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93
JULY 2020
Vietti Derthona Timorasso Colli Tortonesi DOC 2018
This is an exciting new addition to the Vietti portfolio. The 2018 Colli Tortonesi Timorasso Derthona is a compact, medium-bodied wine that offers a large span of neutral aromas ranging from melon and quince to Golden Delicious apple. What sets the wine apart is its silky texture and creamy fruit weight. I happily drank my sample with some take-out spring rolls in spicy sauce. We will surely see more prominent winemakers in Lange who decide to dabble in Timorasso in the upcoming years. This native grape shows promising aging potential and makes for an excellent white wine addition in a portfolio of age-worthy reds.
100
NOVEMBER 2020
Vietti Barolo Rocche di Castiglione DOCG 2016

Alfredo Currado made Vietti’s first-ever single-cru Barolo in 1961 from Rocche di Castiglione, a long tongue of vines that extends from the edge of Castiglione Falletto toward the border of Monforte d’Alba on a southeast facing slope. Currado’s son and Vietti’s current winemaker, Luca, calls Rocche “stronger than the stupid,” meaning it is hard to make a bad wine from the cru. That was never a possibility in 2016, a growing season that Luca considers the best in his 33 harvests, with everything happening just as it should: rain at opportune moments, no significant hail, and a beautiful September with hot days and cold nights. The wine’s red-cherry flavors are vibrant and juicy, picking up notes of orange peel and fresh tobacco with time in the glass. Its tannins are formidable yet cool, adding to its sense of freshness, and the precise red-berry flavors continue to gain energy and vibrancy even five days after the bottle was opened. A portrait in balance and equilibrium, this 2016 is a monumental achievement.
97
NOVEMBER 2020
Vietti Barolo Rocche di Castiglione DOCG 2016
The purity of the fruit is the highlight of this red, with cherry, raspberry and floral aromas and flavors permeating from start to finish. Add iron, tobacco and eucalyptus to the mix and this Barolo becomes complex and compelling. The firm structure melds nicely as the finish lingers. Best from 2023 through 2045. 307 cases made, 75 cases imported.
95
DECEMBER 2020
Vietti Barolo Lazzarito DOCG 2016
Juniper, sage, green tea, cherry and tar flavors mark this savory red, which is rich, backed by a bracing structure, yet remains balanced and long on the finish. Very pure and vibrant, with a fine matrix of tannins. Best from 2024 through 2043. 774 cases made, 225 cases imported.
96
OCTOBER 2020
Vietti Barolo Brunate DOCG 2016
Graceful and focused, displaying rose, strawberry, cherry and eucalyptus flavors, this red also reveals a solid spine of tannins on the finish. This is balanced, yet needs a few years to find its stride. Shows terrific energy and freshness. Best from 2023 through 2043. 304 cases made, 73 cases imported.
91
JANUARY 2021
Vietti “Perbacco” Langhe Nebbiolo DOC 2018
Vibrant aromas of raspberries and tart cherries, covered in smoky earth, rose petals, graphite, slight tones of soy, white pepper and mushroom broth. Fresh and bright on the palate, focused, accessible but has some structure to the tannins as well. Raspberries, cherries and red currants, mixed with savory, floral, spicy tones (clove, anise, spiced tea), with mineral, earthy undertones. Drinking great now. Sourced from 15 different Grand Crus, vinified separately and blended later. Really solid, value-driven baby Barolo here.
99
NOVEMBER 2020
Vietti Barolo Lazzarito DOCG 2016
Vietti’s vines in the Lazzarito cru of Serralunga average 37 years of age, and they’re rooted in the clay-limestone soils of the southwest-facing slope. Their fruit builds muscular tannins that, in this 2016, frame flavors of dark cherry and raspberry tinged with notes of menthol and blood orange. This wine is compelling for its raw power and energy, and it exhibits the verticality and freshness of the 2016 vintage that will allow it to improve over the next decade and beyond as those chiseled tannins soften.
92
FEBRUARY 2021
Vietti “Castiglione” Barolo DOCG 2017
The 2017 Barolo Castiglione is a wild, exotic wine. Super-ripe red cherry, kirsch, cinnamon, tobacco, new leather and rose petal all flesh out in this ample, voluptuous Barolo from Vietti. The 2017 is a wine of significant heft hidden behind a wall of tannin. Give it a few years to soften or open it well in advance. Time brings out striking translucence as well as finesse.
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