The 1989 Barolo Brunate is a grand, sweeping wine endowed with layers of dark, baritone fruit. Rich, deep and sensual, the wine impresses for its textured, layered fruit and great length. Sweet spices and leather linger on the elegant finish. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2014. Roberto Voerzio had clear ideas of the wines he wanted to make from the outset, but he got a later start than most of his contemporaries because he spent the first years of his career working alongside his brother Gianni. Although Voerzio was in his mid-30s at the time, it is nevertheless remarkable to consider that Voerzio had been on his own for just a few years when he made these magical 1989s and 1990s. Voerzio is best known for his fanatically low yields, which clearly inform these Barolos and is a major reason they remain fresh and intact to this day, a quality shared by many of his wines from lesser vintages. The 1989 and 1990 Barolos were vinified in stainless steel, where they also underwent malolactic fermentation prior to being aged in equal parts cask and barrique, an approach Voerzio returned to with his 2008s after having moved exclusively to French oak in 1994. Voerzio’s 1989s and 1990s capture a compelling balance between a modern concept of vineyard management and a fairly traditional style of vinification. The majority of these wines were tasted as part of massive retrospective I attended at Roberto Voerzio’s winery in November 2009 (the 1990 Barolo Brunate came from my cellar). I will report on that extraordinary tasting on www.erobertparker.com