Arnaldo Rivera Ravera, 750ml , Barolo, Italy, 2015

This Barolo comes from the Ravera Cru, a top site in Novello, sourced from six parcels at a high elevation of around 1300 feet. The nose is intensely smoky, with raspberry and strawberry aromas. The calcareous white soils produce beautiful fruit aromatics, whilst the due-south sun-facing aspect add considerable depth to the fruit and ripeness to the firm tannins. Directness of fruit is also brought forward by a degree less oak than their other Cru wines, with some smaller format wood -- but none of it new. It's sleek and stylish, a lifted wine that's taut and spicy with fine-grained tannins. There's tension and persistence here, with a long and elegant finish. A long and profound Barolo to approach now or cellar a good while, the Ravera is a classic.
Vinification: fermentation on the skins in stainless steel for 13 days at a controlled temperature of between 20 and 30 C. Malolactic fermentation: Spontaneous in wood.
Ageing: 32 months in French oak, 50% in used tonneaux of 500 - 700 lts and 50% in 25 Hl. casks. It follows about a year of bottle before sale. Barolo laws require a five years total ageing before the sale to the market.