Mauro Veglio, Barolo (Piedmont, Italy) 2011

Veglio seems to get superb wines from this site in Monforte d’Alba in warmer years, as the 2007 was superb, and this wine is on track to be every bit as impressive.  Conspicuously dark in the glass, it follows through on that initial visual cue at every stage, showing ripe, brooding aromas of dark fruit, very deep flavors with excellent concentration, restrained oak, and lots of muscular fruit to counterbalance all of the tannins.  The sheer longevity of this might be doubted, but it is so delicious in its youth that it will still have a broader span of excellence than most wines from firmer years like 2005.  Veglio turned in a terrific performance in 2011, and the “Arborina” bottling from La Morra earned a score from me that brought it within a single point of this beauty from Monforte d’Alba.