Vietti 2021 Barolo - A Classic Barolo Vintage
A mild, wet winter set things up beautifully, replenishing water reserves for what became a dry growing season. The summer was warm rather than hot, and as a result the harvest of all the varieties was of perfectly ripe and healthy berries. Vietti’s nebbiolo vintage began late September and lasted well into October, aided by lower temperatures and a marked diurnal shift from mid-September. 2021 was a year of remarkable, aided no doubt from a quality perspective than the below average yields.
With this offer there is another new wine to the range, this time not from nebbiolo but 2022 Timorasso Derthona Boscogrosso, from a 2 hectare single vineyard located at 310 metres, on the top of the hill that acts as a watershed between the municipalities of Monleale and Volpeglino, with west to south-west exposure.
Vietti Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco 2022
Some fruit from Roncaglie goes into this wine, along with tidbits from other scattered Barolo vineyards. Aged for two years in large oak barrel, the Vietti 2022 Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco is not too far off from tasting and smelling like a full-fledged Barbaresco, or even a Barolo for that matter, since it does technically have the DNA of both. The fruit is delivered with fresh, vertical intensity, and the wine's texture is firm and tensile. I like this vintage more than I thought I would.
Vietti Barolo Lazzarito 2021
Fruit for this wine comes from a three-hectare parcel in Serralunga d'Alba near the village, with south and
southwestern exposures in a small amphitheater. The soils in this area are older and thus more evolved, but they always create wines of strong character. The Vietti 2021 Barolo Lazzarito is easy to identify thanks to its salty mineral finish, which is almost metallic in taste, and its bright hints of sweet rosemary and wild herb. These delicate high notes form pretty framing to a dark core of elegant fruit. The estate counts five vineyards in Serralunga d'Alba, but Lazzarito is the only MGA bottling. 97 Points. Moncia Larner, The Wine Advocate.
Vietti Barolo Brunate 2021
Brunate is also one of my favorite wines from Vietti (and, boy, is it hard to choose favorites) thanks to that playful hint of fresh mint that I usually find, especially in the best vintages. You certainly get it in the 2021 Barolo Brunate, and although I'm not sure how long it will last as the wine evolves, my experience suggests it only gets stronger and more beautiful in time. Indeed, this vintage (with 23 days of skin maceration) shows exceptional depth and precision with aromas that go beyond the mint, spanning instead to grilled rosemary and Darjeeling tea. The wine shows excellent textural support and broad shoulders, followed by tannins that are both sweet and chalky. It shows profound generosity and depth. Brunate always has an intense, dark soul.
97+ Points. Moncia Larner, The Wine Advocate
Vietti Barolo Ravera 2021
You could argue that this is the wine with the fasting growing quality trajectory because this vineyard site is one of those rare places in the appellation that appears to improve despite (or more likely because of) a changing climate. Ravera enjoys an open panorama (at 400 to 440 meters in elevation) that extends to the snow-capped Alps and benefits from cooler air currents, coupled with an amazing quality of light that you notice with the naked eye. The 2021 Barolo Ravera saw its fruit harvested later than the other wines, on October 11th, and continued with a classic Vietti-style fermentation with 20-plus days of skin contact. Simply put, what Ravera offers is complexity (and strength) with hints of bergamot, citrus, herbs, mineral and salt over a tightly concentrated mouthfeel. The quality of the tannins and the freshness of this 2021 are impressive, and that citrusy note continues with tangerine skin and kumquat. Production is 8,700 bottles.
98 pts, Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate
Vietti Derthona Timorasso 'Boscogrosso' 2022
The Vietti 2022 Colli Tortonesi Timorasso Derthona Boscogrosso represents a special selection of fruit from a hillside slope with southwest exposures on sandy soils. This is a generous expression of this promising grape, which has extra textural heft and layering in a hot vintage such as this. It shows a pretty sense of inner balance that could not have been easy to achieve. I tasted this wine months before its commercial release, and it had already started to flesh out. However, this is a white wine that you can easily set aside for another five years of bottle aging. 94 Points. Moncia Larner, The Wine Advocate.
Vietti Derthona Timorasso 2023
Also a yellow pale/silver hue, the 2023 Colli Tortonesi was raised in equal parts in ceramic, stainless steel, and neutral large casks for 16 months on the lees and an additional year in bottle. The aromatics are a bit more expressive in this vintage, with notes of fresh peach, citrus blossoms, tropical fruit, and white grapefruit. The palate has lovely concentration and freshness, with a medium-bodied frame and a good deal of length. This lovely wine is showing well now and should also age well. Drink 2025-2032. 92 Points, Jeb Dunnuck.
