2019 Barolo, Ravera, G.D. Vajra, Piedmont, Italy

Full bottle 1,326 g. Certified organic Ecocert), sustainable SQNPI). The soil here is differentiated by the presence of tiny, black manganese conglomerates and iron oxide – the soil has white layers with red stripes ‘the lasagne effect’), according to Giuseppe Vajra. It’s in an ‘amphitheatre’, which creates a specific microclimate. 28-day spontaneous fermentation with submerged-cap maceration. Aged 28 months in 25-hl and 50-hl Slavonian oak. Bottled 25 July 2022.

A tightly coiled wine with bold, bittersweet mid-palate juiciness tucked deeply into wide, strong, mineral-dense tannins. It smells of an abandoned stone quarry in the first milk-and-iron light of a winter morning. Tannins, which feel like super-fine-grade sandpaper. Darjeeling tea and chestnuts, tart cherry, crushed green caraway leaves. The finish is compact, dry and susurrant.

After 48 hours of being open literally, no cork in the bottle for 48 hours), the defensive astringent rasp of the tannins had settled deep into the wine, like the groove of sax and brass into the coffee-stained damsons of late-night blues. If you’re drinking this wine before a decade old, open it the day before and leave the decanter in a cool, dark place. It’s so beautiful, but it responds like a medieval fortress to being opened – you’ll need to lure that drawbridge open. 

Drink 2027 - 2036

Moving into a touch of purple flowers, the 2019 Barolo Ravera also has a touch of darker pigment as well as a more assertive nature, with black raspberry, mineral-rich earth, and pepper. It is medium to full-bodied, with more ripe, sweet tannins and notes of kirsch, tea leaf, and iron-rich earth. It is long on the palate and has broader shoulders in its profile, with its fruit and structure.

The G.D. Vajra estate is based within the commune of Barolo, with the entire family contributing and Giuseppe and Aldo Vajra at the helm of the winemaking responsibilities. Giuseppe, who took more of a leadership role in 2008, has been instrumental in continuing to develop the family estate, while Isidoro Vajra leads in vineyard management. 

Most recently, they have completed the expansion of their cellar space and offices. They are also now releasing their wines a touch later to allow for additional time in bottle to soften any harsh edges. As of the 2019 vintage, both the G.D. Vajra and Luigi Baudana estates are certified organic.

Drink 2026 - 2046

The 2019 Barolo Ravera is redolent of red fruit, mint, chalk, white pepper and orange peel. A Barolo of tension and energy, the 2019 is intensely bright and saline to the core. I would not dream of touching a bottle anytime soon. This is an especially taut style, even for Vajra.

The 2019 Barolos at Vajra are seriously impressive. These wines need a ton of air to show all they have to offer, something readers who want to taste them at this stage should bear in mind. The classicism of these wines is quite appealing for the future.

“It was a year with an early bud break but with late flowering and a late harvest; in other words, a year with a long growing season, one of the longest of the last decade.” Giuseppe Vajra explained. “We had challenges with heavy rain in spring, but 2018 helped us understand we had to act quickly and decisively, so we did,” he added. Harvest took place between October 7 and 23. “The wines extracted easily,” Aldo Vajra opined. “We gave the 2019s 25-31 days on the skins, less than 2018 and 2017 and far less than years like 2010, with submerged cap maceration for all the top single-vineyard selections. Time in wood was about 28 months for the vineyard designates.”

Drink 2029 - 2049