Barolo Bricco Delle Viole 2021 G. D. Vajra

The Barolo Bricco delle Viole 2021 from G.D. Vajra is the most prestigious, most anticipated and most emblematic wine of this great Piedmontese family house, a bottle that international critics unanimously place at the summit of Barolo production, vintage after vintage, and which embodies what Nebbiolo can achieve that is greatest, purest and most ethereal in the Italian vineyard. Rated 96 points by Vinous, hailed by Jacobo Garcia-Andrade as "crystalline in its detail, of profound purity and length" and described by the Vajra family itself as "a wine of elegance and nobility", this 2021 is among the finest vintages ever produced from this legendary vineyard.

The Terroir of Bricco delle Viole

Bricco delle Viole is the highest vineyard in the entire Barolo commune, seven hectares in a single block planted between 400 and 480 metres altitude on marls of Sant'Agata, rich in marine fossils, which confer a minerality, tension and aromatic precision that no other Barolo vineyard can reproduce. The name of the lieu-dit is a floral promise: violets (viole in Italian) grow naturally on these wind-exposed heights, and their perfume impregnates the wines with a constancy and delicacy that is the absolute signature of this exceptional terroir. The Vajra family has cultivated these vines since the 1880s, the oldest plants, set by Aldo Vajra's grandfather in 1949, are now septuagenarians and produce grapes of a concentration and complexity that defy time. At this altitude, the nocturnal temperature inversion of valley floors does not reach the vines, nighttime temperatures here among the coolest in the appellation, allowing Nebbiolo to ripen slowly, to accumulate aromas of incomparable finesse and complexity, and to retain natural acidity of a precision that underpins its exceptional ageing capacity. The Sant'Agata marls, a bluish-grey marly clay substrate scattered with marine fossils, are the ideal soil for Nebbiolo: they confer both the tannic power, richness and iodine-tinged minerality that make the greatest Barolo of the commune great. Vinification, faithful to the domaine's traditional philosophy, was conducted in custom-designed vertical wooden vats with gentle punchdowns and daily cap-spraying, followed by a maceration under submerged cap of 51 days in this 2021 vintage, among the longest ever practised on this vineyard. Malolactic fermentation occurred in stainless steel in the following spring, and ageing lasted 24 months in large Slavonian oak foudres of 25 and 50 hectolitres, neutral vessels that provide gentle natural micro-oxygenation without ever imparting oak notes. Bottled 27 June 2024.

Tasting Profile, 2021

The 2021 vintage is unanimously hailed as among the greatest of the decade for Barolo, balanced, fresh and of rare aromatic purity, without the heaviness of overly warm years. The colour is a clear garnet with the characteristic orange-tinged reflections of noble Nebbiolo, a luminosity and transparency that herald the wine's finesse. The nose is of ethereal elegance and complexity that asserts itself from the moment of opening: aromas of black cherry and raspberry mingle with notes of pressed flowers, violet, faded rose, dried petals, incense, balsamic notes and wild berries, touched by liquorice, fresh mint and eucalyptus that bring an extra dimension of startling precision. Nuances of tea, wet gravel and marine fossils progressively complete this bouquet of infinite depth and persistence. On the palate, the texture is deep, silky and of stunning verticality: the tannins are integrated and of filigree fineness, the acidity lively and precise structures a rich flesh without ever weighing it down, and the finish is interminable, unfolding across flavours of red fruit, blackcurrant, eucalyptus and a chalky minerality of persistence and complexity that command patience and silence. A wine not to touch before 2026 at the earliest, destined for at least the next twenty years.

The Domaine

The Vajra family has cultivated Bricco delle Viole since the 1880s. At just fifteen years old, Aldo Vajra took hold of the family domaine's destiny in 1968, with a vision and determination that would change the course of modern Barolo. He was the region's first viticulturist to obtain organic certification, in 1971, an absolute pioneer. He created private massale selections of Nebbiolo and Dolcetto, brought about the renaissance of Freisa, a noble forgotten variety, and planted the Piedmont's first Rhenish Riesling in 1985. Today, his children Milena, Giuseppe and Isidoro perpetuate with the same passion and rigour this unique heritage, a house whose wines, in the words of the international press, "seem to float in the glass such is their essence of Nebbiolo so airy and precise".

Food Pairing

This Barolo Bricco delle Viole is a wine for haute cuisine and great patience. It will pair sublimely with tajarin al tartufo bianco d'Alba, Piedmontese egg pasta with white Alba truffle, a brasato al Barolo braised for hours, a fillet of Fassona beef in Barolo sauce, a Nebbiolo risotto or feathered game such as roasted woodcock. It will also find fine harmony with aged cheeses of great quality, Parmigiano Reggiano 36 months, Grana Padano reserve, extra-old Comté. A minimum two-hour decant is essential in its youth. Served between 16 and 18°C, it will progressively reveal, over the next decades, all the grandeur, purity and emotion of one of the greatest Barolos of Piedmont.