G.D. Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole 2018

“The 2018 Barolo Bricco delle Viole is not super intense, but it is balanced in its own way. The wine is subdued but complete with softly yielding tannins to support an elegantly streamlined mouthfeel. Bricco delle Viole is a high and cool growing site in Barolo at 400 to 480 meters in elevation with characteristic Sant’Agata marl soils with fossils. The wine represents a selection of fruit from over seven hectares. With fermentation in steel tank and aging in large Slavonian oak, you are invited to a silky, lifted and beautifully delicate experience with an accessible personality. Drink: 2024-2040. 95 points

G.D. Vajra earns top scores for its perfectly designed portfolio of Piedmont wines. Well balanced against various price points (and all very reasonable), the estate offers excellent high-end Barolos from single vineyards, the super accessible and charming Barolo Albe, and a whole range of lower-end wines that are all creative in terms of graphics and design and extremely innovative in terms of winemaking, blends and overall approach. The G.D. Vajra portfolio should be a model for all sorts of up-and-coming wineries. Just this past year, the winery team created a family library with more than 2,000 books on winemaking, geography and more. The oldest volume dates back to the 15th century.“

Monica Larner, Wine Advocate (08/22)