TN: A visit to G.D. Vajra (Barolo)

Just as my first experience with Burlotto was with the pelaverga (see my notes from my Burlotto visit), the first G.D. Vajra wine that made an impression on my was their Langhe Bianco, made from riesling. I’ve had very few of their reds, so I visited the cantina on June 3 to get a better sense for the rest of their wines, and their Baroli in particular.

The winery is perched in the hamlet of Vergne, high on a ridge at 450 meters, above the town of Barolo, not far from La Morra and the highest wine town in the Langhe. The surrounding vineyards run up to 400 meters, the upper limit for quality there.

As a footnote, the family name is spelled Vaira, but they found historical variants including Vayra and Vajra, and opted for the latter as the brand name.

The standouts for me, in their categories, are marked with asterisks.

*2009 Langhe Bianco (riesling)
Completely dry and very taught at the moment, like a good young German Trocken. As it warmed up, it became more and more complex. They suggest that it needs three to seven years, and I wouldn’t quarrel with that. Definitely needs time – again, like a good Trocken – and very promising. 13.5%

2008 Dolcetto (Coste & Fossati vineyards)
A bit hard and charmless, like a lot of 2008 reds I tasted.
2007 Barbera Superiore (from the Bricco delle Viole vineyard)
Nice grapiness (which I want in a barbera); ripe but not hot (14.5%). Spends one year in oak. Didn’t excite me, though.

*2009 Nebbiolo (from Novello and Sinio)
Good, pure nebbiolo character. Very young. Aged in steel. They recommend six to seven years of aging, which seems right to me. This is not a quaffable young nebbiolo; more like a Produttori normale/Torre. I was happy to find this for $20 at my corner store when I returned home. I opened one at dinner at Keith Levenberg’s but am putting two others away. 88+ points.

2006 Barolo Albe (a blend of Coste, La Viola, Fosatti vineyards)
This is a blend made to sell at a moderate price ($28-$35 in the U.S.). Traditional methods: 30-day maceration, 36 months in Slovenian botte. The vines are ~25 years old.
Very ripe and extracted. Fairly approachable, but not that interesting to me.

*2006 Barolo Bricco delle Viole
Fabulous aromas and great concentration and depth, yet elegant. Not knowing Vajra wines, this was a revelation. Forty-day maceration; 40-42 months in oak botte; 40-60-year-old vines. They expect it to require 15 years or so, and I have no reason to doubt that. 93+ points (very high on my scale).
2010 Moscato d’Asti
Lovely, light, refreshing, with intense muscat flavors.
*Barolo Chinato
Made with more than 50 herbs, including licorice, chamomile, citrus, dried orange, cinnamon and ginseng. More bitter than some, but I liked that. 92+

*2006 Luigi Baudana Barolo “Baudana”
In 2008, Vajra purchased the Baudana estate in Serralunga, at the far end of the Barolo zone, both geographically and stylistically. The 2005 wines were nearly complete when the purchase was made, so that year and later vintages are being released by Vajra. The wines will continue to be sold under the Baudana label.
The new oak regime at Baudana has been dialed back from 2006 on, though the 2006 had spent some time in barrique by the time Vajra took control.
The color of the Baudana was lighter than that of the Bricco delle Viole, but in the mouth the wine had the unmistakable masculinity of Serralunga. Very good. 92+

See also my tasting notes from Rizzi in Treiso (Barbaresco).

A rather timely post for me! Just found the '09 Langhe Bianco at a local shop for ~$20, supposedly about half of its usual price. I’ve been buying Piedmont wines recently, and when the proprietor told me it was 100% Riesling, I was sold immediately. Probably won’t wait 3-7, though, to try it.

Also was wondering about the Albe since that’s available as well locally. Thought it was weird a Barolo from a good producer would run sub-$40. But I see what the idea is now–a ‘real’ Barolo, but made in a more approachable fruit-forward style. Might still pick one up to try.

They didn’t show you any freisa??

That’s a great price on the riesling. If you can’t wait, I’d suggest decanting it. At the winery, it was very tight. That was my experience with the last bottle I had here – a 2008, I believe.

FYI, I realize now that my intro left out their freisa. I had the good fortune to have several bottles of the 89 a couple years back, and one of the 90s. Served blindly, it’s easy to mistake for a Barolo. I forgot to ask for a taste when I was there, unfortunately.

Hey John - how common is Riesling there? I can’t think of any I’ve had.

They said, somewhat indignantly, that someone else now produces it, but they’re quite proud of having introduced it to the region. So, I think the answer is just two or three people.

Ceretto makes an Arbarei - 100% Riesling Renato. 1000 cases/yr - don’t know if much is imported. I wasn’t aware of italian riesling until last week.

Thanks for the report. I know very little about Vajra wines but was pleasantly surprised by that 06 Bricco Viole which was smoother and more accessible than I expected.

RT

There are some fine ones from the Alto Adige, where a lot of German grapes are grown. The best I’ve had was from the Istituto Agrario San Michele all’Adige.

Thanks for the notes of your visit.

I was there in 2006 and I have been impressed with the Bricco del Viole and Freisa.

Doesn’t get much promotion and distribution here in the USA and, if the wines aren’t keenly priced they are reasonable.

The Bricco del Viole is $65 and up, so they aren’t giving it away. Even the Baudana, which I’ve never seen here, isn’t in the cheapest ranks.

This is an outstanding winery run be absolutely lovely people. They been putting on a big marketing push in recent years in the US, as they only just got on Bob/Antonio’s radar in the past decade. I think the wines are fantastic, particularly given the reasonable price points.

BTW, the basic Rosso (which you apparently didn’t sample) is one of the finest inexpensive Italian reds I’ve had in years – the 08 could be found here in VA right around $10 where it was an absolute steal…

The Freisa is my favorite of their wines, but I like their whole lineup. The mother (Marina, I think) hosted us for our visit last year and was a lovely and charming character, though I’m guessing she’s tough as nails when the situation calls for it as well.

I’m still sitting on a few bottles of the '01 Freisa Kye that I bought on our visit there circa '04-'05. Those '89s and '90s that Crush was selling a few years ago were just the basic freisa so I’m hoping the Kye will be even more interesting.

John, tremendous notes. I’m an enormous fan of these wines. They are super pure and classic, with great expression of terroir, but have that extra bit that put these guys right up there. I think they are a notch below some of the finest names in Piedmont (and fortunately, priced appropriately too).

Another Piedmont producers Riesling worth checking out is Ettore Germano. It’s around $25 in most places, and is a steal (and I think a bit better than Vajra’s too). Ignore the Chard/Riesling blend, it’s just not as good.

(Fortunately, we do sell these wines, and lots of them. A give the nod to the quality of the wines, and not our salesmanship. )