Winemaker Notes
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 37 years. The 2-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 oak.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine & Spirits
Rooted in the clay-limestone soils of this south- west-facing slope, Vietti’s Lazzarito vines grew a 2016 with muscular tannins, framing flavors of dark cherry and raspberry tinged with notes of menthol and blood orange. This wine is compelling for its raw power and energy, and for the verticality and freshness of its chiseled tannins, set to develop over the next decade and beyond.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Drawing its fruit from Serralunga d'Alba, the Vietti 2016 Barolo Lazzarito is built like a pyramid. It is grounded by a thick base of robust fruit and power and soars upward in intensity thanks to its beautifully lifted bouquet. It reveals direct and solid lines with blackberry, plum, spice, tar, licorice, candied orange peel and truffle-infused earth. A second wave of aromas offers dark minerals and ferrous qualities such as iron ore and rust. Baroli from Serralunga d'Alba are often in a category apart thanks to their richness and sheer fruit weight. With extra aeration, Lazzarito delivers mint, balsam herb or Fernet-Branca
-
Wine Spectator
Juniper, sage, green tea, cherry and tar flavors mark this savory red, which is rich, backed by a bracing structure, yet remains balanced and long on the finish. Very pure and vibrant, with a fine matrix of tannins. Best from 2024 through 2043.
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.
