Virna Barolo Noi 2017
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Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Intense ruby red with garnet highlights; full, intense nose, tertiary notes with red fruit leading vanilla, cocoa and spices. Full-flavored and austere with balanced, supple tannins.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Virna 2017 Barolo Noi represents a blend of fruit from four villages: Monforte d'Alba (the San Giovanni vineyard), La Morra (Berri and Boiolo), Verduno (Castagni) and Novello (Cerviano Merli and Sottocastello di Novello). "Noi" means "us" in Italian. Drawing its fruit from so many different sites, this 20,000-bottle production reveals a terrific sense of balance and brightness. Having those many elements to work with was especially important in a vintage like 2017 that saw spring frost followed by scorching summer temperatures. This wine manages to work it all out.
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James Suckling
A fine-tannined red for the vintage with firm, polished tannins that are refined in texture. Medium to full body. Savory finish. Needs at least two years to soften, but very pretty already.
Other Vintages
2019-
Robert
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James
Suckling
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Wine &
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
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Wine &
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The winery tries to respect the land and the vineyards and work carefully, minimizing the mechanical and chemical treatments, with the goal of healthy grapes for high quality wines. They are are moving towards the elimination of weed control in vineyards and practice between-row planting and controlled fertilization with only organic ingredients and only when necessary.
Their philosophy is to produce wines with their own character, well-rooted in the terroir, with respect for the whole vineyard. They try to interpret the potential of the Barolo terroir to produce wines that express elegance and a style that represents the region. Though the wines are from different crus, each one represents the heritage and tradition of the Barolo region.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
The center of the production of the world’s most exclusive and age-worthy red wines made from Nebbiolo, the Barolo wine region includes five core townships: La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and the Barolo village itself, as well as a few outlying villages. The landscape of Barolo, characterized by prominent and castle-topped hills, is full of history and romance centered on the Nebbiolo grape. Its wines, with the signature “tar and roses” aromas, have a deceptively light garnet color but full presence on the palate and plenty of tannins and acidity. In a well-made Barolo wine, one can expect to find complexity and good evolution with notes of, for example, strawberry, cherry, plum, leather, truffle, anise, fresh and dried herbs, tobacco and violets.
There are two predominant soil types here, which distinguish Barolo from the lesser surrounding areas. Compact and fertile Tortonian sandy marls define the vineyards farthest west and at higher elevations. Typically the Barolo wines coming from this side, from La Morra and Barolo, can be approachable relatively early on in their evolution and represent the “feminine” side of Barolo, often closer in style to Barbaresco with elegant perfume and fresh fruit.
On the eastern side of the Barolo wine region, Helvetian soils of compressed sandstone and chalks are less fertile, producing wines with intense body, power and structured tannins. This more “masculine” style comes from Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba. The township of Castiglione Falletto covers a spine with both soil types.
The best Barolo wines need 10-15 years before they are ready to drink, and can further age for several decades.