Elio Sandri, Barolo Riserva Perno Vigna Disa DOCG (2018) – Piemonte

The estate’s top bottle, from its oldest vines, in a vintage that favoured grace over muscle. Vigna Disa is the block Sandri keeps for his best wine, and in 2018 it came out perfumed and silky. It’s a Barolo you can start on sooner than you’d expect from a Riserva. Don’t rush it, though, because it has the depth to go on for years. THE GRAPE 100% Nebbiolo from Vigna Disa, the oldest vineyard on the Cascina Disa estate, in the hamlet of Perno in Monforte d’Alba. The old, low-yielding vines are planted to the Lampia clone, and the block faces south. THE WINE Rose petals, black cherry and truffle, with an exotic, spicy side that sets it apart from the estate’s other wines. The palate is silky, with fine tannins and a long finish. It comes from long ageing in large old oak, with no new wood and no fining or filtration. At 14.5% it stays graceful rather than powerful. FOOD PAIRING Osso buco, braised beef, white truffle tajarin, aged Castelmagno or Parmigiano.