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
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