Today we offer the Casitglione (375ml + Mags available), Lazzarito, Ravera, Brunate, Rocche di Castiglione, Barbaresco Masseria, and, the 2nd Release of Vietti’s Timorasso. In addition to Mags of 2018 Perbacco, possibly the best value party Neb.
The Castiglione will arrive around the end of March, and the Cru’s in the beginning of May.
***Orders are subject to allocation & will be confirmed as soon as possible.***
Luca & Elena have always stayed true to their convictions, and, history, acknowledging the wisdom of their family, and elder peers. While their Cru Barolos have brought them international fame, they have worked to protect patches of history for both their family and the region. Listen to Luca share his stories of retaining the Scarrone vineyard planted to Barbera when his father had planned to replant it to Nebbiolo, saving Arneis from being reconciled to a note in a wine book, and, more recently going back to Barbaresco, acquiring a parcel or Rabajà, and this becomes clear.
The drive for constant improvement continues with a parcel of Monvigliero now in the stables, whole bunch techniques are being applied with the help of Jeremy Seysses from Dujac. Meanwhile, Vietti has released it’s first Timorasso, a wine that I am looking forward to trying. Grapes for this white coming from vineyards located in Monleale in the Alessandria Province.
Luca and Elena are part of the perfect storm, mature vineyards, great sites, the hard work and detail needed to produce quality fruit, and, the experience to make the most of what a vintage has to throw at them!
Vietti’s 2016 Barolos are stratospheric. I have been following the wines for several years, first as separate lots, then as young wines in barrel. In all of those tastings, the wines were never anything less than mesmerizingly beautiful and full of potential. Now that they are in bottle, that potential has been realized. These are, quite simply, the most monumental wines I have tasted in twenty years of visiting the estate.
Galloni
A Little About Vietti
Back in 2005, I spent some time at Vietti. Their winery sits in the castle atop Castiglione Falletto. It’s walls broken by slit windows for archers to defend the grounds. The escape tunnel leading from the castle to the plains below had been filled in only a few years prior to my visit. Somehow they’ve managed to modernise aspects of the winery carving into the rock without collapsing the ancient buildings surrounding it.
One of my earlier experience of Vietti was at the Australian Wine Research Institutes Advanced Wine Assessment Course. A blind bracket of 9 Nebbiolo’s was presented, Vietti’s Perbacco from 1998 and Brunate from 1996. The Brunate was superb. My notes from the tasting read “Very complex, great harmony, texture, rich, long, very together, perfumed, incredible layers and vibrancy.” The Perbacco excellent, particularly at 1/8th the price. “Great purity, balance, and poise. Supple with an excellent core of fruit and lovely floral notes.”
In many ways, little has changed. Perbacco, typically declassified Barolo, is the wine to crack while you’re waiting for your Barolo to mature!
Vietti intrigues me. Some of the best Barolo I have devoured have come from their winery. Watching the wines evolve over time, both the same vintage and across vintages has been fascinating. Modern technology at times pierced the tradition. Last year a vertical tasting going back to 1982 was fascinating. It again highlighted my growing consensus that the drinking window for good Barolo, from great years, starts at around 10 years and is right in the zone between 15 and 20 years.
Whilst Vietti have always produced more structured wines, the wines have always shown harmony and balance. The difficult 2011 year was perhaps a sign of a maturity and wisdom in the winemaking. They guided the fruit to a state of great harmony and balance in that year, pulling back on the structural elements to produce wines that were drinking superbly in late 2016.
In the last couple of years, I have devoured many more Vietti wines including a 1996 Villero Riserva and 1997 Rocche di Castiglione. Both would be in the top dozen Barolos I’ve every been lucky enough to devour!
Luca and Elenor’s wisdom has continued to build in the following years. Year after year the wines are getting better and better.
A couple of podcasts with the Vietti Crew
Where in the World is Vietti?
The Krause Family bought Vietti a couple of years back, leaving, Luca and the Family in full control of production, hence the name below. The winery based in Castiglione Falletto now has additional vineyard sources in Barolo with Monvigliero in Verduno in the very North of the Barolo region, Rabajà in the Barbareco, and, Timorasso plantings in the Colli Tortonesi, the most eastern part of Piedmont. In addition, they have plantings in the Roero and Asti (the Barbera d’Asti Tre Vigne is a cracker).
This 3D flyover is Epic covering each of the communes you can see just how varied and extreme the aspect of each vineyard is and how in the space of a few metres just how dramatically the change.
The 2017 Vintage
2017 will be remembered as hot with low rainfall. Winter was mild, while spring brought some rain and above-average temperatures. May saw the beginning of a long period of fine weather with summer maximums above average, though cooler nights than in other hot years.
End of August and early September, some welcome rain arrived, followed by a sharp drop in temperatures and marked diurnal temperature shifts. The later ripening nebbiolo and barbera benefitted most. While the overall growing season was shorter, it still lasted on average 185 days compared with 170 in other ‘hot’ years, and 200 in classic vintages.
The accumulation of anthocyanins and tannins was excellent, and while alcohols are higher, they are not out of the average, especially for nebbiolo. Ph levels were good and acids lower. Yields were below average of compact bunches, with harvest occurring around 2 weeks early.
2017 yielded wines of great promise – the cool nights and return to ‘average’ conditions in September being major contributing factors. In fact the 2017 Barolos show remarkable freshness and elegance, with the top producers building on their experience of warmer years, which began with the torrid 2003.
Galloni does an excellent job exploring the 2017 growing season and vintage in his article “2017 Barolo: Here We Go Again…” It’s clear the growers and makers of Piedmont have got their heads around warmer vintages and how to get the most in both the vineyard, and, the winery.
“There is plenty to like about the 2017 Barolos… In tasting, the 2017s are mid-weight Barolos with the classic structure of Nebbiolo. They are often intensely aromatic. Acids and tannins are prominent in many wines. The fruit profiles are ripe, often distinctly redtoned, but not cooked or over-ripe. Perhaps most importantly, the 2017 Barolos are very true to site, which is always a concern with vintages marked by warm weather. The best 2017s are exceptionally polished, vivid and flat-out delicious”
Galloni
Your tongue will thank you!
*We will only receive a few bottles of the Crus. 1st come 1st served. Following allocation you will be invoiced for the total. The wines will be ready to ship early June.
About the Wines
White
Vietti Derthona Timorasso 2019 Colli Tortonesi
The latest addition to the Vietti portfolio sees a white from the eastern most border of the Piedmont region. A perfect fit for Vietti with regard to their history of working with varietals of merit that for one reason or another have diminished over time.
Timorasso makes beautiful wine the Massa is a cracker. I can’t wait to try Vietti’s version. With a wonderful array of flavours, textures, and, wonderful acidity the variety is loaded with personality & intrigue.
Denomination: Colli Tortonesi DOC Timorasso
Grapes: Timorasso
Winemaking: the grapes are selected from different vineyards located in Monleale (Alessandria Province), with a south-east and south-west exposure and a clay-limestone soil. Fermentation lasts 4 weeks and occurs partly in cermic and partly in wooden and stainless steel casks. It does not undergo malolactic fermentation.
Aging: 10 months in ceramic, wooden and stainless steel casks, on fine lees maintained in suspension with batonnage
Description: clear, intense yellow colour with green hues. Pear and peach fruit scents. Aromas, of acacia and hawthorn flowers with typical honey notes.
In some cases, after 2/3 years mineral notes are more intense and show hydrocarbons. On the palate it is dry, warm, soft and very well balanced, without edges. It has a long lingering finish with a good acidity.
For the 2018: Aromas of apricot stone and yellow nectarine are joined by floral notes, lime, and lime blossom. On the palate this shows lively, exuberant autumn apples, a hint of lemon oils and pith, fennel bulb, and mashed hard pears. The finish is lifted with a touch of lemon blossom and honeysuckle. Fascinating: It vacillates between semi-aromatic and more earthy in character, all of it beautifully balanced with acidity. Mouthwatering and complex, and a fantastic addition to the already impressive Vietti portfolio.
Red
Vietti Perbacco Langhe Nebbiolo 2018
We’ve got to remember the pedigree of this wine. The fruit comes from parcels in Bricco Boschis, Liste, Brunella, Crocetta, Pernanno, Fossati, Ravera in Novello and Scarrone. All stunning vineyards. That’s what makes it such a good benchmark for the Barolo’s from the same year. Looks like we’re in for another great crop of Vietti Cru’s in the 2014’s! All of the fruit is classified as Barolo DOCG, it’s final destination is only determined following malolactic fermentation.
Designation: Langhe DOC Nebbiolo
Grapes: 100% Nebbiolo
Winemaking: Vinification of grapes coming from different vineyards of Nebbiolo all included in the Barolo area. Alcoholic fermentation lasts around 3/4 weeks with a temperature of 28°/32° C. Each parcel is processed and aged separately until when they select which ones will be included for the blend of Perbacco or the ones that will keep ageing to become Barolo Castiglione.
Ageing: Total ageing is approximately 2 years. After malolactic done both in barrique and big Slavonian casks, the wine keeps ageing in oak for 2 years. Blending in steel tanks to follow prior bottling.
Description: Offers up generous fruit along with menthol, spices and hard candy, showing notable intensity while retaining an essentially mid-weight style. Strong, intense and powerful when young, complex and elegant with the ageing.
Vietti Barolo Castiglione 2017
Grapes: 100% Nebbiolo. In 2016, the Castiglione benefits from the inclusion of several new sites, including Ginestra, Mosconi, Bricco Ravera (in Monforte), Le Coste, Costabelle, Meriame, Briccolina and Codana.
Winemaking: The grapes are selected from small vineyards spread in the Barolo region. The vines are between 7 and 40 years old, planted in a clay-limestone soil. Plants are trained with guyot method, with an average density of roughly 4500 units per hectare. All the different crus are vinified and aged separately with slightly different processes to underline the singular characteristics of each parcel and terroir. Fermentation occurs in stainless steel with daily cap submersion for extraction of flavour and colour.
Aging: The wine is aged for roughly 30 months in oak and barriques; all parcels are then carefully blended before bottling.
The 2017 Barolo Castiglione is a wild, exotic wine. Super-ripe red cherry, kirsch, cinnamon, tobacco, new leather and rose petal all flesh out in this ample, voluptuous Barolo from Vietti. The 2017 is a wine of significant heft hidden behind a wall of tannin. Give it a few years to soften or open it well in advance. Time brings out striking translucence as well as finesse. Drink 2025-2037.
Vietti Barolo 'Rocche di Castiglione' 2017
Grapes: 100% Nebbiolo
Winemaking: The grapes are selected from the single vineyard Rocche in Castiglione Falletto, planted with roughly 4600 units per hectare. The vines were planted in three different moments, 1940, 1950 and 1968. The vineyard has a south-west exposure and a clay-limestone soil. Grapes are gently crushed and fermented for approximately 4 weeks in stainless steel tank with skin contact. This time includes pre- and post- fermentative maceration with the traditional method of submerged cap. Malolactic is done in oak.
Ageing: The wine is aged for approximately 30 months in Slovenian oak casks.
Description: Ruby red in color. Complex and full-bodied with intense aromas of dried roses, licorice, spice and truffles. Elegant with strong, yet balanced and silky tannins; long and persistent finish.
The 2017 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione shows all the signatures of this site, all turned up to the maximum. I am not sure I have ever tasted a Vietti Castiglione with this much heft. Super-ripe dark red fruit, rose petal, mocha, dried herbs and menthol all build in an ample, resonant Barolo. Readers should be prepared to cellar the 2017 for the next handful of years, perhaps longer. A whole range of floral and savory notes punctuates the explosive finish. Drink 2027 - 2042
Vietti Barolo 'Lazzarito' 2017
Grapes: 100% Nebbiolo
Winemaking: The grapes are selected from the single vineyard Lazzarito in Serralunga d’Alba, planted with roughly 4500 units per hectare. The vines have an average age of 35 years. The 2-hectare vineyard has a southwest exposure and a clay-limestone soil. Grapes are gently crushed and fermented for 4 weeks in stainless steel tank with skin contact. This time includes pre- and post- fermentative maceration with the traditional method of submerged cap. Malolactic is done in oak.
Ageing: The wine is aged for approximately 30 months between French oak barriques and Slovenian oak casks
Description: Deep garnet red in color. Richly rounded with a robust and velvety texture; intensely aromatic with hints of figs and plums. Elegant with soft and sweet tannins, followed by a long finish.
Vietti's 2017 Barolo Lazzarito is absolutely gorgeous. Whatever the challenges of the growing season, they appear to have been no problem here. More than anything else, the Lazzarito impresses with its magnificent depth and stature. Super-ripe red fruit, white pepper, mint, tobacco, cured meat, spice and rose petal open gradually with time in the glass. I would not be in a rush to open bottles anytime soon. The Lazzarito has been one of the most improved wines at Vietti for a number of years. The 2017 is so captivating. Drink 2025 - 2042
Vietti Barolo 'Ravera' 2017
Grapes: 100% Nebbiolo
Winemaking: The grapes are selected from the single vineyard Ravera in Novello, planted with roughly 4500 units per hectare. The vines have an average age of 25 years with the oldest part planted in 1935. The roughly 3-hectare vineyard has a south-west exposure and a clay-limestone soil. Grapes are gently crushed and fermented for 4 weeks in stainless steel tank with skin contact. This time includes pre- and post- fermentative maceration with the traditional method of submerged cap. Malolactic is done in casks that will continue until late spring. The wine spends over a year on fine lees without racking it.
Ageing: The wine is aged for about 30 months in Slovenian oak casks.
Description: Intense garnet red colour. Very classic and traditional with a robust structure and intense tannins. Bouquet takes a little time to show itself with slight hints of yeast. It opens slowly in the glass touch of spice and menthol. In the final, the powerful structure and concentration soften the tannins potential.
The 2017 Barolo Ravera is a powerhouse. My impression is that the 2017 is going to develop into something truly special. It has all the energy that makes this site so distinctive, but with an extra kick of fruit density and a whole range of exotic aromatics that make for a truly drop dead gorgeous wine. Bright red/purplish fruit, rose petal, chalk and white pepper build into a finish laced with searing intensity. This is such and impressive wine. Drink 2027 - 2042
Vietti Barolo 'Brunate' 2017
Grapes: 100% Nebbiolo,
Winemaking: The grapes are selected from the historical cru Brunate, located in La Morra, on the south side towards Barolo, with 4,600 plants per hectare. The average age of the vines is 52 years old, the soil is a mix of limestone and clay. Grapes are gently crushed and fermented for 3 weeks in stainless steel tank with skin contact. This time includes pre- and post- fermentative maceration with the traditional method of submerged cap. Malolactic is done in barriques.
Aging: The wine is aged for approximately 30 months between French oak barrels and Slovenian oak casks
Description: Intense ruby red. Dry, with generous body, harmoniously balanced and velvety texture. Classic, ripe red-fruit, long finish, rich and very elegant. Spices, violet, plums and intense tar, very typical for the Brunate vineyard.
The 2017 Barolo Brunate is a powerful, brooding wine. Huge dark fruit, leather, spice, menthol and dried herbs all build in a potent Barolo that is enshrouded by tannins. The 2017 is going to need quite a bit of time in the cellar. Today, it is very much a brooding powerhouse. Dark wild cherry, licorice, tar, menthol and spice take shape in the glass, but the 2017 is clearly an infant, and an unruly one at that. Drink 2025 - 2042
Vietti Barbaresco 'Masseria' 2017
Grapes: 100% Nebbiolo
Winemaking: The grapes are harvested from vineyard located Treiso. The vineyard has a southern exposure with a mix of clay and limestone in the soil. During the alcoholic fermentation, the must will remain for approximately 3 weeks in open-top stainless-steel tanks. Daily délestages, punching downs and open-air pumping overs are actioned daily. The malolactic is done in barriques.
Aging: Big oak vats, barriques and steel tanks for a total of 2 and half years.
Description: garnet ruby colour, slight garnet hue, with intense aromas of ripe cherries with intricate complexities of minerals, tea leaves and rose petals. With firm, ripe tannins, crisp acidity and feminine and round structure, this Barbaresco shows incredible finesse with excellent balance, integration and a long, lingering finish.
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