2007 Barolo Brovia

Cristina and Elena Brovia, and Elena's husband Alex Sanchez, were reluctant to present their 2008 Barolos, as the wines had been bottled just a couple weeks before my visit. They need not have worried, though, as the wines showed extremely well, offering obvious structure for a long life in bottle but also outstanding sweetness of fruit. This vintage was bottled earlier than usual (the '07s were bottled in January and February of 2011), as, according to Elena, "there was a lot of positive evolution in the months before the bottling; the wines achieved complexity early." Sanchez described the vintage as "elegant and classic." In comparison, he went on, "2007 is a controversial vintage: some find it very atypical, not classic. If you like the 2007s, that doesn't necessarily mean you're a Barolo lover." Paterfamilias Giacinto Brovia, who has worked 58 harvests, told me that he couldn't compare 2007 to any past vintage.

Brovia's 2007 Baroli look to be worthy follow-ups to the stunning 2006s. They have been gorgeous on the multiple times I have tasted them from barrel. All of the Baroli were in cask when I last sampled them in November 2010. In keeping with the personality of the vintage, the 2007s possess a fleshiness that makes them virtually impossible to resist even at this early stage. At the same time, the intensity of color, tannins and overall freshness makes me think the wines will age gracefully. The 2007s show an intense, almost extreme expression of the estate's single vineyards, and the differences between the wines aren't quite as marked as they are in more classic vintages such as 2006.