Ascheri, Barolo DOCG (Piedmont, Italy) 2015

 In light of the tendency of 2015 to produce big wines and the commune of Serralunga to do the same, this is an admirably stylish wine that’s quite complex but only moderately weighty.  Still rather un-developed, most of its accents are oak-based, but these spicy, toasty notes work beautifully with the fruit, which shows both red and black tones.  The wine’s structural properties are immaculately proportioned, with acidity, fruit, wood and tannin all seeming just right in relation to one another.  I may be guilty of under-scoring this for the simple reason that it wasn’t quite as “showy” in terms of density in the blind tasting lineup as some of the top 2015s, and it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if this were to outpace many of its counterparts in improvement during the years ahead.