sweet balsamic notes add a final dash of complexity. The Castelletto is the most structured and potentially long-lived of Veglio's 2006 Barolos.

The 2006 Barolo Castelletto is simply lovely. This is the darkest of Veglio’s 2006s. Dark plums, cherries, violets, mint, minerals and menthol flow effortlessly from the glass. The wine turns a touch firmer in the glass, as the youthful tannins take over, then finishes with substantial density and persistence on the close, where sweet balsamic notes add a final dash of complexity. The Castelletto is the most structured and potentially long-lived of Veglio’s 2006 Barolos. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2024. With these 2006s Mauro Veglio seems to be taking another step away from the more concentrated style that characterized past vintages. Some of that may be the result of the harvest, which was especially challenging here as hail compromised the quality of the fruit from the Arborina vineyard. Still, Veglio’s 2006s offer lovely perfume, freshness and definition. The wines are relatively open at the moment, but are likely to shut down in bottle over the coming months. New oak levels have come down considerably and are now around 30-35% for the single-vineyard Barolos. Among several older wines I tasted, the 1999 Barolo Rocche (92) has held up quite nicely. I only had time to taste one 2007 Barolo (the Arborina) but it was highly promising. Importer: T. Edward Wines, Ltd., New York, NY; tel. (212) 233-1504

Deep, saturated red. Deep, ripe but brooding aromas of black fruits, menthol and licorice. Big, sweet, rich and deep, with a seamless texture and considerably more volume than the Gattera. This has the flesh and sweetness to support its serious building tannins. Also quite backward, but the wine's length and underlying sweetness hold out considerable promise.