The 2006 Barolo offers up dark red fruit, earthiness, tobacco, spices, leather and mocha, with lovely depth for an entry-level bottling. This needs to be opened at least 1-2 hours in advance to allow for some of the rough edges to soften. Overall, the 2006 is quite a success for the estate’s straight Barolo. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022. Fontanafredda remains one of the great mysteries of Piedmont. The estate owns some of the very finest vineyards in the entire region. Still, far too many wines remain undistinguished. That said, important strides are being made at the high-end. As part of his massive rebranding exercise, proprietor Oscar Farinetti has removed the Lazzarito bottling from the Fontanafredda lineup and added it to the Mirafiore offerings, also reviewed in this issue. Importer: Domaine Select, New York, NY; tel. (212) 279-0799