Winemaker Notes
The wine displays an intense ruby red color with violet reflections and offers an elegant, harmonious nose of red fruits and delicate rose petals, complemented by subtle hints of underbrush, mint, and licorice; on the palate it is vigorous, full-bodied, and balanced, with persistent yet supple tannins and a juicy finish marked by notes of blackberry and blueberry jam.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
An absorbing, contemplative nose of blood oranges, dried herbs and dried flowers. The medium- to full-bodied palate is chewy but solid, showing both power and restraint. Angular tannins complement the fruit profile. Will benefit from time in the bottle. Better from 2029.
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Wine Enthusiast
Give this wine the time it asks for and it rewards you generously, black plum and violets slowly giving way to darker spices, oolong tea and the smoky resinous pull of palo santo. The palate is rich and chewy, dark fruit and spice building in layers, but it is the turned earth, autumn forest floor and truffle threading through that give this wine its real depth and definition. Drink from 2028.
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Decanter
The estate’s Castelletto vineyards came into the fold by way of Mauro’s wife Daniela. Four parcels total a respectable 4ha. The soil is very sandy. Together with a southeastern exposure, the site typically yields elegant, vertical wines. A bright spunkiness comes through in the 2022. Top notes of roasted oak and tarragon lead to dark chocolate and cedar. Dark earthy fruit saturates the core and grainy tannins clamp down. Yet this is neither big nor opulent. Instead, it remains crunchy and elastic. Salivating finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Mauro Veglio 2022 Barolo Castelletto draws its fruit from Monforte d'Alba, a site known for wines of greater structure, mineral intensity and aging power. Presented in the estate's dark blue label, this wine is a little reduced at first (a common occurrence with wines this young), but a few extra moments in the glass reveal a pretty combination of cassis, iris root and tar. There is more structure and power in this vintage, with firm tannins and a deeper sense of concentration that reflects the south-facing exposure of the cru. Sourced from 30-year-old vines and aged for 24 months in barrique, with 25% new oak, the wine closes with lasting intensity and classical Monforte character.
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.