Product information
Figli Luigi Oddero ‘Vigna Rionda’ Riserva Barolo 2015
$430
Description
Listening to Matt Large who’s just back from his annual trek for vintage at Luigi Oddero with Francesco Versio I learnt so much about Vigna Rionda. Like Burgundy and Cannubi, there’s Vigna Rionda and then there’s Vigna Rionda! Oddero is the original. South South-East facing sandwiched between Giovanni Rosso’s Ester Canale and Poderi Oddero’s parcel on lean helvetian soils high in mineral content and at elevation have offered up divine fruit.
The 2015 shows the structured tannins of Serralunga. Black teas with a fruit of depth and power. Even long tannin. A salinity, savouriness and crystalline feel. Textural. Incredible perfume and florals, a real vinosity, tannins build in length & depth as the wine opens. Demanding of more time in bottle.
Although there is often talk of the structure of Serralunga, I have no doubt the fruit has the potential to make structured wine, the hand of the maker, or lack thereof is clear. The fermentation technique is all about gentle infusion of whole berries into the juice to allow perfume, elegance and a supple mouthfeel.
Luciano Botti, viticulturalist for the estate must be hailed for the quality of fruit produced. Francesco for maintaining the purity and expression of the wine. Their combined experience, much of it running Bruno Giacosa’s winery shows.
Talking with Matt about the maceration, time the wine remains in contact with skins, he highlighted Francesco’s fluid nature, striving to make the best wine, not apply a formula. When the year offers thin skinned fruit the macerations are shorter, when phenolic ripeness is achieved and the skins more robust, thicker, the macerations will last much longer.
Just as we looked for a pencil shaving character in macerating Cabernet varietals as a sign it was time to press, Francesco looks for a ‘marcy’ character, the smell of pressed skins. For him this indicates the wine may be losing freshness, vitality, energy.
Pressing follows a similar philosophy with free run drained from the fermenters and pressing typically being kept separate and declassified.
All of this contributing to the supple, pure nature of the wine.
36 months in botti has given us something exceptional. It’s interesting to note they’ve had botti built to spec to ensure they have a full botti of around 3,500L for their tiny parcel of Vigna Rionda. Most of the others are 8,500L.
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