Wine Advisor
Vietti, Barolo Rocche di Castiglione 2016
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
The Vietti 2016 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione is a complete wine, offering exact measures of purity, intensity, freshness and structure. This is the 360-degree Barolo from Vietti, with fruit sourced closest to home in Castiglione Falletto. Rocche di Castiglione sees more shade hours, and that becomes an important factor in the hottest vintages and the longest growing seasons. It creates diurnal shifts that positively impact the purity and brilliant focus of the fruit. Of all the comuni of Barolo, Castiglione Falletto produced exceptional results across the board in this classic vintage. Dark fruit, pressed lilac, blood orange, powdered licorice, balsam herb, spice, iron ore and aniseed fit together perfectly like pieces in a puzzle. Once completed, that puzzle offers a dazzling panoramic portrait of this special Barolo territory. A mere 3,394 bottles and 300 magnums were produced.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2016 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione is rich, sumptuous and elegant. Light on its feet yet also wonderfully deep and nuanced, the 2016 possesses off-the-charts resonance, energy and aromatic intensity. All the elements come together in a profoundly expressive Barolo endowed with tremendous class and pedigree. Ample, creamy and explosive, this is a wine of textural resonance and pure power.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Aromas of blueberries, sliced strawberries and peaches. Full body and firm, chewy tannins that are polished and velvety in a refined way. Better after 2022.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2016 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione is rich, sumptuous and elegant. Light on its feet yet also wonderfully deep and nuanced, the 2016 possesses off-the-charts resonance, energy and aromatic intensity. All the elements come together in a profoundly expressive Barolo endowed with tremendous class and pedigree. Ample, creamy and explosive, this is a wine of textural resonance and pure power.
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.
