2018 Barolo, Bricco delle Viole, G.D. Vajra, Piedmont, Italy

Barolo. The grapes were harvested 14, 15, 19 and 29 October. The wine stayed on the skins for 48 to 57 days with submerged cap. Aged in large Slavonian oak casks of 25 and 50 hl.

First day: Just mid ruby with the beginning of orange tinges. Concentrated and subtle at the same time with brooding concentration and beautiful depth. Bags of chewy tannins that make their mark on the still-embryonic fruit on the palate. Long, elegant, fresh and still to open up further.

Second day: At first a little subdued but then opens up with aeration. Sweetly concentrated red fruit with a cool-climate edge. Fine and concentrated at the same time. Much more backward on the palate with a thick layer of firm yet polished tannins. Elegant filigree fruit on the finish. Definitely needs more time.

Drink 2022 - 2030

The 2018 Barolo Bricco delle Viole is finely cut and chiseled, as it so often is. Dried flowers, mint, crushed rocks, pine and red berry fruit all grace this taut, sculpted Barolo. The 2018 has all of the energy of this site, but its signatures are decidedly dialed down.

Drink 2026 - 2043

Intense, flavorful Barolo that shows some good, nutty red-fruit character and fine, firm tannin. Medium-bodied and very tight. Needs time to even out.

Try from 2024

The name Bricco delle Viole means hilltop of violets and it is one of the highest vineyards in Barolo climbing from 400 to 480 meters above sea level. Thirty years ago, this may have been seen as a disadvantage but with climate change these higher elevation, cooler, fresher sites are much sought after. The 2018 G. D. Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole starts out with ripe strawberry notes and perfumed, violet aromas.

It is round and smooth on the palate but not heavy. It reflects beautifully the vintage - a little lighter perhaps than some years but with plenty of tension and energy. It has a persistent core of bright, red fruit with some notes of fresh earth, all tied together by fine-textured but grippy tannins. Fragile yet powerful at the same time, it is very pure and beautiful. It is a wine that shines brightly.

Drink 2023 - 2035