Roberto Voerzio Barolo Sarmassa 2013 (Magnum 1.5L)

Of the living winemaking legends in Piedmont, there are few quite like Roberto Voerzio. His fame is international, his philosophy uncompromising, and his Barolo wines seemingly eternal. He does regularly and with conviction what few other growers would dare to do?whether it be a draconian approach to green harvesting or discarding wine deemed unworthy of the Voerzio name?and as a result, he has redefined the boundaries of what makes world-class Barolo. "One of the central tenets of the Voerzio approach," says Antonio Galloni, "is a steadfast belief that the relationship between low yields and high quality is always linear." What this translates to is a strict method of green harvesting that brings yields down to less than a pound of fruit per plant ("normal" yields in Barolo are on average twice that). An additional trimming of individual bunches further reduces yields and concentrates flavors. Voerzio wines should never be rushed, however, as they require at least five years in bottle before revealing their true nature. And there is no question that this true nature "suave, concentrated, textured" places Voerzio Barolo solidly in the ranks of Italy's finest wines.