TN- 2015 Vietti Barbaresco and Barolos, 2016 Barbera, 2018 Roero Arneis

Notes from a public tasting. Reds double decanted about 90 minutes in advance. Limited notes given the setting, but a generous gesture that was most appreciated by a great many people. This is a very special group of wines, and I do not mind admitting I broke my 9 month self-imposed moratorium on new purchases for a couple of them.

2018 Vietti Roero Arneis

light bright yellow color, attractive grass and lime nose, hints of peach, on the palate quite dry with a good firm slate finish, barest hint of dried figs, a fine Roero Arneis on the restrained side- will be excellent with food.

***, ready to go.

2016 Vietti Barbera d’Asti Superiore Nizza La Crena

if this is any indication- expect great things from Vietti in 2016, good purple color, lovely earth, raspberry and chocolate nose, ripe blackberries, a particularly intense note of crushed raspberries, fine dried herbs on a solid and substantial palate, chalk notes, tannins, dry cocoa powder tones, fine length, as generous as it is on the nose- this is still quite closed on the palate, great promise here.

*(**)+, 2025-2035

2015 Vietti Barolo Castiglione

light bright red color, subdued earthy nose, violets, on the palate a baby with drying tannins, ripe and enticing cherry notes, chalk and mineral notes throughout the closed palate leading into an exceptional finish with a wonderful after-fragrance, showing little but this promises to be a most endearing mid-weight charmer.

(****)+, 2025-2040

2015 Vietti Barbaresco Masseria

good red color, a bright nose of cherries with a hint of polish, roses, on the palate not quite as closed as the Barolos today- but close, pronounced mineral notes throughout, substantial yet silky tannins, blackberries and black cherries- overall a much darker fruit profile than the Barolos tasted today, excellent length, only hints of the future today- but as with the Barolo Castiglione I think this will be an irresistible mid-weight charmer with just a little cellar time. For my personal tastes, this was one of the stars of the day.

(****)+, 2025-2040

2015 Vietti Barolo Brunate

good young red and brick color, a quiet and calm nose with hints of cherries, with time a dazzling and intricate web becomes just barely evident- like a thousand stars in the sky almost covered by a thin layer of clouds, on the palate ripe plums and cherries, bracing chalky tannins with distinct mineral notes, dried herbs and spices of particular intensity in beautiful layers, this is far more closed than it may seem- and here the greatness of the future is quite evident, this will not be a big bruiser of a vintage as so many seem to want these days- but it needs at least a decade in the cellar and I believe in time it will be magnificently elegant and detailed.

(*****), 2030-2050+

2015 Vietti Barolo Ravera

good young red and brick color, here the nose is even quieter and more closed than the Brunate- but supremely elegant while showing little detail, light notes of cherry and blackberry with some coaxing, on the palate quite tight and showing very little fruit, but here all the underlying elements are present and dazzling in their layered presentation- cloves, dried herbs, dark spices, rose petals, violets, they are all here and as with the Brunate showing a remarkable intensity and persistence, superb finish with a long and intense after-fragrance, for my personal tastes it gets no better than this, but patience is a must.

(*****), 2030-2050+

Thanks Tom. It seems like the Castiglione has been closing the gap with the SVDs, but I haven’t done much side by side tasting. What do you think?

In my 25 years of tasting experience, Italy has been sporadic until about 2 years ago. And I have very little experience with Vietti outside of the entry level wines which I used to taste and sell when I was ITB retail during college. So I have no basis on which to give you historical context and trends.

That said, the gap was pretty small with the 2015s. The difference is in the variety and persistence of the subtle complexities- which is a major point- but in terms of overall quality and potential enjoyment the gap was vastly smaller than the difference in the price tags ($200 for the Ravera and Brunate, $50 for the Castiglione.)

For my part, I bought the Ravera and the Barbaresco Masseria to have for special occasions down the road since I do not drink Italian wine with great frequency.

If I were prone to drinking Italian wine and opening a nice bottle every 2-3 weeks, then I would surely be buying 3-4 bottles of Castiglione for every bottle of the single vineyard wines.

As it is, I am tempted to go back this week and get some of the Castiglione after all. It really was lovely and should be ready much sooner than its big brothers.

Thanks Tom, that’s helpful. I really enjoy the Vietti wines but the price point for the SVDs is a bit high. My fairly limited experience is that the Castiglione was a very big step down, but it seems that’s changed. Ill definitely give one a try. Happily this wine is produced in volume and stays in market.

Thanks for the notes. I was actually in Pogo’s briefly while this tasting was going on but was in a rush and did not have time to try the wines.

James Kennedy on here and I both had the 2015 Vietti Barolo against the 15 Ravera and Lazzarito. While I thought that both the Ravera and Lazzarito were outstanding, James and I tried the Castiglione and looked at each other and both said at almost the exact same time, “not giving anything is it?”. I felt that the difference in complexity between the Castiglioni and the Ravera and Lazzarito was fairly stark. If budget were no concern, I would have happily purchased the SVD. While the Castiglione is well within my price range, I bought zero. It was, in my opinion, quite disappointing.

Paging James Kennedy!

Mr. Gallonis’ analysis:

Vietti-Castiglione:

The 2015 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione is incredibly inviting from the very first taste. Silky and aromatic, the Rocche shows plenty of the classiness that is such a signature of this Castiglione Falletto site. As with all of these 2015s, readers will have to be patient. The 2015 gains striking volume and resonance with time in the glass, but a few years in bottle are an absolute must for the wine to show at its very best.

Rating 94, Antonio Galloni, Feb 2019

Also a 94 from Monia Larner at Wine Advocate. While I thought it had some appeal on the nose, I found the palate pretty simple. Perhaps in a “dumb phase” but of the 13 baroli I sampled at the tasting, it placed near the bottom. I was especially disappointed as I desperately wanted to be wowed; I had my eye on purchasing a good bit of it given the press, the vintage, and the price. I did think that the 2013 Cavollotto Barolo Bricco Boschis, both 2014 Vajra Barolo Bricco della Viole and Ravera, and the SVD Viettis were all pretty damn good. 2013 Domenico Clerico Ciabot Mentin and Pajana were quite good, but showing some wood. The Ciabot Mentin was big and brooding with earthy black fruit but was a bit woody, while the Pajana was a bit more lithe and not quite as dense. 2015 Pio Cesare Barolo Ornato was really pretty and balanced with good red fruit and nice floral lift. 2013 Conterno Fantino Barolo Sori Ginestra was dark and rich, but so tannic as to be affirmatively unpleasant for me to drink, and I have a pretty good tolerance for tannin. If you have it, hold it another decade and hope for the best.

All true. At big Pogos Italian tasting (different event than Tom), Castiglione was muted and one note. Wanted to love it but nothing was happening with it. Lazzarito was the “masculine” SVD and Ravera the more feminine expression, relatively. The wallet chose Ravera.

On the TNs- you guys are quoting for the Rocche di Castiglione which is also a single-vineyard priced like its 3 peers. We had the regular Castiglione at the tasting I attended. I have not had the Rocche and so cannot offer a comparison there.

Many thanks for the notes, Tom. I have a couple of the 2015 Ravera which I have tucked away for a long nap.

While I cannot speak to the Vinous note, the Wine Advocate note I referenced from Monica Larner is not for the Rocche di Castiglione. It is for the Castiglione, the cheaper blend. Got 94 points. The Rocche DI got 96.

The 94 point tasting note that Doug posted was for the Rocche di Castiglione (single site). The Vinous tasting note for the multi-site Castiglione is as follows:

Vietti’s 2015 Barolo Castiglione is soft, silky and pliant, all qualities that make it a good choice for drinking now and over the next decade or so. Floral and nicely lifted, the 2015 is very pretty, if not quite the overachiever it can be. I expect the 2015 will be even more expressive once the tannins soften a bit further. In this tasting, the Castiglione stands out for its freshness and energy. Time in the glass brings out an extra layer of textural breadth and resonance that is not immediately apparent. 91 points.

My understanding (from a visit there a few years back) is that the Castiglione is just a blend of the single vineyard juice… each year has a different blend (some years have more ravera, some years more brunate, etc)… depends on quantity.
I’m sure there might be some berry select, but basically it’s a slightly lower level blend of the top vineyards. Primary reason is they don’t want a massive stock of top end single vineyard, but they need a flagship good barolo and normal people can buy. No doubt it’s excellent.