Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very perfumed with a sweetness and floral undertone to the nose. Raspberries and strawberries. Medium to full body. Creamy and round tannins that are polished and very pretty. Polished and creamy texture. Finesse of Cannubi. Delicious finish. Drink after 2027.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Showing spicy notes and toasted oak, the Virna 2020 Barolo Cannubi has a full-bodied set of fruit aromas with extra volume and density. The effect is round and plush, with lots of blackberry, a hint of dried mint and pomegranate juice concentrate. Good acidity is present, and the finish is a weighed down in this hot vintage.
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Wine Enthusiast
This Barolo is a forward, juicy wine with a plush, round texture. Red plums and strawberry jam dominate the palate, complemented by sweet spices like vanilla and clove. The fruit is ripe and succulent, while the well-integrated structure and balanced acidity provide support. A crowd-pleasing Barolo that invites another sip.
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.