Barolo Bricco delle Viole G D Vajra 2017

Barolo Bricco delle Viole, G D Vajra, Barolo, Piemonte, Italy, 2017  

Grape: 100% Nebbiolo, organic, aged for 25 months in 24 and 50hl Slavonian oak barrels. 

Brilliant ruby red, this Barolo has aromas of cherries, dark berries, violets and dried roses with nuances of citrus fruits and mint. On the palate, there are silky tannins. The wine is well balanced with a long delicately spiced finish. 

"Transparent pillar-box red. Powerful nose of dried something. Cherries? Rose petals? Perhaps both. Super-fresh, despite the alcohol, with such great presence in the mouth. It's not nearly ready but it's clearly destined for great things. Sweet and chewy with a strong mineral undertow. Jewel-bright fruit. Real lift but more powerful than ethereal. Even slightly pungent with a whiff of cordite. Really refreshing health juice. Great stuff."

17.5/20 points, Jancis Robinson, JancisRobinson.com, March 2021

"The G.D. Vajra 2017 Barolo Bricco delle Viole is packed with medium dark cherry fruit and plum. The wine also shows a savory side, with spice, hazelnut cream, licorice and lightly fragrant potting soil. This vintage sits solid on the palate, wrapping thickly over the senses, thanks to its creamy, fruit-driven consistency and well-managed tannins. These vines are high in elevation, ranging from 400 to 480 meters in altitude. Those higher elevations are key to interpreting a vintage that saw heat such as this. Production is 15,000 bottles."

95/100 points, Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, June 2021

The 'Bricco delle Viole' vineyard is located at altitudes of 380-470 metres above sea level in the commune of Barolo and covers 4.79 hectares. It is one of the highest vineyards in Barolo, meaning it sits above the fog and enjoys the earliest sunrise and latest sunset in the area. One part of the vineyard is planted with vines which are now over 60 years old and yield less than 30 hectolitres per hectare. Its high altitude and long ripening season gives the wine an aromatic complexity and richness that is lacking in lower vineyards.

Pair with wild boar agnolotti and mushrooms, roast duck, chestnut gnocchi with Gorgonzola cream sauce, risotto with truffles.