1996 Francesco Rinaldi, Barolo, La Brunata (RT96) At 27 years this has blossomed into a utterly spellbinding wine. Revealing a deep ruby garnet hue, the age isn’t revealed in the least. Took a few hours to completely reveal itself, but when it did the bouquet soars high and mighty from the stem revealing a pungent spine of red cherry liqueur accented with amazingly deep, robust Christmas spice, exotic sous bois, a hint of umami and notes of minerality. The more time in the stem it spends, the more mesmerizing the bouquet becomes. Conveys the structure and age worthiness of the vintage. fruited palate is equally captivating as mature, soft fruit conveys an elegant persona, backed up by soft, yet bright acidity and sweet, succulent tannins. I’ve had many bottles of this ‘96, but this is by far the finest yet. In a word: amazeballs! Drink now-2036+