Tasted six parcels that go into the blend of this wine (all barrel samples):
Bricco Fiasco (Lot 23) – Nice nose, hint of warmth with sweet dark cherries and dried roses. Good acidity with delicate and nonaggressive tannins that sneak up on you. Bit warm on the finish. (86-88).
Ciabot Berton/Rocchetevino (Lot 29) – bit softer on the nose with red fruits and a hint of leather, floral and orange peel. Softer mouthfeel but with more acidity and a bit firmer structure. A touch reduced on the nose as well but not to the point of being bothersome. (88-90).
Fossati (Lot 30) – Hint of vitamins on the nose with red fruits underneath. Nose seems a bit modern and reduced at this stage. Very classically structured (most acidity and firmest tannins yet) with a drying mouthfeel. Tannins are not sweet, but rather rough and sandy. Flavour profile is almost under ripe. Not a big of this parcel. (82-84).
Lazzariasco (Lot 39) – Quite an open nose here with dark cherries, some spice and a little bit of reduction. Darker fruits on the palate with pepper and a rocky finish. Really nice acidity and good length. Solid structure. This was quite nice. (87-89).
Bricco Ravera di Monforte (Lot 36) – Darkest nose yet with dark cherry and black raspberry notes with beautiful dried flowers as well. Silky and lighter in the mouth yet still very powerful. Tannins are chewy and firm with excellent acidity. Quite focused. Really good. (89-92).
Scarrone (Lot 31) – Shyer nose that wasn’t giving up much. A touch warm on the palate with drying tannins, good acidity and a longer tart finish. I found the tannins to be a bit green/lean here. Not sure about this one. (80-86?).
*Overall the Barolo Castiglione should be a very good wine once bottled and I think it will need at least 10 years before becoming approachable. If I hazard a guess, I would think the final bottled version of this will end up somewhere in the 88-91pt range.

Barrel sample – Coolest and most elegant nose yet, almost Burgundian, with cooler red fruits, high toned intensity and a hints of minerals. Silky mouthfeel with great acidity, chewy yet firm tannins and a long minerally finish. This is showing a good deal of complexity already. Will need 15-20 years. (93-96).

Barrel sample – Really nice nose with sweeter red fruits and a real pleasant spicy note. Again a silky mouthfeel with a touch softer tannins and plenty of acidity. Not as much length or complexity as the Rocche but a nice wine nonetheless. (91-93).

Barrel sample – Fairly open and high-toned nose with floral notes, darker red fruits and menthol. Soft entry with a velvety mouthfeel. Finishes with firm structure and good length but also has some elegance about it. (92-94).

Barrel sample – quite a different nose with high-toned hint (chemically/greenish) with some dark fruits and an orange peel/ Grand Marnier note. Lean and slightly astringent on the palate. Hasn’t been racked since malo. Wasn’t a big fan of this. (82-86?).

Beautiful nose showing some development with maturing dark cherries, dried flowers, tangerine peel and hint of mushrooms. Great acidity and firm yet somewhat approachable tannins. Solid length. This is starting to drink well but has a decade or more of development ahead of it. Excellent. 92+

Mushroom nose with maturing red fruits that was quite similar to the 2001 but more youthful and less developed. I think this needs 5-7 years before approaching. Excellent. 91+

Quite different than the Brunate (a tad more modernist) with camphor, tar and sweeter red fruits. This is more approachable than the Brunate, despite having quite a bit of structure, and is starting to drink well now but again this has a decade plus ahead of it. I’d give it at least 5 years. Excellent. 91+