Bright ruby red, with a shimmering core. Elegant nose, red apples, a bit of peach, then raspberries, cranberries, a touch of oak and sealing wax. Tense on the palate, lovely structure, with compact tannins and clear notes of fruit, extremely deep, salty and juicy on the finish, wonderfully long.
Bright ruby red with shiny core. Elegant nose, also red-cheeked apple, minimal hint of peach, then raspberries, cranberries, in the echo a touch of precious wood and sealing wax. Tense on the palate, builds slowly, with compact tannin and clear fruit, seems very deep, finish of salt and great juiciness, very long.
98 POINTS
Antonio Galloni MW - Vinous
The 2017 Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda is flat out stunning. All the purest essence of Rionda comes through in a captivating Barolo that dazzles. Sweet red cherry fruit, kirsch, rose petal, licorice and blood orange are some of the many aromas and flavors that lift from the glass. Exotic and racy, the 2017 is a flat-out stunner. Now, for the million dollar question. Is it better than the 2016? Right now, I give an edge to the 2017 for its greater finesse and total sense of exotic beauty. But time will be the judge. I do look forward to tasting the 2016 and 2017 side by side!
97 POINTS
Monica Larner - Robert Parker Wine Advocate
This is a gorgeous wine, and although it could stand more years of aging, you're not wrong to enjoy it in the near or medium term either. The 2017 Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda is packed tight with dark fruit, but it also shows a delicately savory edge with black licorice and rusty metal. The wine's intensity and the mouthfeel are sublime. Aging sees it go into botte for 36 months followed by another 36 months in bottle before its release. Production is 12,500 bottles.
97 POINTS
Gary Walsh - The Wine Front
“Bright red cherry, mint, potpourri, new leather, liquorice root. So fragrant. Fresh, very fine, tannin has a succulence, and they sit so well within the wine, melting through its core. Red fruits (strawberry in particular), tea and blood orange, and a superb long finish of precision and freshness. A beautiful expression of Vigna Rionda, and one that belies the heat of the vintage.” 97 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
97 POINTS
Gary Walsh - The Wine Front
Barolo comes to Camperdown, with a house call from Massolino winemaker Giovanni Angeli today. I’m hoping that Camperdown gets to Barolo again a little later in the year, though we shall see. Mortgages and punitive flight prices conspire against me here.
GW: Bright red cherry, mint, potpourri, new leather, liquorice root. So fragrant. Fresh, very fine, tannin has a succulence, and they sit so well within the wine, melting through its core. Red fruits (strawberry in particular), tea and blood orange, and a superb long finish of precision and freshness. A beautiful expression of Vigna Rionda, and one that belies the heat of the vintage. 97pts
KS: So much perfume, truffle chocolate, dried porcini, figs. Very fine, so light, with so much tannin but they are feather-light. There’s a bit of rum spice, brandy type of lift and warmth, cuddly on the tongue, succulent and tense but covering fully and evenly all the taste buds. It seems a little more dark fruited, plummy with bresaola, tamari almonds. Tannins are of talcum powder fluffy texture with a seductive dark choc note. 96pts
96 POINTS
Aldo Fiordelli - Decanter
A traditional style with long fermentation and maceration in oak vats at a temperature of around 30°C, then aged in large Slavonian oak barrels for up to 42 months, followed by a further 24 months in the bottle. The nose is impressively fresh and vibrant, with a mix of white pepper, watermelon, wild strawberry and mint leaf. Less restrained than usual, on the palate the attack is firm, still young, and chewy, with brilliant long acidity and a cherry kernel finish. It deserves time to develop more complexity.
Notes of wild strawberries and sour cherries with dried flowers and chocolate orange undertones. Medium- to full-bodied, very polished and fine-grained, showcasing subtle notes of red fruit with a mineral backbone. Even and balanced with a textural finish. Great to drink after 2025 but will age further.
