Poderi Colla, Barolo DOCG (Piedmont, Italy) 2016

 This wine almost always ends up near the top of the quality pyramid when I taste blind in Alba, and that was the case yet again when the 2016 vintage was shown early in 2020.  Twelve bottlings from Bussia were shown, and the tell-tale “Dardi Le Rose” designation for this wine was not included in anything provided by the organizers, so there was no auto-suggestion involved in my evaluation.  This rose to the top solely on its considerable merits.  Although it shows some meaty richness on the palate, every other descriptor in my notes cites the wine’s “grace” and “class” and “proportionality.”  It is virtually perfectly balanced in all respects, with fruit and acid and tannin and wood all seemingly remarkably symmetrical.  Poised to age in a harmonious way as a result, and leaving the development of more flamboyant nuances to wait for the arrival of tertiary notes from time in bottle, this is a classic in the making.