Monchiero Carbone, Roero Riserva (Piedmont, Italy) 2008

 This remarkable wine is very dark in color and shows striking concentration of pigments.  Spicy and floral, with a subtle menthol note, this actually looks and smells more like a Barolo from a top cru than a wine from Roero, and it musters the weight and depth of flavor to back up that impression.  There’s a notable dose of new wood present, yet the plush fruit is more than equal to the challenge of counterbalancing the oak.