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With a cellar in the hamlet of Annunziata, the Bovios have long farmed some of La Morra’s best vineyards for Nebbiolo including Arborina (next to Elio Altare), Rocchettevino and, perhaps best, an impressive (but very small) holding in Gattera, the vineyard instantly identifiable by the ziggurat-topping 150-year old Lebanon pine you can see from virtually everywhere in Barolo. Gattera is a beautiful piece of vineyard and the Bovios’ Nebbiolo vines there are among the oldest in the MGA, aged well over 50.

Over the past few months, I’ve had the chance to taste a score of 2022s and the Bovio Gattera (along with, by the way, all of neighbor Silvia Altare’s Barolos) have topped my list so far. This is, to my palate, a most impressive achievement, not only within the context of the 2022s, but for any vintage. It has great freshness (something perhaps lacking in some of the more lackluster 2022s we’ve tasted) and a lot of concentration. The aromatics are lifted (dusky, deep red fruit, cedar shavings, cinnamon, pine resin, wild fennel), the palate is perfectly well-filled and round, and the tannins are svelte and perfectly integrated.

While I would say this will be an early drinker à la 2018, 2014 or 2020, I would also say that this wine, at least, seems fresher and more complete than any of those vintages at this juncture. Drink a bottle now that it’s finally arrived from Italy, and keep a half-dozen to drink while waiting for those 2016s and 2021s to come around.

James Suckling, 97 points: Complex with aromas of graphite, cedar, dried cherries and red currants alongside subtle sweet violets, blond tobacco and deep rhubarb. Soft and smooth on the attack with full body and integrated acidity. Extracted tannins are firm and dusty yet ripe and creamy in the finish. Warming yet balanced, with persistent licorice. Try from 2027.

Jeb Dunnuck, 94 points: From a south-facing site, the 2022 Barolo Gattera boasts a youthful ruby red color and combines aromatic lift with added structure. On the nose, fresh raspberries, cherries, orange peel, and wild herbs come through clearly. The palate is medium-bodied but firmer, with more grip, gravelly earth tones, and a subtle savory, gamey richness emerging on the finish. Drink 2026-2040.