Elvio Cogno Barolo Ravera 2020

There are famous Barolos and there are great Barolos. They overlap more than people think, but not as much as the prices suggest. Elvio Cogno is not famous in the way that Giacomo Conterno or Bruno Giacosa are famous. His estate in Novello is smaller, quieter, and consistently makes wine that competes with cellars charging twice as much. The Ravera is why. Ravera is one of the eleven officially recognized Barolese MGAs. The Burgundy-equivalent single-vineyard designations that were formalized in 2010. Novello sits on the southwestern edge of the zone, slightly warmer than La Morra, slightly more structured than Barolo proper. The result is a wine with reach. Dark cherry, tar, dried rose, iron, a saline edge on the finish, and tannins that are fierce when young and magnificent with five years of patience. The 2020 vintage in Piedmont was warm and ripe. Cogno's Ravera took the concentration and kept the elegance. Drink it in 2028 and you will feel very smart about the $70 you spent. Buy two. Open one too early just to understand where it is going. Wait on the other one.