Winemaker Notes
Medium-intense ruby red color. On the nose a very complex aromatic expression with notes of truffle and forest underbrush as well as ripe red and black fruit (cherry, blackberry, prunes and figs), balsamic nuances. On the palate it is medium-bodied, quite rich and powerful. The tannins are well-integrated in the fruit structure of the wine. A lively acidity uplifts the profoundness of the wine. Well balanced. Long lingering aftertaste.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This vintage is the first time Vietti has made a “best of the best” Riserva only making 5,000 bottles. The wine opens with aromas of dried cherries being reconstituted with sweet spice as hints of truffle, dried violets and bay leaf swirl around. Dynamic and energized on the palate, the wine lifts off with higher-toned red fruits, savory herbs and spices that all genuflect the mineral and earth-driven finish where fine tannins shape this wine for the future.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The first vintage for the 2015 Barolo Riserva offers richness and depth of profile, with spiced red plum, sweet balsamic, and licorice. It is full-bodied, with potent intensity in its notes of kirsch and dark mineral earth as well as its sweet tannins.
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James Suckling
Aromas of aniseed, white truffle, raspberries and fresh plums. Full-bodied yet reined in and nicely framed with fine tannins. Starting to show some aged, developed flavors. First year of this. Made from the vineyards of Scarrone and Fiasco. 5,000 bottles made. Vegan.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Here's an exciting new submission from Vietti that takes us to a whole other level (and evolutionary timeframe). A very late release that is held back at the winery, the 2015 Barolo Riserva sources its fruit solely from Castiglione Falletto. In fact, it represents a special section of the best sites that go into the Barolo Castiglione. Some of that fruit was so impressive, I am told, the decision was made to age it longer (with up to 30 months in large oak casks) and give it a Riserva designation. Specifically, the grapes come primarily from Scarrone and Bric del Fiasc. Production is 5,000 bottles. The wine reveals gorgeous elegance, with evolved fruit flavors and melting tannins. The beauty is that you can drink this wine the same day you buy it.
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Wine Spectator
A rich, round profile carries maturing aromas and flavors of cherry, plum, rose and sweet spices, with grace notes of wild herbs and autumn woods. This is impeccably balanced, with refined, resonant tannins and a lingering aftertaste that echoes ripe fruit and vanilla, adding a mineral element. Complex and approachable now with decanting.
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.