2021 Vietti Barolo Ravera

The 2021 Barolo Ravera is a medium ruby hue and reveals a detailed and layered profile on the nose, with lifted spice and a more vertical feel to its notes of fennel, red cherries, red berries, wild fresh herbs, and orange peel spice. The palate is medium-bodied with a bit of gamey richness, ripe tannins, and a sanguine finish. It has good length and a savory feel. This area of Ravera is 450 meters above sea level and was harvested in this vintage 12 days after Monvigliero in the north. Drink 2026-2046.

You could argue that this is the wine with the fasting growing quality trajectory because this vineyard site is one of those rare places in the appellation that appears to improve despite (or more likely because of) a changing climate. Ravera enjoys an open panorama (at 400 to 440 meters in elevation) that extends to the snow-capped Alps and benefits from cooler air currents, coupled with an amazing quality of light that you notice with the naked eye. The 2021 Barolo Ravera saw its fruit harvested later than the other wines, on October 11th, and continued with a classic Vietti-style fermentation with 20-plus days of skin contact. Simply put, what Ravera offers is complexity (and strength) with hints of bergamot, citrus, herbs, mineral and salt over a tightly concentrated mouthfeel. The quality of the tannins and the freshness of this 2021 are impressive, and that citrusy note continues with tangerine skin and kumquat. Production is 8,700 bottles.

The 2021 Barolo Ravera is one of the many standouts in this range from Vietti. Blood orange, chalk, mint, white pepper and slate all infuse the palate with notable persistence. Intensely saline and mineral, the Ravera is not an easy wine, as it is focused and taut rather than immediate. It's a Barolo that demands a lot from the taster, but it pays that attention back in spades.