Gaja Dagromis Barolo 2019

G.D. Vajra Bricco Delle Viole Barolo is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo. 

The Barolo Bricco delle Viole shows the signature verticality of its vineyard. The wine is beautifully layered and - while restrained as it’s always the case in the youth of Bricco delle Viole - it also shows a complexity of layers with purple flowers, sweet spices and mineral tones. The palate is noble, with a refined acid spine and profound tannins that promise a long aging potential.

Among the historical vineyards of Barolo, Bricco delle Viole is the highest and the closest to the Alps. It rises from 400 to 480 meters above sea level, on the Western ridge of the village. Its name, “Hill of Violets”, originates from the flowers that blossom early here due to the perfect south exposure. Up above the fogs, Bricco delle Viole enjoys the earliest sunrise and the last sunset every day. Thanks to its vines dating back to 1949 and -now- 1931, a dramatic diuturnal temperature range and this pure light, Bricco delle Viole generates a sophisticated and profound Barolo DOCG of bright aromatics, chiseled tannins and subtle minerality. 2018 is a vintage that shows many nuances of Bricco delle Viole: beyond the signature verticality of this site, the wine offers high tones laced with mineral nuances and plenty of energy and youth.

 Review:

A juicy Barolo, with vibrant acidity and a fluid profile that exudes cherry, raspberry, mown hay, mineral and eucalyptus aromas and flavors. Tight yet long, with excellent potential.

#26 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2023

The last wine poured at my tasting at the winery is the G.D. Vajra 2019 Barolo Bricco delle Viole. With its high vantage point in the hills west of Barolo, Bricco delle Viole is a world apart in terms of soils (with Sant'Agata marl and fossils) and even harvest times. Slow and careful ripening like the kind that characterizes fruit in 2019 renders a very delicate and ethereal expression with floral tones, wild mint and licorice. This organic wine is solid in build and structure. Indeed, Isidoro Vaira remarks that Nebbiolo tannins have changed since the 1970s and 1980s. 

-Wine Advocate 97+ Points

 Jeweled in appearance, the 2019 Barolo Bricco Delle Viole may be the best wine I have tried yet from Vajra. Its gorgeous and alluring perfume of fresh roses is followed by a Burgundian, elegant red with incredible length and no harsh edges, fine and present tannins, and beautiful, graceful concentration. It is drinking well now, and I will be trying to get my hands on as much of this as possible. Drink 2025-2045.

-Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points

Gaja Sperss is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo.

Vibrant and intense notes of herbs and spices such as thyme, cloves and black pepper. On the palate the wine is tense, loaded with energy that will need serious ageing to fully develop although extremely approachable in its youth. Impressive fruit concentration, with dark and ripe fruits – prunes and black cherries. Acidity and tannins lift this wine to its freshest expression.

Nebbiolo based wines have not only complexity and structure but also great elegance and finesse. The distinctive silky tannins of the Nebbiolo make it the right wine to drink with meat. Usually a young vintage goes very well with richer dishes because of the stronger tannins; mature Barolos are more suitable with delicate white meat courses or braised meat courses with sauces or concentrated red wines reductions.

Review:

The 2018 Barolo Sperss is a gorgeous, gorgeous wine. The aromatics alone are beguiling. Then again, that's one of the things that makes Barolo such a totally seductive wine. Sweet black cherry, lavender, spice and leather give this unusually translucent Barolo striking layers of dimension. Potent Serralunga tannins are present, but they are beautifully woven into the wine's fabric. Sadly, production is around 11,000 bottles, down sharply from the 18,000 or so that is more typical.
- -- Antonio Galloni 97 Points

Andrew Will Winery Sorella 2019 is made from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petite Verdot.

Sorella means sister in Italian and was named after Chris Camarda late sister Jane Camarda. This first vintage was from 1994. This wine is made from 100% Champoux Vineyard fruit and represents the nature of the vineyard by highlighting the Cabernet Sauvignon, which is considered some of the best in Washington State. The picture on the label is a portrait of Annie Camarda (Chris’s late wife).

Review:

Flirting with triple digits, and perhaps the best Sorella yet, the 2019 Sorella explodes from the glass with a fantastic mineral essence that sways between dark red fruit tones, oak essence and freshly opened flowers. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is impeccably balanced with a silky-smooth mid-palate that bestows a stunningly beautiful wine with gobs of complexity and a ripe frame of glossy black raspberry and blackberry fruit tones. Unwinding across the finish, the wine unpacks gorgeous layers that seduce me for a second, third and fourth sip and finally begs me to finish the glass. Buy this ASAP!

-Wine Advocate 99 Points

Lodovico Barolo di Barolo  is made from 100% Nebbiolo.

Renato Ratti Rocche dell'Annunziata Barolo is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo.  Grapes handpicked in the month of October, de-stemmed and pressed. The alcoholic fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel containers. Contact with the skins lasts approximately three to four weeks and includes fermentation and subsequent post-fermentation maceration with the traditional submerged cap system. The malolactic fermentation takes place in steel containers.

The Rocche dell'Annunziata vineyard is historically known as one of the most important in the Barolo zone. In his Barolo Chart, Renato Ratti had already underscored this by entering it in the 1st Category class. Situated at about 300 meters above sea level and with a south-east exposure, it extends over approximately 1 hectare. Rich with typical blue marl interspersed between veins of sand, the earth confers an extraordinary elegance and depth, combined with fine and persistent scents of roses and licorice. A prestigious subzone engenders a Barolo that holds within it suggestions of a radiant future. Warm, persistent, rich: in a word, sumptuous.

The label bears the coat of arms of the local noble family, with a black hawk against a gilt backdrop. The Latin inscription “Probasti me et cogniusti me” means “You tried me, you knew me.”
The Bottle: The Albeisa – named after the city of Alba – is the iconic bottle created by Renato Ratti in 1973, desired as a way of identifying the uniqueness of a territory and its wines.

A garnet red. Delicate and persistent fragrance with trace scents of licorice, rose and violet. Full-flavored, warm, with extremely elegant tannins offering long persistence. A great wine for important dishes, red meats roasted on a spit or grilled, game, dishes of gourmet white and red meats and ripe cheeses.

Review:

Lots of dried flowers here give a perfumed nature to it with berries and citrus. Hibiscus water, too. Full-bodied and chewy with lots of tannins and vivid acidity. Subtle plum and strawberry character. Muscular and formed..

-James Suckling 97 Points

Xavier Vignon Lirac Rouge is made from 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah.

Ripe fruit, ranging from raspberries and cherries to hints of stone fruit. Yet, it's not over the top or simply fruity. This full-bodied wine adds hints of leather, garrigue and licorice along the way, evolving from creamy to velvety on the palate and through the lasting finish.

Pairs with lamb Tagine with dry fruits - Duck breast fillet with green pepper sauce - BBQ Prime rib of beef.

Review:

"An 80-20 blend of Grenache and Syrah, Vignon's 2019 Lirac is drawn from multiple parcels with galets roulés over clay soils. Roughly one-third went into oak, while the rest stayed in tank. It may be the most complex of the various Vignon "Signature" offerings, marrying hints of garrigue and licorice with mixed berries and hints of oak. It's medium to full-bodied, silky and forward, with the same lip-smacking drinkability factor that marks all of Vignon's wines on the finish. - Joe Czerwinski"

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (September 2020) 92 pts