Barolo, “Ūnĭo”

Brovia chose to make only one wine from their four crus in the challenging vintage of 2014 and the end result is not just good, it is shockingly gorgeous. The nose soars, laden with the beautiful, complex spice of great Nebbiolo, and anchored by dark, savory fruits. “Ūnĭo” is a densely-boned fighter whose musculature makes up in definition what it lacks in size, with a sense of mesmerizing clarity—the kind of clear-eyed freshness that the heft of riper vintages sometimes masks. In the absence of excess flesh, the wine’s profound minerality is positively arresting, reading as chiseled and foundational rather than as an undertone or a grace note.The tannins are downright sexy—the lower-lip bite at the end of a kiss that manages to be both tender and suggestive.