Winemaker Notes
Viberti Bricco delle Viole Barolo Riserva is produced from an estate-owned single vineyard in limited quantities exclusively in the finest vintages. This powerful wine shows aromas of raisined red and black fruit and spices. Hints of earth, particularly minerals, and wild flowers follow. It is aged 46 months in tini prior to stabilizing in stainless steel tanks over 3 months. Cellared an additional 12 months, it will further develop in bottle over the next decade or more.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Savory and zingy nose with orange zest, tamarind, cloves and some earthy berries, walnut shells and dried spices. Chalky tannins go very well with the fleshy mid-palate fruit. Savory, tight and long. Drink or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine showcases the essence of its terroir. The nose presents a captivating bouquet of ripe red cherries, fragrant rose petals, and a subtle hint of tar. On the palate, the wine is firm yet well-balanced, with ample fruit flavors of juicy raspberries and plums, supported by fine-grained tannins that provide structure and depth. The finish is long and persistent, revealing a delicate touch of sweet spice and earthy undertones. Drink Now - 2040
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Jeb Dunnuck
Dark red in color, the 2018 Barolo Riserva Bricco Delle Viole is expressive of ripe cherries, worn leather, mushroom-covered earth, and sage. Medium-bodied, it offers very nice energy on the palate, with refreshing acidity, ripe tannins, and a clean finish. It’s the most harmonious of the wines in the flight from this exceptional site and has a good deal of balance and charm. Drink it over the next 8-10 years. It has the most potential in the range by far.
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Wine Spectator
This dense, beefy style is defined by its dusty tannins. Modest flavors of cherry, eucalyptus, earth and rose hip give way to the tangy, muscular finish. Best from 2027 through 2043. 150 cases made, 70 cases imported.
Viberti, located in the village of Barolo in the northern Italian region of Piedmont, was founded in the early 20th century by Antonio Viberti, an innkeeper and restauranteur. Wine was produced from the estate vineyards exclusively for the patrons of the family restaurant, Trattoria al Buon Padre.
In 1967, ata time when Barolo wines were gaining international notoriety, Antonio's son, Giovanni, joined the family business and realized the potential of the estate vineyards to produce superior quality, world-class Barolo. After selling wines to restaurant patrons, who came from far and wide to enjoy the local cuisine, the reputation of Viberti Barolo spread leading to demand beyond Piedmont.
One hundred years after the creation of the Viberti winery, the family's connection to their beloved land of Barolo and its fine red wines remains unbroken as the 3rd generations of the Viberti family, GianLuca and Claudio, joined their father at the winery. Today, under the direction of Claudio, the winery produces varietally accurate, elegantly structured wines with fresh fruit aromas, bold tannins, and vibrant acidity that are approachable upon release, yet reward extensive aging.
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.