2016 Barolo Arborina
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Tasting notes
La Morra. Tasted blind. Lustrous mid ruby. Pure cherry nose with earthy notes and hints of cinnamon bark. Generous fruit palate with integrated supple acidity and sensationally polished, long tannins. Closes up and becomes a little numb, but the balance is nothing less than spectacular. (WS)
Critic scores
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Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The Arborina cru catches the beautiful morning light as it washes over the wide panorama of vineyards seen from La Morra. The Mauro Veglio 2016 Barolo Arborina shows pretty floral characteristics of rose, wild violets and even a fragrant touch of cherry blossom. I tasted the wine twice over a 24-hour period, and those floral aromas only grew more intense and recognizable with time. There's a good amount of fruit here too, along with ethereal tones of tar, licorice and iron ore. The wine is nicely balanced, especially from an aromatic point of view. This estate farms 2.5 hectares in Arborina, but fruit for this wine is drawn from a one-hectare parcel at 250 to 300 meters above sea level, where the oldest vines are located. These are 35 years old and more. With 6,500 bottles made, this is another graceful and elegant expression from Mauro Veglio.
The 2016 Barolo Arborina offers plenty of the punchiness that is so typical of this site. Bright red cherry, blood orange, mint, dried flowers and anise all give the 2016 a striking aromatic top register to match the wine's natural energy. Even with all of its vibrancy, the 2016 has very good finesse in its tannins. Medium in body and refined, this is a winner.