A wine of vertical explosiveness and towering structure, the 2004 Barolo Brunate is pure Brunate to the core. The flavors are bold, exotic and enticing, with seemingly endless layers of nuance that open up over time. Plums, black cherries, leather, smoke, tobacco, rose petal and orange peel meld into a super-expressive finish, where hints of lavender and white pepper add an utterly beguiling top register. Readers who want to understand what Brunate is all about should check out Altare's 2004. What a fabulous wine this is. -- Antonio Galloni