The iconic G.D. Vajra (VIE-rah) estate has delivered a stellar set of Barolos from 2020, including one that made it to the #9 spot on Wine Spectator's Top 100 list for 2024! The warm, drawn-out vintage imbued wines with a natural feeling of harmony and early charm. They combine generous aromatic tones with a balanced interplay of juicy concentration, embracing tannic weave and inner glow of acidity. They display more power than the 2013s, more finesse than the 2010s, and fresher aromatic tones than both. This is great news for those who enjoy Barolos a bit earlier while they have tons of youthful ebullience!
G.D. Vajra's elegant and expressive wines make it easy to forget that Barolos generally used to take at least a decade to mellow before you'd want to try them. The change is thanks to 1960s-70s pioneers like G.D. Vajra's founder, Aldo Vaira, who knew that Barolo could be more appealing at an early age if they embraced a more modern approach to grape-growing and winemaking. He was also an early proponent of single-vineyard bottlings for the region, pioneering the bottlings of the Bricco delle Viole and Ravera vineyard sites.today!
Near the southern edge of the Barolo region, G.D. Vajra's Ravera plots also feel the cooler air from the distant mountains, though they are lower-lying and more enclosed by a neighboring ridge. Here you find a more compact, succulent fruit weight than up on Bricco delle Viole, though it's still crisply detailed and set against an equally broad, stony tannic structure. It also has a darker berry and citrus character, along with woodsy aromas of licorice root and warming herbs (like thyme or camphor). Give it a couple hours in a decanter and pair with a rich, savory meal with lamb or venison, porcini risotto, and aged cheeses. If you like to age your wine, this will mellow out a bit more over the next few years, though you'll be greatly rewarded if you tuck one away for longer!
WINE ADVOCATE 96 POINTS - "The G.D. Vajra 2020 Barolo Ravera reveals wild forest berry, cherry, licorice root and sweet summer fruit. The effect is focused or chiseled thanks to animating acidity and pinpoint fruit flavors. Located in the village of Novello, Ravera benefits from open panoramas and cooler temperatures from the mountains. These factors make this cru one of the most promising in this era of climate change. This is a Barolo for the purists."
WINE ENTHUSIAST 97 POINTS - "The Ravera cru, one of the estate's prized holdings, is known for its calcareous soil and old vines that contribute to the wine's depth and ageability. This Barolo showcases crushed raspberries and red currants intertwined with wild thyme and fresh laurel. Subtle notes of cinchona bark, whole cinnamon, and fresh porcini add complexity. On the palate, warmed mixed berry jam is dusted with crushed cloves, pepper, and earthy hints of truffle and underbrush. Fine and elegant tannins provide structure, while the well-balanced warmth envelops the senses like a comforting hug."
This is a family-run labor of love; founded by Aldo Vajra, his first release happened to be from the troublesome 1972 vintage. Instead of giving up and abandoning the grapes on the vines, he made a wine anyway and never looked back. Remaining obstinate in his vision of what great Barolo should be, he refused to succumb to the increasing popularity of aging in French oak, especially with new barrels, which he felt would detract from the elegant and pure expression of the Nebbiolo grape. He was well-aware of the modern improvements in the wine cellars, though, and through the years earned the reputation of being "the most modern of the traditionalists and the most traditional of the modernists." He now runs the winery with his wife and three children, who are taking the family estates into the future.
The Vajras farm organically, make use of long fermentations during which the skins and juice gently mingle, and age the wines in large Slavonian oak barrels that impart only subtle wood notes.
G.D. Vajra's elegant and expressive wines make it easy to forget that Barolos generally used to take at least a decade to mellow before you'd want to try them. The change is thanks to 1960s-70s pioneers like G.D. Vajra's founder, Aldo Vaira, who knew that Barolo could be more appealing at an early age if they embraced a more modern approach to grape-growing and winemaking. He was also an early proponent of single-vineyard bottlings for the region, pioneering the bottlings of the Bricco delle Viole and Ravera vineyard sites.today!
Near the southern edge of the Barolo region, G.D. Vajra's Ravera plots also feel the cooler air from the distant mountains, though they are lower-lying and more enclosed by a neighboring ridge. Here you find a more compact, succulent fruit weight than up on Bricco delle Viole, though it's still crisply detailed and set against an equally broad, stony tannic structure. It also has a darker berry and citrus character, along with woodsy aromas of licorice root and warming herbs (like thyme or camphor). Give it a couple hours in a decanter and pair with a rich, savory meal with lamb or venison, porcini risotto, and aged cheeses. If you like to age your wine, this will mellow out a bit more over the next few years, though you'll be greatly rewarded if you tuck one away for longer!
WINE ADVOCATE 96 POINTS - "The G.D. Vajra 2020 Barolo Ravera reveals wild forest berry, cherry, licorice root and sweet summer fruit. The effect is focused or chiseled thanks to animating acidity and pinpoint fruit flavors. Located in the village of Novello, Ravera benefits from open panoramas and cooler temperatures from the mountains. These factors make this cru one of the most promising in this era of climate change. This is a Barolo for the purists."
WINE ENTHUSIAST 97 POINTS - "The Ravera cru, one of the estate's prized holdings, is known for its calcareous soil and old vines that contribute to the wine's depth and ageability. This Barolo showcases crushed raspberries and red currants intertwined with wild thyme and fresh laurel. Subtle notes of cinchona bark, whole cinnamon, and fresh porcini add complexity. On the palate, warmed mixed berry jam is dusted with crushed cloves, pepper, and earthy hints of truffle and underbrush. Fine and elegant tannins provide structure, while the well-balanced warmth envelops the senses like a comforting hug."
This is a family-run labor of love; founded by Aldo Vajra, his first release happened to be from the troublesome 1972 vintage. Instead of giving up and abandoning the grapes on the vines, he made a wine anyway and never looked back. Remaining obstinate in his vision of what great Barolo should be, he refused to succumb to the increasing popularity of aging in French oak, especially with new barrels, which he felt would detract from the elegant and pure expression of the Nebbiolo grape. He was well-aware of the modern improvements in the wine cellars, though, and through the years earned the reputation of being "the most modern of the traditionalists and the most traditional of the modernists." He now runs the winery with his wife and three children, who are taking the family estates into the future.
The Vajras farm organically, make use of long fermentations during which the skins and juice gently mingle, and age the wines in large Slavonian oak barrels that impart only subtle wood notes.
