Abrigo Fratelli, Barolo DOCG (Piedmont, Italy) 2016

 Abrigo is a fairly common family name around Alba, and I have no direct experience at this house, though this exceptional wine from the great cru of Ravera makes me determined to change that.  Ravera is rapidly becoming one of the most highly esteemed vineyards in all of Barolo, and in 2016, all six renditions that were included in the Nebbiolo Prima blind tastings were excellent, scoring at least 93 points in my assessments.  Only 333 cases of this were produced, so you’ll need to be lucky to find it at all, but it is well worth a search.  A billowing, dramatic bouquet is entirely arresting, and the wine follows through brilliantly on the palate with intense flavor impact.  Most impressively, though, it provides layers of intense flavor without ever teetering from its near-perfect balance nor showing anything short of impeccable grace.  My raw note ends with the words, “bloody impressive.”