Vietti's 2013 Barolo Riserva Villero is a showstopper. Wow! dense, powerful and richly constituted, the Villero captivates from the very first taste. Smoke, scorched earth, gravel, cured meats and black cherry are some of the many notes that inform this decidedly somber, brooding Barolo. The interplay of fruit density and structure is just captivating. Time in the glass brings out a whole range of exotic red fruit blood orange and floral overtones, along with huge swaths of tannin. This is the first vintage in which 100% of malolactic fermentation took place in cask rather than in French oak barrique. It is also the finest vintage of the Villero I have ever tasted, and I say that with my often stated view that, at least in the past, the Riserva has never been the best wine in the Vietti range. In a word: dazzling.

Lots of tar, crushed berries, cedar and dried flowers on the nose. It’s full-bodied with powerful, focused tannins. Tile and dried-earth notes, too. So focused and full of strength, yet it remains agile and polished. Try after 2023 and onwards.

The Vietti 2013 Barolo Riserva Villero is a stunning wine, full of life, energy and beautiful complexity. This vintage opens in such a graceful manner, tickling the senses like a feather. With time, that initial softness begins to rise, and the wine grows in aromatic momentum and textural importance to take on magnificent fruit weight. It is soft, caressing and long. Tasted seven years after the harvest, this Riserva is expertly integrated with vibrant primary fruit, tangy acidity and non-intrusive tannins. These elements that make up the grand totality of the wine are carefully contained and chiseled down to a most elegant and beautiful common denominator.