Vietti used to be a family business of mid-prized, high quality wines, in particular Barbera and Barolo. It was equally famous for its bright fruit and flower labels. Elena Vietti was very proud of them. Then, in 2016, the American Krause Holdings bought the business, while the family stayed involved. It very successfully lifted the prices of the single vineyard Barolos dramatically, while at the same time pricing the blended entry level Castiglione attractively. So now the winery is regarded as an absolute top producer. I am not sure if this is because of a quality or price lift.
In any case, I am reviewing an older wine here, the 2010 Vietti Barolo Castiglione. Like many producers with a number of great vineyards, Vietti produces single vineyard wines, and then uses 'surplus' fruit for a blend. The Castiglione is a blend of five vineyards, mainly from villages in the middle of the Barolo region. In 2010, the quality difference to the single vineyard wines was not large, and the attraction was to capture different terroir elements, such as elegance and power in one wine.
This wine shows some ageing, both in the colour, as well as on the nose, where tar and dried herb notes rise from the glass. On the palate, red berry flavours, dried cut flowers, mushroom, and anise build an intriguing flavour mix. More prominent, though, is the texture in this wine, soft and silky, building an elegant wine with typical firm and dry tannins on the finish.
This wine is good drinking now, but will show well for another five years.
Score: 93/++
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