2015 Barolo Bricco Viole

The 2015 Barolo Bricco Delle Viole is a delicate and pure expression of Nebbiolo. The wine shows its naked beauty with pride, provocatively semi-dressed in lacy, floral aromas of wild rose and pressed violets. At this young age, the wine exhibits a gentle mix of fruity and floral characteristics that merge into the bouquet with intrepidness. The fruit from this vineyard within the Barolo township has maintained its freshness and crispness despite the heat of the 2015 growing season. I think it would be a lovely match for a veal piccata and cream sauce, with parsley and capers.

Barolo. Tasted blind. Concentrated youthful ruby. Brooding richness on the nose with a hint of bacon. A layer of ripe fruit with great tangy acidity and polished tannins on the finish. Generous strawberry fruit that could do with a bit of bottle ageing. (WS)

The flagship Barolo Bricco delle Viole is quite understated and gracious in 2015. Medium in body, with the persistent tannins that are so typical of this site, the 2015 is lithe, focused and full of energy. The warm vintage notwithstanding, in 2015, Vajra's Bricco delle Viole is distinctly sinewy and tense. It will offer considerable appeal to readers who find some of the other 2015 Barolos too open and giving in their youthful stage. Kirsch, rose petal, mint and chalky notes build into a finely cut finish. Time in the glass softens some of the youthful, austere contours, but this remains a 2015 Barolo that needs time in bottle to be at its very best. (AG)