2007 Barolo Percristina

Clerico had just begun harvesting the day I stopped by for a visit.His monumental winery is now finished and we tasted in his large, airy tasting room with a spectacular view of the vineyards.A bit of a breeze was blowing out the haze, and the distant mountains came into view as we tasted.Clerico told me he prefers 2009 to 2010 today, simply because the earlier year is more drinkable."I'm content with the 2010s," he said."But we would have liked to wait a bit longer to put them into bottle because more maturing would have softened the tannins."Still, added assistant winemaker Luciano Racca, the 2009s are generally a tad higher in acidity than the '10s.Racca noted that beginning in 2011 the estate has done longer, cooler macerations, with a "very slow spin of the rotofermenters--just four or five times a day--in order to avoid overextraction."While the Barolos are made in almost 100% new oak, Clerico has been working with better coopers since 2008, using longer-dried, less-toasted barrels from oak meant for the Burgundy market, which Racca says give less wood impact. (Importers include Michael Skurnik Wines, www.skurnikwines.com; Estate Wines Ltd., www.estatewinesltd.com)

It's great to see Domenico Clerico pretty much back to his normal self after a bout with illness over the last few years. Despite having made so many dazzling wines in the past, I can't help thinking Clerico's best Baroli may still lie ahead. Maceration times have been gradually lengthened, the use of new French oak has come down in most of the wines and there are rumblings that larger casks are on the way. As always, I tasted a large selection of wines during my recent visit to the estate, including 4-5 vintages of each of the Baroli. Clerico's 2006s are emotional, moving wines that are living up to the praise I bestowed upon them last year. The 2007s are stratospheric, while the 2008s are developing very well, albeit in a more classic style than the decidedly exuberant 2007s. In 2008 Clerico has a Barolo from his vineyard in Bussia that is still being raised separately and may be bottled on its own. Based on multiple tastings, it is a special Barolo. It's still early for the 2009s, but today they are less viscerally thrilling, pretty much in line with the way most wines of that year are showing right now.