Poderi Luigi Einaudi, Barolo DOCG (Piedmont, Italy) 2016

 Six wines from the famous cru of Cannubi were entered and shown “blind” in the 2020 Nebbiolo Prima tastings, and I thought this was the best of them.  It shows a substantial dose of spicy oak in the bouquet and also on the palate, yet extremely expressive fruit scents and flavors easily counterbalance the woody notes, with some nascent savory undertones also presenting themselves.  This shows quite striking primary fruit sweetness without the slightest hint of the flaws I would term “confected” or “raisined.”  The decision on when to pick the fruit was clearly perfect, and it will be fascinating to watch this develop over the years, as bottle age adds additional complexities.