Antoniolo, Gattinara Riserva (Piedmont, Italy) 2016

 Gattinara is located right at the foot of the Alps in northernmost Piedmont, well north of Milan, which is itself well north of both Barolo and Barbaresco.  Those famed wine regions deserve mention in this context because, like them, Gattinara is made from Nebbiolo.  (Up to 10% of a couple of other local red varieties are permitted, but top producers like Antoniolo work only with Nebbiolo, as in this wine.)  As many readers will know, 2016 was a historically great year for the wines of Barolo and Barbaresco, and yet this wine is so good that it could put many of its more famous counterparts to shame in this year.  Medium-bodied as is appropriate to the grape variety, this is nevertheless brimming over with expressive aromas and flavors, with the notes roughly evenly divided between primary fruit and savory notes recalling wild mushrooms, leather and tobacco leaf.  There’s no evidence of any new wood in this, nor is there any need for it, as the wine is ultra-complex as it stands.  I have no doubt that this will improve with time, but it is so delicious now that anyone who tries it will need to hide it from themselves to put that to the test.