2006 Barolo Villero Riserva
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Tasting notes
Good deep red. An essence of Barolo on the nose, offering scents of strawberry, currant, truffley underbrush, tobacco, menthol and woodsmoke. All spine and little obvious flesh today, showing almost painful cut and acidity following the brilliant 2010s here. The medicinal berry, menthol, tar and tobacco flavors are joined on the back end by a boatload of tannins and a strong balsamic quality. This wine will age for 25 years or more an may well merit an even higher score. What a treat it would be to taste this wine next to the 2004 version in about 2025. Incidentally, Vietti has offered a Villero riserva only 8 times in 42 years.
Critic scores
Average Score
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Mid ruby with orange rim. Beautiful lifted, almost piercing, leafy cherry and spice. Powerful but velvety tannin and sweetly concentrated. Fine crunchy fruit and powdery tannins. Understated and long. (WS)
The last wine of the flight is the outstanding 2006 Barolo Riserva Villero. It literally bursts open to full force intensity and beauty. It’s a mind-blowing interpretation of the often austere and brooding Nebbiolo grape that shows abundant life and vigor. Dark leather, cured beef, pressed rose petal, candied fruit, prune, cola, dried herbs and crushed mineral emerge from the glass like an aromatic marching band. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2035. If forced to inhabit a desert island that only served the wines of a single producer, I would want Luca Currado to be that supplier. He excels at everything he does from his castle perch at the heart of Castiglione Falletto. Despite the difficult 2009 season, his wines remain extraordinary. In fact, they are among the best I tasted from the vintage. Importer: Dalla Terra Winery Direct, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 259-5405
Elegance and power come together in grand style in Vietti's 2006 Barolo Riserva Villero. At times delicate while at other times a powerhouse, the 2006 captures all the seeming contradictions that make Nebbiolo such a great grape. Tasted alongside the other Vietti 2006s, the Villero shines. The aromas and flavors are all beautifully defined, but it is the wine's overall sense of harmony that leaves the longest impression. Tar, pine and wild flowers are layered into the huge, balsamic-infused finish. The Villero is typically quite slow out of the gate and I will not be at all surprised if that is the case here as well. As for the rest of Vietti's 2006s, I tasted them again, and, well, they are pretty special too.