Wine Advisor
Vietti, Barolo Castiglione 2005
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Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2005 Barolo Castiglione is especially taut and focused in this vintage. Floral notes are intermingled with dark red fruit, spices and new leather in this gorgeous, poised offering. The 2005 Barolo Castiglione uncharacteristically needs some bottle age but it offers integrity of fruit that is remarkable. Over the last few years Luca Currado has stepped up the quality of the Castiglione bottling in a major way. Any parcels in this multi-cru Barolo that don’t meet his exacting standards are declassified and used in the Lange Nebbiolo Perbacco (see above). In 2005 the main vineyards in the Barolo Castiglione are Ravera, Bricco del Fiasco, Fossati, and Ciabot Berton; while the fruit from Bussia, Bricco Boschis and Bricco Ravera (Ginestra) ended up being used in that year’s Perbacco. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2025. Vietti has long been an elite, reference-point producer in Piedmont but in recent years brothers-in-law Luca Currado and Mario Cordero have taken major steps to further elevate the quality of their wines across the board. My tasting with Luca Currado encompassed 20-plus Barolos covering vintages 2005 through 2008, including multiple parcels the estate uses for its multi-vineyard Barolo Castiglione. All of the wines were potentially outstanding and some will doubtless turn out to be profound. Vietti fans have much to look forward to in coming years, the biggest decision here will be making choices among a large number of truly special wines. For starters, the 2005s aren’t too far behind the spectacular 2004s. Unfortunately there will be no Barolo Riserva Villero as the vineyard was damaged by hail. The Barolos are fermented in stainless steel, then racked into French oak barriques for the malolactic fermentations. The wines are then moved into Slavonian oak casks where they complete their aging. Over the last few years Currado has gradually lengthened maceration times and taken a more moderate approach to French oak, while limiting yields dramatically, all of which has resulted in an extremely consistent set of Barolos that are easily among the region’s finest. As an aside, long-time visitors to the property will be happy to learn that a much needed renovation to the tasting room is complete. The new facility is strikingly beautiful. Importer: Remy Cointreau USA, New York, NY; tel. (212) 424-2204
Reviewed by: James Suckling
I am a fan of 2005 Barolos. They have beautiful fruit both on the nose and palate, and offer plenty of fruit with ripe tannins and juicy acidity. The Castiglione, which is a blend of wines from different vineyards, shows lots of roses and dried cherries on the nose. It's full and fruity, with silky and refined tannins. It drinks so well now. Give it an hour or two in the decanter before drinking.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2005 Vietti Barolo Castiglione makes itself known with deep black cherry notes enshrouded by dusty florals, spiced orange rinds, crushed stones and cloves. There’s no way to escape those gruff 2005 tannins and elevated acidity; yet this really makes the case for not giving up on the vintage, as an intense and vivid display of crunchy tart berries and spices cascades across its medium-bodied frame with ease, saturating the senses with sweet minerality. The cheeks may pucker, yet the Barolo Castiglione has plenty of primary fruits to balance, as it tapers off incredibly long. Will the 2005 Castiglione ever fully soften? It’s hard to say; but today, it’s a stunning example of the vintage, a remarkable value for the category and in no fear of decline. This is a blend of fruit from the Ravera, Bricco del Fiasco, Fossati, and Ciabot Berton vineyards.
About the Producer
Vietti is located in the Castiglione Falletto wine region in the Cuneo province of Piedmont, Italy. The wines produced by the winery are not only of excellent quality, among which the Vietti Barolo Ravera 2010 wine won a perfect score from the wine critic Antonio Galloni (Antonio Galloni), who was once the "Wine Spectator", but also launched the "Artist's Wine". The "target wine" idea adds a strong artistic flavor to the wine. The Vietti family's passion for art has so far been fully reflected in the creation of wine art labels. Since 1974, certain Vietti wines have been decorated with specially designed original works (lithographs, woodcuts, etchings, silkscreens, reliefs) inspired by specific vintages. The number of prints is the same as the number of bottles produced, with the first 100 labels signed by the artist. Each piece is used only once for a particular vintage. From the 1982 vintage of Barolo Villero sold in 1988, the artist's label has been dedicated to the wines made in this great vineyard. The history of Chateau Vietti can be traced back to the 19th century. But it wasn't until the early 20th century that Vietti became a winery and sold its own bottles under that name. The founder of the winery, Mario Vietti, began making the first Vietti wines in 1919, mainly for sale in Italy. His most important achievement was the transformation of a family farm in many industries into a viticulture and winemaking business. In 1952, Luciana Viett's husband, Alfredo Currado, continued to make high-quality wines from grapes from their own vineyards and from purchased grapes. Very quickly, Chateau Vietti grew into one of Piedmont's top wine producers and one of the first wineries to export to the American market. Alfredo was one of the first pioneers to select grapes from a single vineyard for winemaking, which was a radical concept at the time, but today virtually every Barolo and Barbaresco wine is made Merchants sell "single vineyard" or "appellation" wines. Alfredo is also known as the "Father of Arneis" because he spent much time in 1967 rediscovering and understanding this nearly extinct breed. Today Arnes is the most prestigious white wine from the Roero region north of Barolo. The wines made by Arnes are so successful that fellow vintners as far away as the West Coast are now cultivating Arnes to make wine! After 1970, the winery launched the idea of "wine with artist label". The Gualado family has 3 children: Emanuela, Elisabetta and Luca. In 1970, Alfredo and Luciana, thanks to their friendship and support with a number of local artists, started updating their labels. They mentioned that, on a long winter night in Langa, a group of artists were eating and drinking with them around the table, suggesting that they decorate their art at the winery with "art on the label". From that moment on, a new label for Vietti wines took shape, which is still in use today. At the same time, the idea of "artist-labeled wines" began to take shape and is still used in the winery's Barolo Riserva Villero.
