2004 Barolo Riserva 10 Anni Fossati Case Nere

Roberto and Davide Voerzio's 2004 Barolos are quite attractive, although they appear to be aging faster than many wines in this vintage. With only a few exceptions, these are Barolos that need to be enjoyed within the next 5-10 years, give or take.

Roberto and Davide Voerzio's 2010 Barolos are off the charts. These are some of most spectacular wines I have ever tasted from Voerzio. For more historical perspective, readers might enjoy revisiting this extensive retrospective from a few years back. Voerzio fans will note a few small changes to the range. The Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata is now pure Rocche, which is a good thing as the addition of fruit from Torriglione in my view did not add anything positive given the extraordinary purity and specificity of Rocche, one of Barolo's truly great sites. The fruit from Torriglione is going into a new old-vines bottling just from that site that replaces the Barolo Riserva Capalot/Vecchie Viti delle Brunate, which Voerzio is no longer making after having lost his lease in Capalot. Since 2008, the Barolos and the Barbera Pozzo have been aged in equal parts cask and French oak, which has given the wines a little more classicism, not much of a surprise considering the Barolos Roberto Voerzio himself holds in the highest esteem. The exceptions are the Sarmassa and the Torriglione, both of which are made in small quantities and bottled only in magnum. For my money, Voerzio's Barolo Cerequio is one of the truly iconic wines of Barolo. Recent bottles of the 2000 and 2008 have been simply stunning. Voerzio fans can expect to see production increase in the coming years. Roberto Voerzio has recently purchased a handful of vineyards - since replanted - from his brother Gianni.

This wine was tasted at the Gala Dinner at the World Wine Symposium, Villa d'Este, Italy.

There are a few visits in Piedmont that literally give me goosebumps. Roberto Voerzio is one of those. 2004 is a rare vintage in which the ultra-perfectionist Voerzio produced all seven of his single-vineyard Barolos. I have been following these magnificent wines for three years and it is a joy to taste them now that they are in bottle. The wines are just as spectacular now as they have been in my prior tastings. As it turns out I had the rare opportunity to taste the entire line up on two different days within the course of a week and the wines were consistently brilliant. Voerzio also bottled a limited number of magnums and double magnums of many of his 2004 Barolos which will be rare treasures for those who can find and afford them. When I stopped by the estate in November pretty much the only open question was the optimal order in which to taste the wines. Voerzio, very much a vigneron at heart, wanted to present the wines in the order the fruit was harvested. I opted for a more Burgundian approach of tasting the wines according my personal rank of the importance of his vineyards. Simply put, this is an extraordinary set of wines from Roberto Voerzio.