Intensely ruby-red, almost garnet colored, it has a rich, full, sustained flavor of licorice, berry and plum. The palate is dry and strong, complex with a long finish. Perfect with goat served with polenta.

Rating

Wine Spectator 94 points (Oct 15 2005) Loads of plum, berry and licorice character with hints of new wood. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long, rich finish. Beauty here. Tight and compacted. Lots going on here. Give it time. Best after 2008. 800 cases made. –JS  Robert Parker 92 points (Oct 2006) A dark-toned hue of ruby with violet highlights, the 2001 Barolo Cicala suggests new oak and spices on the nose, then opens to reveal a very complete and multi-dimensional wine that offers sensations of ripe dark cherries, minerals, menthol, tar, licorice and violets wrapped around a structured, masculine frame. A very fresh and long finish makes this a superbly well-balanced and beautiful wine. The Cicala cru gives wines of power and intensity owing to its poorer and dryer soils which contain more iron, as well as the vineyard’s south to south-east exposure. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2021.