Winemaker Notes
Mauro Veglio Barolo Arborina is distinguished by fruit and freshness, an almost ethereal finesse, extreme elegance and moderate concentration. All supported by a fine, intense and harmonious bouquet.
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Dark ruby in hue, the 2020 Barolo Arborina offers more layered notes of dark stones, polished leather, fresh black cherries, and licorice spice. Ripe and well-structured, its tannins are balanced but weightless, with ripe fruit coasting across the palate, followed by underlying savory but very nuanced notes of minerals and tea leaf. A very appealing wine, it’s going to be best enjoyed 2026-2040.
-
Vinous
The 2020 Barolo Arborina is a gorgeous wine from this La Morra site. Crushed rose petal, mint, blood orange, spice, tobacco and underbrush all open in glass, supported by bright acids that lend energy. This mid-weight, translucent Barolo is pure class. I especially admire its dimension and nuance. Give this a few years to soften.
-
James Suckling
A focused and lively red with aromas of cherries, dried leaves, lavender and crushed white pepper follow through to a medium body with chewy tannins and fresh acidity. Vivid and crisp with a delicious, juicy finish. Try after 2026.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Mauro Veglio 2020 Barolo Arborina shows aromas of dried raspberry and wild cherry, but it takes a little extra work to get to those aromas. The wine is partially aged in new barrique (25% of the total) for 24 months. The Arborina cru is usually one of the most expressive in La Morra .
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
The center of the production of the world’s most exclusive and age-worthy red wines made from Nebbiolo, the Barolo wine region includes five core townships: La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and the Barolo village itself, as well as a few outlying villages. The landscape of Barolo, characterized by prominent and castle-topped hills, is full of history and romance centered on the Nebbiolo grape. Its wines, with the signature “tar and roses” aromas, have a deceptively light garnet color but full presence on the palate and plenty of tannins and acidity. In a well-made Barolo wine, one can expect to find complexity and good evolution with notes of, for example, strawberry, cherry, plum, leather, truffle, anise, fresh and dried herbs, tobacco and violets.
There are two predominant soil types here, which distinguish Barolo from the lesser surrounding areas. Compact and fertile Tortonian sandy marls define the vineyards farthest west and at higher elevations. Typically the Barolo wines coming from this side, from La Morra and Barolo, can be approachable relatively early on in their evolution and represent the “feminine” side of Barolo, often closer in style to Barbaresco with elegant perfume and fresh fruit.
On the eastern side of the Barolo wine region, Helvetian soils of compressed sandstone and chalks are less fertile, producing wines with intense body, power and structured tannins. This more “masculine” style comes from Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba. The township of Castiglione Falletto covers a spine with both soil types.
The best Barolo wines need 10-15 years before they are ready to drink, and can further age for several decades.