2005 Barolo Riserva 10 Anni Fossati Case Nere

Roberto Voerzio's 2005 Barolos have become darker and deeper with time in bottle. Readers should plan on opening the wines a few hours in advance, as they benefit considerably from aeration. Voerzio describes 2005 as a cool, rainy year with overcast conditions and some hail during the summer. At the time, the wines were aged exclusively in barrique. Tasted today, the coolish weather and resulting uneven ripeness, along with the French oak tannins, a reminder that 2005 yielded tightly wound, sinewy Barolos with serious beams of tannin. Voerzio did not bottle his Rocche dell'Annunziata, Sarmassa and Riserva Vecchie Viti dei Capalot e delle Brunate because they weren't up to his exacting standards. Unfortunately, I did not taste the Brunate.