2018 Barolo Annunziata, Agricola Brandini

Annunziata is invariably the first of the estate’s Barolo vineyards to ripen. It’s a warm, south-east facing site albeit with relatively deep soils which retain plenty of water, so while the resulting wine tends to be plush and fruit-forward it also boasts ample acidity to drive things forward. The 2018 is a particularly fine example, with sweet red berry fruit and herbal notes. It’s remarkably approachable now but has all the structure, acidity and weight of fruit to improve in bottle over the next decade. Drinking window: 2025-2037