2012 Vietti Barolo Riserva Villero

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | JUNE 24, 2019

Vietti’s 2012 Barolo Riserva Villero is absolutely gorgeous. In 2012, the Villero is especially lifted and aromatic, showing a distinctly floral and red-toned expression of fruit rather than the darker, more balsamic inflections that are typical of this Castiglione Falletto cru. Light on its feet, fresh and graceful to its core, the Villero is another terrific wine from Vietti in 2012. Veins of Villero tannin and bright acids give the wine energy, vibrancy and tons of character. More than anything else, though, the 2012 Villero is a very clear continuation of a stylistic evolution that can be traced to the 2010 Barolo Ravera in which the Barolos are now made in a more traditional style than in the past, which includes malolactic fermentation in cask rather than barrique. In 2012, that approach was not in place for all the Barolos, but it is very much evident here.

Vietti picked their small parcel in Villero on October 2. The fruit saw 4-5 days of cold soak, followed by 21 days of fermentation and then submerged cap maceration, before being raised in cask for 30 months with no racking. The 2012 is the 13th edition of Vietti’s Riserva. From its first release with the 1982 vintage, the Villero has been graced with an artist label. The 2012 label was designed by celebrated architect Renzo Piano. 95+/Drink 2022-2042.