2021 Vietti Monvigliero, Barolo DOCG, Italy (750ml)

WINEMAKER'S NOTES: 

Ruby-red color. The nose is intense yet delicate, with notes of ripe red berries and fine spices. The unmistakably elegant hints of wild strawberry, rose and cherry are striking on the palate. The tannins are rounded, silky and persistent. Every ounce of the harmony and balance of this cru —one of the Barolo region’s most special —stands out. A wine that has in its aromatic complexity and gustative depth all its distinctive characteristics.

TASTING NOTES: 

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.

- James Suckling, 98 pts. 

This is the baby in the bunch, representing one of the newest additions to the Vietti portfolio, with the first vintage produced in 2018. The learning curve in Monvigliero is always steep, 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.

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 97 pts. 

This red is aromatic and haunting for its strawberry, cherry, rose hip, sweet hay, iron and licorice aromas and flavors. Expressive and harmonious, this is also firmly structured and long on the complex, fruit- and savory-fueled finish.

- Wine Spectator, 97 pts. 

For the 2021 Barolo Monvigliero, the estate implemented some whole cluster fermentation with 60% in a sandwiched way in the fermentation and no submerged cap. The nose is lifted and spicy with aromas of nutmeg, cinnamon, red cherries, fresh herbs, and fresh flowers. The palate is elegant and has a light chalky texture and a delicately drying finish. Medium-bodied, it floats on the palate with sweet tannins, and a great refreshing finish.

- Jeb Dunnuck, 95 pts. 

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.

- Vinous, 95 pts.