1998 Barolo Lazzarito

These two Barolo from Vietti are exceptional. I remember visiting the estate when these wines were released and purchasing them for my cellar. Over the years, I never found the 1998s fully convincing and on the same level as today's wines (which are often extraordinary) as I often came away with the sense that the late 1990s were a bit of an experimental period for winemaker Luca Currado. Be that as it may, the proof is in the bottle, and these wines from Vietti are truly special. The estate's 1998 Barolo Lazzarito, from a vineyard in Serralunga, has developed splendidly. Always the most heavily oaked of the Vietti Barolos, the Lazzarito has incorporated its oak gracefully and the aromas and flavors are now beautifully melded into the dark, balsamic nuances that are the hallmarks of this site. To say I am deeply impressed with the 1998 Lazzarito would be a massive understatement; I only wish I had more of it!