Vietti: Barolo Rocche di Castiglione 2021

Galloni über: Barolo Rocche di Castiglione

-- Galloni: Tastings at Vietti are getting harder to schedule, as the range keeps expanding. That's not a bad thing when the wines are this exceptional. Readers will note the introduction of several new bottlings, all of which merit attention. “It was an unusually compact harvest,” winemaker Eugenio Palumbo remarked. “All the main vineyards were picked between September 30 and October 3, except for Ravera, which came in a week later.”The Rocche di Castiglione, Ravera and Monvigliero and Rabajà are aged entirely in cask for about 30 months. Submerged cap maceration and malolactic fermentation in cask gives these wines a slightly more classic feel than the Cerequio, Brunate and Lazzarito, which see about four months in French oak barrique for the malos. That said, the oak imprint in these three Barolos has come down quite a bit in recent years, narrowing the differences between the two groups of wines. This is especially evident in the Lazzarito, which for many years was the oakiest of the Vietti Barolos. I would be remiss in not highlighting the Barolo Castiglione, a blend of 20 sites that is especially fine in 2021.As usual, I tasted the 2021s from two sets of bottles, the first opened about two hours prior to my arrival at the winery, and the second opened in front of me. I tend to prefer just-opened bottles, as air is often a shock to wines that have been in bottle for a short time and can therefore have the unintended consequence of closing young wines down.For the last two decades or so, the style at Vietti has been one that straddles modern and more traditional styles. The wines were never as opulent as those of the modern school, but also never as ethereal or massively tannic as those of the classic school. One of the reasons for that is the choice to bleed the musts to increase fruit density, something that has long been a signature in the mid-palate richness of these Barolos. Vietti has been through some painful chapters in recent years. The sale of the winery to the Krause family and then Luca and Elena Currado’s exit in early 2023 were both dramatic events. In the end, my impression is that these turning points will end up being beneficial for all parties. The Cordero side of the family has their new ventures. It is obvious the Currados felt the pressure to make wine in a style the market expected. Now, they don’t have that constraint. Similarly, Palumbo has the freedom to take Vietti into a new era where I think the wines are going to be even more refined than those of the past. I have to say, I left this tasting extremely energized.