Aromas recall tilled earth, clove, spice, herbs and red berry. The palate displays crushed black cherry, black pepper, toasted oak, vanilla and coconut alongside big, brooding tannins. Although the fruit richness holds up at first, astringent wood tannins generate an abrupt, drying finish.

The 2010 Barolo Vigna Cappella di S. Stefano, from a pristine hillside site in Perno, offers the best balance of these wines. Here the fruit is rich, dark and beautifully intense. The trademark Rocche dei Manzoni tannins are present, but here there is more than enough juiciness to provide better balance than in some of the other wines. Dark cherry, plum, menthol, tar, smoke and cloves flow through to the rich, exotic finish. The 2010 impresses for its combination of power and freshness.

A delicate, fruity Barolo with dried strawberry, cherry and nutmeg powder. Medium body, fine, chewy tannins and a walnut, cherry and berry aftertaste.