Simply Better Wines
  • Wines
    • Trentino/Alto-Adige >
      • Incontri Rotaliani Teroldego Rotaliano in anteprima 2023
      • TrentoDOC Blind Tasting 9/2017
      • Trentino in 2014
      • San Leonardo Vertical in 2013
      • Tasting from the cellars of Terlan in 2014
      • Lagrein
      • Teroldego
    • Toscana >
      • Chianti Classico Collection 2022
      • 2022 Vernaccia di San Gimignano Tasting
      • Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Anteprima 2021
      • Vernaccia di San Gimignano Anteprima 2021
      • Anteprima Toscana 2020 - Vernaccia di San Gimignano
      • Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Anteprima 2020
      • Benvenuto Brunello 2015
      • Anteprima Toscana 2019 Vernaccia di San Gimignano
      • Antiprima Toscana Chianti 2019
      • Montecucco Anteprima
      • Anteprima Vino Nobile di Montepulciano tasting 2019
      • Chianti Gran Selezione in 2014
      • Chianti Classico in 2014
      • 2012 Rosso di Montalcino
      • Percarlo and Siepi: A comparative Vertical
      • Sangiovese 1997 vs 1999
    • Veneto >
      • Col Vetoraz: In a class of their own
      • Amarone in 2014
      • Valpolicella in 2014
      • Recioto del Amarone in 2014
    • Piemonte >
      • Piedmontese White Wines Tasted in 2017
      • Piedmont Sparkling Wines Tasted in 2017
      • Piedmontese wines tasted in 2017
      • Vintage Assesments >
        • Barolo 2018
        • 2016 Barolo: Value Plays
        • 2016 Barolo Values: Part 2
        • 2016 Barolo Values: Part 3
        • 2015 Barolo
        • 2014 Barolo
        • 2013 Barolo
        • 2012 Barolo and looking ahead at 2013 and 2014
        • 2012 Barolo
        • 2011 Barolo: An Early Verdict
        • Barolo 2011-2009 @ Prowein2015
        • Barolo 2010: First Look
        • 2010 Barolo: A Vintage for The Cellar
        • 2009 Barolo
        • 2008 Barolo Revisited in 2013
        • Top Barolo Producers of 2012
        • Alba Wine Exhibition 2004 Barolo
        • Barbaresco in 2014
        • Barbaresco in 2013
        • Alba Wine Exhibition - 2005 Barbaresco
        • 2009-2015 Barbera Tasted in 2017
        • Barbera in 2014
        • Barbera in 2013
        • Dolcetto in 2017
        • Dolcetto in 2014
        • Dolcetto in 2013
        • Langhe Nebbiolo in 2014
        • Pelaverga and Freisa tasted in 2017
        • Freisa in 2013
      • Retrospective Tastings >
        • 1978 Barolo Horizontal in 2010
        • 1979 Barolo Horizontal in 2014
        • 1980 Barolo Horizontal in 2014
        • 1989 Barolo Horizontal in 2014
        • 1989 Vietti Horizontal
        • 2000 Barolo Horizontal in 2013
        • 2001 Barolo Horizontal in 2013
      • Vertical Tastings >
        • Burlotto
        • Cappellano Barolo Vertical in 2013
        • Giuseppe Mascarello Vertical
        • Vietti Rooche Vertical in 2009
        • Giuseppe Mascarello Visit in 2010
        • Marcarini Brunate Horizontal in 2014
        • Gicomo Conterno vertical in 2004
    • Domestic Wines >
      • de Negoce: Cabernet Sauvignon
      • The New California in 2014
      • Ridge Vineyards
      • Dunn Winery
      • Turnbull Winery
      • Bedrock
      • Chateau Montelena
      • Thomas Fogarty
      • Smith Madrone Winery
      • Beringer Vineyards
      • Bucklin Old Hill Ranch
      • Unti Winery
      • Carlisle Winery
      • Talty Vineyards
      • 2012 Carlisle and Bedrock Zinfandel Blind Tasting
    • European Wines >
      • Dominio Buenavista - Veleta Wines
      • Bordeaux 2011
      • Top Portuguese Reds in 2014
      • Wines of Saxony
      • Chateau Musar in 2014
      • Red Wines of Portugal 2013
      • Top Portuguese Whites in 2014
      • CVNE Vina Real Horizontal in 2013
      • 2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape in 2013
      • Beaucastel Horizontal in 2013
      • 1998 Chateauneuf Horizontal in 2012
      • Rioja Reserva in 2013
  • From the Cellar
    • From the Cellar: Zinfandel
    • From the Cellar: Syrah
    • Special Bottles >
      • 1983 Haut-Bages-Liberal
      • Celebrating Bruno Giacosa's Life and Work
      • 1982 Chateau Poujeaux
      • Casa de Sonoma
      • The Tale of Two 1982 Barolos
    • Wine of the day
  • Regional Guides
    • TrentoDOC >
      • TrentoDOC Regulations
      • Vallagarina
      • Alto Garda/ Valle del Sarca
      • Valle dei Laghi
      • Valsugana
      • Valle di Cembra
      • Valle dell'Adige
  • Producer Profiles
    • Cantina Dorigati
    • Lunch with Librandi
    • Col Vetoraz : Equilibrium, Harmony and Elegance
    • Piedmont >
      • Accomasso, Lorenzo
      • Alessandria, Fratelli
      • Barale
      • Boasso
      • Boggione, Claudio
      • Bosco, Agostino
      • Brezza, Giacomo
      • Broccardo
      • Brovia, Fratelli
      • Burlotto
      • Burzi, Alberto
      • Canonica, Giovanni
      • Cappellano, Dott. G.
      • Cascina Alberta
      • Cascina delle Rose
      • Castello di Perno
      • Cavallotto
      • Cogno, Elvio
      • Conterno, Giacomo
      • Cordero di Montezemolo
      • Fracassi, Umberto Ratti Mentone
      • Fratelli Alessandria
      • Germano, Ettore
      • Ghisolfi, Attilio
      • Grasso, Elio
      • Manzone, Fratelli
      • Marcarini
      • Mascarello, Bartolo
      • Mascarello, Giuseppe
      • Marengo, Mario
      • Massolino
      • Montanello, Tenuta
      • Molino, Ernesto
      • Negri, Giulia
      • Oddero, Luigi
      • Oddero, Poderi e Cantina
      • Oreste, Stefano
      • Pira, E of Chiara Boschis
      • Porro, Guido
      • Principiano, Ferdinando
      • Rinaldi, Giuseppe
      • Rizieri
      • Roagna, I Paglieri
      • Roddolo, Flavio
      • Sandri, Elio - Cascina Disa
      • Scarzello, Federico
      • Vajra, G.. D.
      • Viberti, Giovanni
      • Vietti
  • Blog
    • #GDPandThePig
  • About
  • Contact
  • Dining
  • Forum
Vajra, G. D.
April 2023 visit.
2019 reminds them of 2013, in terms of vegetative cycle, and flowering, which has a large impact on the structure of the tannins, one of the later harvest of nebbiolo in this age of global warming, 

submerged cap 25-28 days about half normal 
2020 a blend of the other two
2021 love the color and the fruit, maybe not a classic vintage but a beautiful vintage go barolo
2022 end of September saw the arrival of actual low over-night temperatures which really allowed the nebbiolo to achieve full maturity, pre and post and different wines

2020 G.D. Vajra Slarina

Historically from canavese north astigiana, also was present in north Piedmont, needs a stonier and iron rich soil to produce better wine, they planted in this soil close to Dogliano, leafs remain becomes ripe without a lot of photosynthesis, lower sugar, lower alcohol, less esca and flavescenza  grown in Fariani 

Experimental fermentation

Medium light density of color, with violet and hints of purple,  reticent nose. Bit sweet if dark fruited  on the nose with strong soil iron, gentle floral very Piedmontese,  fuller bodied than Principiano’s, lovely wine, transparent, nice layer of fruit, deep, faceted, purple fruit with hints of iris, jasmine, and tart almost red currant, good acidity, a bit on the simple side, more rustic than dolcetto but less aromatic, more complex, good length. 87pts

2020 G.D. Vajra Shatuse aka Nebbiolo di Dronero 
Experimental fermentation
5 different phenotypes, they planted all of them. 
Typical in the Ardeche 

Lots of color, dark purple, violet with near opacity. Fairly neutral aromatics a hint of dark fruit, dark floral, limestone. Lovey in the mouth, great cut and freshness, still fairly neutral, gentle purple fruit, tart, acid driven, fine supple tannins that build dusty and fruit skin derived. Interesting, a well made example but with modest potential, the finish is quite pleasant long and shows more aromatic intensity. 86pts

2021 G.D. Vajra Langhe Nebbiolo 14%
Lovely fruit, intense, pure, quite ripe if not sweet, blackberry, balsamic,  more pine forest than pine needles,  a touch of earth and spice lending complexity, the same on entry, just lovely so much precise fruit, dark balsamic notes, a bit closed, wonderful inner mouth perfumes, fabulous already silky if a bit large scaled with good length, though a bit of warmth to it 92pts

2019 G.D. Vajra Barolo Albe
A touch of smokiness followed by camphor notes  slightly jammy wild berry fruit, a little salty almost prosciutto salty, deeply fruited, fresh with significant maturity, lovely, delicate tannins, very floral, lighter styled but not light, shows more tannin than the Langhe Nebbiolo, but still rather silky and approachable. Tannins build, fairly detailed but a bit cruder than some other vintages and in need of more time.  90pts

2019 G.D. Vajra Barolo Coste di Rose 14%
Very different terroir, 50-90% poor sandy soils, average is 12-14%
Wild raspberry jam on the nose, again a little smoky note, faint vegetal accents, more spicy rose stems,  a hint of rosemary. Lovely in the mouth, just enough flesh to cover the elegantly structured midpalate. A little dense, a little chewy, medium bodied, certainly not powerful but structured and very impacted by the terroir and vintage. Glassy and tannic, though not terribly long, tight and behind.  Turning very floral, 91pts

2019 G.D. Vajra Barolo Ravera 14%
4 different harvest and vilifications, in 18 the lowest part was not used, 

Deep, more angular even on the nose, more soil driven and spicy, more towards blood orange and pomegranate accented core of similarly styled dark berry fruit, less jammy than the Coste, though more complex, and just as ripe. Silky, less dense surprisingly, about as tannic but the tannins are denser and more angular, showing up more on the finish, Depp, precise fruit supported by some salty blue/grey clay and herb skin flavors, a denser more complete example. Lots of clay on the long finish. Quite tense wine of moderate richness. 92pts

2019 G.D. Vajra Bricco delle Viole
Floral and delicate, its quite full and intense if light and feathery, this is all about thistle, blue flowers, maybe a hint of blue fruit, tar, wild strawberry.  Elegant and fine and with fine inner mouth perfumes of flowers, tart red fruits, tense but not at all aggressive, a wonderfully silky wine, delicate nuanced and gentle,  poised with super balance both structurally and in the flavor balance. 93pts

2019 Baudana Barolo Serralunga 
25 days
Costabella, Baudana and cerretta
Beautiful with tarry nutty base notes, more tobacco and dark fruit, extract of flowers, dried orange peel, less nuanced and complex but more intense. Tense, tight and reticent, lovely balance certainly not easy, tight finish with, lots of fruit tannins, more rustic, it’s chewy and decidedly Serralunga, needs time even now it strikes me as crude. Nutty, salty finish with a hint of green anise seed on the nose, 92pts

2019 Baudana Barolo Baudana 
Rich in clay
4000 bottles
Initial impression is of a more regal nose, dark rose bud, dark cherry fruit, dark tobacco, dark moist soil, gains focus with a bit of air, quite floral base notes, lighter on the palate than the nose suggest, definitely more aromatic and red fruited than the nose suggests, tannins are fine and angular if exceptionally well integrated, decidedly elegant if broad on the palate and this opens across the finish, tight, beautiful fruit, is it a bit too tannic? Are the tannins a little underripe?  93pts
 
2019 Baudana Barolo Cerretta
Clay but with a notable inclusion of chalk
Depending on the vintage this can be fermented in wood cask, 19 and earlier

Bright fruit more finely detailed red cherry fruit, sweeter if sweetly herbal, lovely and enticing nose,  bright, juicy, fine grained tannins, great inner mouth perfumes, tense, fairly dances across the palate, so tense and transparent, with the classic array of gently weedy, herbal nuanced with extract of flowers, this is nuanced and fine. With wonderfully ripe tannins that build on the finish but never become aggressive. Classic Barolo with a lighter imprint of Serralunga than the Baudana . 95pts

2020 Freisa Kye

2017 was good big wine, but maybe too much so since then they have picked Freisa a little bit early which is a risk because 50% of the tannins come from he seeds so the seeds must be ripe, 5% of whole cluster, tried in 19 and 20, continued since they like the results, one year less in cask and one year more in bottle

Dark a bit of salumi on the nose, salty, nutty and vaguely peppery, Super entry, open with some gently rustic tannins early on the palate followed by bright acid driven wild berry , blueberry and red currant fruit which drives the finish, less chewy and powerful than previous vintages, lovely floral inner mouth perfumes, mid tongue tannins build up but are sweet.  Shows a little inkiness on the palate, that dark concentrated blue fruit quality. 92pts


​
Proudly powered by Weebly