Mario Gagliasso, Barolo (Piedmont, Italy) 2012

I’ve been following the wines of this producer very closely since tasting the fantastic 2008 release from the Rocche Dell’Annunziata cru, and visited the winery two years ago after tasting the equally thrilling 2010.  I wouldn’t have guessed that the same level could be attained from the 2012 vintage, but the fact is that this may be the strongest wine of this terrific trio.  It is a riveting wine that will strike some strict modernists as being a bit too dirty for their taste, and indeed there seems to be a bit of a brettanomyces issue in this winery, which is full of new and new-ish oak, but always seems to issue notably earthy wines.  With that said, I found the aromas of cured meat, wild mushrooms, aged leather to be totally alluring.  The concentration is admirable, and there’s a streak of pure, sweet fruit that offsets the earthy elements very effectively, making for a complete experience… at a very high level.