Winemaker Notes
Medium-intense ruby red color. On the nose, a very complex aromatic expression with notes of forest underbrush, as well as ripe red and black fruit (cherry, blackberry, prunes and figs), balsamic nuances. On the palate, 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
-
James Suckling
Intense and almost intoxicating nose of peonies, Parma violets, bright cinnamon, earth, strawberries and touches of blood oranges and chocolate. Full-bodied and full of fruit concentration, it shows dense and velvety tannins and a lot of freshness and lifted acidity in the finish. Leesy, savory aftertaste. Drinkable now, but best from 2026.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Barolo Riserva also comes largely from Teodoro and includes about 60% whole clusters. It pours a jeweled ruby hue and has a deep contrast of aromas of preserved red berries, cherries, sweet herbs, polished leather, and crushed flowers. Full-bodied yet balanced, it offers ripe tannins and lively acidity with a slightly more approachable personality reflective of the warm vintage, although compared to 2018, it’s notably more muscular in profile. 1,100 bottles were produced. Drink 2026-2040.
-
Wine Spectator
Rose, cherry, raspberry, menthol and mineral flavors course through this elegant Barolo. There are balsamic and earthy elements, yet this is more about the red fruit. Offers fine length, with dusty tannins lingering. Drink now through 2039.
-
Vinous
The 2017 Barolo Riserva emerges from an east-facing site in Serralunga and was done with 60% stems. Dark red-toned fruit, leather, tobacco and dried herbs are all framed by insistent Serralunga tannins. Initially, this wine was conceived as a Riserva from the Barolo Castiglione program that focused on a single site and some of the more experimental approaches Vietti was trialing at the time. Today, with the significant growth of the range in all directions, it's harder to see where this fits.
Located in the heart of the Langhe hills, at the top of the village of Castiglione Falletto, the Vietti wine cellar was founded in the late 1800's by Carlo Vietti. The estate has gradually grown over the course of time, and today the vineyards include some of the most highly prized terroirs within the Barolo and Barbaresco winegrowing areaS.
Although they have been making wine for four generations, the turning point came in the 1960's when Luciana Vietti married winemaker and art connoisseur Alfredo Currado, whose intuitions - from the production of one of the first Barolo crus (Rocche di Castiglione - 1961), through the single-varietal vinification of Arneis (1967) to the invention of Artist Labels (1974) - made him both symbol and architect of some of the most significant revolutions of the time.
Alfredo’s intellectual, professional, and prospective legacy was taken up by Luca Currado Vietti (Luciana and Alfredo’s son) and his wife Elena, who contributed greatly to the success of the Vietti brand before their departure in 2023. In 2016 the historic winery was acquired by Krause family. Over the last seven year, they have added a number of prized crus to the estate’s holdings. In 2022 the winery was named Winery of the Year by Antonio Galloni of Vinous.
Vietti is universally recognized today as being one of the very finest Italian wine labels - by continuing along the path of the pursuit of quality, considered experimentation and working for expansion and consolidation internationally.
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.