Renato Ratti, Barolo DOCG (Piedmont, Italy) 2012

I just happened to be listening to a recording of Puccini’s famous "Nessun Dorma" while tasting this wine, and right at the climax of the melody, the wine released itself upon my olfactory bulb in a most pleasurable way.  Coincidence?  Perhaps, but we’ve all had moments like this where two beautiful things come together to create synergy that reaches past where the individual parts might be otherwise.  Don’t worry, I adjusted my score down accordingly to not blow things out of proportion.  What you get from the glass is full throttle elegance, with cherry, blueberry, spice and powder aromas and flavors that linger long.  It’s just entering its ascent phase, and promises to be great for quite a while.  Bravo!