Winemaker Notes
The single-vineyard Rocche dell’Annunziata is our most elegant, complex and long-lasting Barolo, offering the refined, silky tannins and bright acidity typical of the site. Complex yet delicate aromas of wild berries, juniper and florals offer an intriguing glimpse of this soulful Barolo. The deep, layered palate offers notes of crushed raspberries, red currant, bright red cherry and baking spice before a long, balanced finish marked by fine-grained tannins. Tremendously age-worthy, this Barolo will age beautifully for more than 20 years.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A chewy and polished red with berry and tile character and hints of plums. Medium-to full-bodied. Chewy tannins that are polished and firm. Very pretty. One of the best ever. Better after 2021.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pietro Ratti's 2015 Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata is the most structured and firmly textured of the Barolos presented in this tasting of new releases. This wine is tight and compact at its core, but it needs a little prodding and swirling of the glass before it hints at the grandeur and the layering of fruit nuances embedded in its very DNA. Just give it time, this wine requires a little extra patience before it fully blossoms. All those beautiful Nebbiolo complexities are hidden just below the surface and will emerge with more bottle aging. Only 5,000 bottles were made.
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Wine Spectator
This red exudes macerated cherry, strawberry, rose and subtle incense aromas and flavors. Elegant, though firmly structured, with fine balance and well-integrated tannins. Fruit, licorice and spice accents linger. Best from 2021 through 2036.
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of spice, woodland berry, pressed rose, coconut and French oak form the nose. The taut, linear palate offers raspberry compote, licorice, espresso, vanilla and sage. Tightly knit, closegrained tannins leave a firm, drying finish. Drink 2023–2035.
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Decanter
This is a classic La Morra wine from a classic producer, albeit one with modernist leanings. Pietro Ratti isn't looking for extreme extraction or power, but aims for finesse. The oak is discernible on the nose but lively aromas of cherries and violets still pierce through. It's full-bodied, with ample weight of fruit and an underlying softness that's fortunately balanced by its concentration of fruit. The tannins give some structure and persistence. Drinking Window 2020 - 2035
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.