Tenuta Rocca, Barolo DOCG (Piedmont, Italy) 2016

 First, the bad news:  I can’t find evidence of any vintage of this wine being offered by any retailer in the USA, though it is both available and nicely priced in the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Sweden and Brazil and Italy (of course, though not widely even there).  The good news is that this is flat-out fabulous in 2016, and clearly one of the two best releases from the Bussia cru that I tasted blind, along with the very differently styled “Dardi Le Rose” bottling from Poderi Colla.  Of those two, this is much more flamboyant, with incredible richness and depth of flavor, but no overt heat in the finish and no sense of stewey, over-ripe fruit character.  Nor is it notably woody, though the fruit could have easily counterbalanced more oak, judging from its prodigious density.  For anyone who thinks that the 2016 vintage in Barolo just produced wispy, wan wines, here’s your case in counterpoint.  Find it and buy it.