Best Piedmont wines: Latest-release Barolo & Barbaresco

A magnificent result for 2014, but then this is a legendary wine: a top bottling from a top estate. The nose is rich, juicy, and exuberant, with piquant raspberry aromas. It's undoubtedly rich and full-bodied, and there's no lack of volume or concentration. The tannins are bold and fleshy, and the wine overall is surprisingly succulent and approachable. Very long, grainy finish.

The Cortese brothers are among the finest producers of this great cru, and the 2016, from 50-year-old vines, is outstanding. The nose is rich and vibrant, with raspberry coulis aromas. The high ripeness is immediately discernible but it's not overblown. Rich and velvety on the palate, this is sleek but concentrated, with finely judged density of fruit that never seems excessive. There's depth, weight, and considerable power here, with a long, complex finish.

Romirasco is a 3.8ha site in the Bussia cru, located on a hilltop overlooking the Conterno winery in Monforte, and it usually delivers the most structured of the Conterno wines. <br><br>The nose is dense and powerful, with very ripe but not cooked cherry and raspberry aromas. Although powerful, structured and concentrated, it's broad and fleshy with formidable tannins that are far from angular. Very long and built to last.

Einaudi always make an excellent wine from this celebrated Barolo vineyard, and 2015 is no exception. In this vintage, the wine was aged initially in barriques and then in large casks. The red-fruited nose is smoky and vibrant with some oak in evidence, but there's also a floral charm here. The attack is firm and assertive, but the tannins are finely tuned and discreet, giving the wine polish and vigour. Punchy and very long.

Although Vietti was bought by an American company in 2016, the long-standing family winemaker Luca Currado remains in place. This powerful expression of an important Serralunga vineyard is aged both in barriques and large casks. It's deep in colour and shows lush, meaty aromas that at present lack finesse. It's very opulent and savoury on the palate, assertive without being astringent, and has imposing balance and length.

Giorgio Conterno did a fine job handling a tricky vintage with his 2014 Ginestra, and the 2015 from this 3ha site in Monforte is magnificent too. Tasted from cask, it's still reticent but is showing brooding cherry aromas. It's very ripe and fleshy on the plump but concentrated palate, with elegant tannins and a very long, stylish finish. Perfectly balanced, with neither toughness nor softness.

Le Rocche is a selection from the highest parcels in Falletto in Serralunga, which helps to explain its great finesse. The raspberry and redcurrant nose shows great purity of fruit, poise and stylishness. The palate is equally elegant, with a lean attack, polished tannins and a silky, intense texture. There's ample tannic grip but it's not aggressive and there are none of the rough edges often apparent in Serralunga. Balanced and very long.

The excellent Paitin property, focussed on its well-exposed Serraboella vineyard, uses traditional vinification methods, with long macerations and ageing in large casks rather than barriques. This bottling, from 40-year-old vines, displays a heady raspberry nose that's quite floral too, with beguiling generosity of fruit. It's lavish and very concentrated in the mouth, with bold tannins that are by no means too extracted or tough. Spicy and assertive, the wine has ample energy, drive and length.

Winemaker Claudio Roggero has long been making effortlessly good wines from this top site in Neive. The 2015 was superb, and the 2016 may prove even better. Rich and spicy on the nose with some red fruit aromas, this is a tad confected now but will lose that with further ageing. The palate is broad, succulent and very concentrated, with excellent weight and volume for Barbaresco without being heavy-handed. A long, creamy yet graceful finish.

This first-rate Barbaresco cooperative has released a superb set of Riservas, and this is among the very best. It's dense and solid on the nose, infused with cherry and raspberry fruit. Suave and full-bodied, it shows impressive weight and depth, with ripe tannins that contribute texture. The finish is spicy, displaying drive, finesse and length. Excellent balance and ageing potential.