Ciabot Berton, Roggeri, Barolo 2017 (14.5%)

The fiercely warm 2017 vintage was not an easy challenge to surmount, but this articulate Barolo has done just that with a wine that is not merely beautiful and characterful in its own right, but also conveys the style of the vintage without travesty or falsehood. It is relatively dark in colour, and the aromas are rich, earthy and generous, with the sensible use of oak lending equilibrium to the boisterous fruits. On the palate, it is intense and deep, structured and detaining, and the oak serves to give the fruit a charm, lift and fragrance it might not otherwise have. It’s a wine that will be better in four or five years, but there is still much to enjoy already – on a winter’s night with a fine meal.

The Oberto family, owner of Ciabot Berton, has been hardwired into the commune of La Morra in Barolo since 1876, when Maria Oberto acquired the family’s first plot of vines. What followed has been a forensic obsession with the crus, or vineyards, of La Morra, including

Roggeri, one of the most revered and whose reputation was documented as far back as the 15th century.

‘I was born in La Morra, surrounded by vineyards,’ says Marco Oberto, who took over from his father Luigi in 1997, and expanded the family’s holdings, cherry-picking the most desirable vineyards from La Morra’s slopes.

‘Our wines are customised according to the features of each vineyard,’ he says. ‘Nebbiolo is fickle, so it requires a certain experience in knowing how to deal with the differences in soil composition, altitude and exposition.

‘Roggeri is located at 350m, facing southeast. The deep roots of vines that are more than 60 years old take advantage of a soil that is rich in clay and limestone, producing wines that display structure, a vibrant tannic texture, fragrant black fruit and a long, enveloping finish.’

First made in 1993, 8,000 bottles of this wine are produced annually. Like all Oberto’s Barolos and as per tradition, it is aged in Slavonian oak.