2000 Fontanafredda Barolo Serralunga d'Alba
($50) Full red. Fresh aromas of black cherry, tar and menthol. Juicy, penetrating flavors of black cherry, dark berries and mint. Of this set of 2000s, this is the most forward and accessible.
2000 Fontanafredda Barolo Lazzarito Vigna La Villa
($82) Full, deep red. Reticent aromas of dark cherry, strawberry, toasted almond, spices, leather and smoke. Concentrated but youthfully clenched, with a note of reduction. Considerably broader than the Serralunga offering but also a bit hard-edged, finishing with rather powerful tannins and acids. This needs a good six to eight years of cellaring.
2000 Fontanafredda Barolo Vigna la Rosa
($90) Deep red-ruby, impressive for the vintage. Brooding aromas of black cherry, licorice and cough syrup. Fat, dense and chewy, but also backward and medicinal; this too conveys a clenched impression owing to its strong acids. The biggest of these 2000s. Very Serralunga, and distinctly primary and unforthcoming for the vintage. Finishes with a rather powerful tannic spine. (Wine Wave, Jericho NY
