Featured Wine

Perhaps the most emblematic of the Barolo region, the Vietti label is renowned worldwide for incredible quantity and delicious, approachable and age-worthy wines. An estate with winemaking roots more than 150 years ago, Vietti's holdings are enviable with nearly every top cru represented over their 75 hectares of vineyards.

Carlo Vietti began the Vietti family winemaking journey in 1873, though it was in the mid-20th century with Alfredo Currado's entrance to the family through marriage that the winery began to truly set themselves apart with single-cru bottlings and decorative, artistic labels.

Though difficult to believe, Barolo only became a DOC in 1960; in 1961, Vietti released the Rocche di Castiglione cru for the first time, one of the very first single-cru labels ever released from Barolo. Today under new direction, the Vietti label is widely-known as one of impeccable quality from their approachable Barbera and Langhe labels to their incredibly age-worthy Barolos, be it the blend of crus in Castiglione or the famed Barolo Villero Riserva, routinely one of Piedmont's best wines each vintage.

Vineyard work is done entirely sustainably, with the estate recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Winemaking is done in a largely traditional method, utilizing submerged-cap macerations for all Nebbiolo wines, and extended aging in large oak barrels.

 97+ Points. The Wine Advocate, Monica Larner
Brunate is also one of my favorite wines from Vietti (and, boy, is it hard to choose favorites) thanks to that playful hint of fresh mint that I usually find, especially in the best vintages. You certainly get it in the 2021 Barolo Brunate, and although I’m not sure how long it will last as the wine evolves, my experience suggests it only gets stronger and more beautiful in time. Indeed, this vintage (with 23 days of skin maceration) shows exceptional depth and precision with aromas that go beyond the mint, spanning instead to grilled rosemary and Darjeeling tea. The wine shows excellent textural support and broad shoulders, followed by tannins that are both sweet and chalky. It shows profound generosity and depth. Brunate always has an intense, dark soul. 
96 Points. Vinous, Antonio Galloni
The 2021 Barolo Brunate is especially fine this year. Rich, deep and quite potent, the Brunate is so expressive. It exudes textural density to match its decidedly virile personality. Strong spice and balsamic notes weave throughout a core of sombre, dark- fleshed fruitHarmonious and seductive with endless counts of aromas in good depth. Strawberries, crushed raspberries, fresh lavender, tile, mineral and mild spices. Medium to full body with chalky, powerful tannins. Bright and tense at the center with extensive development with sour cherries, mineral, white pepper and grapefruit. The lengthy finish is focused, precise and taut. From organically grown grapes. Vegan. Try from 2027 

96 Points. The Wine Advocate, Monica LarnerChoices, choices, choices… The Vietti 2021 Barolo Cerequio is another classic from this over-performing estate. This parcel was purchased in 2018 from the Chiarlo family (the Krause family acquired Vietti in 2016), and although the location is La Morra, the site behaves more like Sarmassa in Barolo, creating wines with a firm, tight entry and good structure. You could say that it has a nervous character now in its adolescence, and of course we expect it to smooth out and find harmony with time. Fruit was harvested on September 30th, and the wine sees 27 days of extended skin maceration. Compared to Brunate, which is always darker in character, the Cerequio is lighter and brighter with pretty primary fruit. 

97 Points. Vinous, Antonio Galloni The 2021 Barolo Cerequio marries elegance and power in the way only Nebbiolo can. Bright acids and strong floral inflections run through this mid-weight yet dense, layered wine. All the elements are deftly woven together. This nuanced, finely sketched Barolo has always been compelling, as it is again today. 

97 Points. James Suckling
This has impressive aromas of blue fruit, earth, red plums and some dried herbs. Firm and chewy, with refined fruit, a precise, racy profile and a chewy finish. Well crafted and sophisticated, with an imposing structure that requires three to five years of cellaring. An outstanding wine.

 97 Points. The Wine Advocate, Monica Larner
Fruit for this wine comes from a three-hectare parcel in Serralunga d’Alba near the village, with south and southwestern exposures in a small amphitheater. The soils in this area are older and thus more evolved, but they always create wines of strong character. The Vietti 2021 Barolo Lazzarito is easy to identify thanks to its salty mineral finish, which is almost metallic in taste, and its bright hints of sweet rosemary and wild herb. These delicate high notes form pretty framing to a dark core of elegant fruit. The estate counts five vineyards in Serralunga d’Alba, but Lazzarito is the only MGA bottling. 
95 Points. Vinous, Antonio Galloni The 2021 Barolo Lazzarito is a potent, deep wine. Not surprisingly, it is quite closed in the very early going. Even so, all the natural power and intensity of Serralunga is very much on display. It is the most backward and forbiddingly tannic of these Barolos today. Then a gain, that is Serralunga. Hints of gravel, incense and charcoal peek out on the finish. 
97 Points. James Suckling
A graceful and enticing wine with complex, assertive cinnamon, melon, watermelon, earth, strawberries and peonies on the nose. This is a wine that breathes, with a full body, great fruit concentration, restrained blood orange flavors, lavish, elegant tannins and long, lifted acidity. Slightly stern in the finish, as expected from a young Barolo.  

  98 + Points. The Wine Advocate, Monica Larner
You could argue that this is the wine with the fasting growing quality trajectory because this vineyard site is one of those rare places in the appellation that appears to improve despite (or more likely because of) a changing climate. Ravera enjoys an open panorama (at 400 to 440 meters in elevation) that extends to the snow-capped Alps and benefits from cooler air currents, coupled with an amazing quality of light that you notice with the naked eye. The 2021 Barolo Ravera saw its fruit harvested later than the other wines, on October 11th, and continued with a classic Vietti-style fermentation with 20-plus days of skin contact. Simply put, what Ravera offers is complexity (and strength) with hints of bergamot, citrus, herbs, mineral and salt over a tightly concentrated mouthfeel. The quality of the tannins and the freshness of this 2021 are impressive, and that citrusy note continues with tangerine skin and kumquat.
98 Points. Antonio Galloni
The 2021 Barolo Ravera is one of the many standouts in this range from Vietti. Blood orange, chalk, mint, white pepper and slate all infuse the palate with notable persistence. Intensely saline and mineral, the Ravera is not an easy wine, as it is focused and taut rather than immediate. It’s a Barolo that demands a lot from the taster, but it pays that attention back in spades. 
94 Points. James Suckling
Protective and precise style here. Blood-orange and floral bouquet, restrained if not reductive, with cherry candy and chocolatey depth. Smooth attack to the palate with medium body, assertive acidity and refined tannins that turn dustier on the finish. Overall juicy and fresh, yet slightly stern. 94 Points. James Suckling 

 97 Points. The Wine Advocate, Monica Larner
The learning curve in Monvigliero is always steep (first vintage 2018) , or so most winemakers tell me, because very few can go to 100% whole-cluster fermentation. Indeed, the 2021 Barolo Monvigliero sees 60% whole clusters. The Vietti team is experienced, and this wine is pristine. This vintage was harvested on September 30th, and maceration was a bit shorter, at 20 days. The wine shows a delicate film of pink salt with garden herbs, lemon leaves and spring flowers. It is a wine of extreme elegance, but I find that this vintage is especially Mediterranean in character. 
95 Points. Antonio Galloni
The 2021 Barolo Monvigliero is another step forward for Vietti. Aromatic and lifted, the 2021 is all class. The stems (60%) are evident but not as strong of a marker as they were in the first years. Stylistically, the Monvigliero is closest to the Ravera, with which it shares a taut, mineral-driven personality.
98 Points. James Suckling
Lots of violets, cola and blueberries on the nose, complemented by a clay pot note. Fascinating aromatics. The palate is medium- to full-bodied with polished tannins. A cohesive and complete wine that’s angular and incisive, with subtlety, precision and elegance. Lots of personality in each detail. It needs at least four years to soften. But what a wine.  

 98+ Points, Monica Larner, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"This is a serious beauty that reminds us of the brilliant work underway at this leading estate. Yes, ownership has changed over recent years, but this wine remains "Rocche-solid." From an epic vintage, the Vietti 2021 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione is a classic with those elegant mineral notes of glacial till and flake salt followed by carefully ripened fruit, blackcurrant and a finely tuned floral note of fragrant tea leaf that hits the high notes. The effect is ethereal but also precise. Fruit comes from two parcels, one planted in 1958 and the other in 1969, and the blend is half of each fermented together. Fruit was picked on October 1st, and the wine saw 24 days on the skins. The first year this wine was produced is 1961. The Rocche di Castiglione site has 35% sand with marl soils that continue to evolve, kicking out more new sand. Only 3,728 bottles exist, and that's the bad news." 01/25
96 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous:
"The 2021 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione is elegant, floral and lifted. I also find it a bit reticent in the early going. Crushed flowers, bright red-toned fruit, blood orange, white pepper and spice open with some coaxing. I would not dream of touching a bottle anytime soon, the wine's considerable sensuality notwithstanding. (Drink between 2029-2041)" 01/25