Cagliero, Barolo DOCG (Piedmont, Italy) 2016

 It seems that very little of this wine makes it to the USA, as I could only find one vintage on offer, a 2009 in New York, but I will damned sure be conducting a global search for this vintage from the stellar Ravera vineyard.  It is quite ripe but not at all over-ripe, showing sexy cherry liqueur notes with lovely hints of incense and spices.  Thanks to its impressive density, it has already absorbed nearly all the oak notes, leaving no overt wood to add to the tannin load, which is low in comparison to the savory and fruity signature of the wine.