Rosso Giovanni di Rosso Davide, Barolo DOCG (Piedmont, Italy) 2015

 This has the 2015 growing season etched into it very deeply, with big, ripe fruit driving all of the sensory signals it emits.  It shows just a hint of over-ripeness on the palate and a little whiff of alcoholic heat in the finish, but neither of these impressions are problematic, and are definitely compensated for by the sheer size and deliciousness of this fruit-driven wine.  Rather like some of the very best wines from the 2007 vintage, this comes off as something of a “guilty pleasure” because it doesn’t have the intricacy or reserve shown by top wines in cooler, more classic vintages.  Still, this gives so much pleasure that it is easy to forget any guilt involved when comparing it to some Platonic Idea of what Barolo should be.