ForteMasso Barolo Castelletto Riserva 2016

A powerful, age-worthy red from one of the most acclaimed vintages in recent Barolo history, the ForteMasso Barolo Castelletto Riserva 2016 is 100% Nebbiolo sourced from the highest, coolest part of the estate's prized Castelletto vineyard — a site reserved only for Fortemasso's most serious wine, made exclusively in exceptional years.

Fortemasso was founded in 2013 when the Gussalli Beretta family — historic owners of the Beretta firearms brand, who have invested across several of Italy's top DOCGs — acquired a five-hectare Nebbiolo property in the Castelletto subzone of Monforte d'Alba. The estate's philosophy centers on precise vineyard work paired with minimal cellar intervention, using the different elevations of a single hillside to define three distinct Barolos: fruitier wine from the lower slope, the flagship Castelletto from the mid-slope, and this Riserva from the highest, best-ventilated section, where slower ripening builds the structure needed for long aging. The grapes undergo daily pumping-over during fermentation and a slow, 45-day submerged-cap maceration in steel, followed by malolactic fermentation, then 24 months in barrique and 24 months in large barrel before resting a further 22 months in bottle prior to release.

The 2016 shows a pale ruby color with hints of garnet, and an intense, complex nose layering black licorice, dark chocolate, black truffle, fresh rose petal and ripe blackberry with savory earth and sweet tobacco. On the palate the tannins are ripe and well-integrated, framed by a smooth, persistent backbone of acidity, with dried cherry, crushed chalk and dried blood orange lingering into a long, savory finish — a wine built for two decades or more of cellaring from what's widely regarded as a legendary Barolo vintage.

It's earned some of the estate's highest scores, including 98 points and a 94-point review from Wine Advocate, cementing this Riserva as Fortemasso's most complete and collectible expression of Castelletto.