2016 G.D. Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole
Community Tasting Note
aagrawal wrote:
Monday, November 16, 2020 - Vajra Tasting (Home): Coravin. Light ruby, minimal bricking; aromatic nose with sour cherry, slight menthol, a bit closed straight out of the bottle; palate is light bodied, tannins elegant and present but not harsh, higher alcohol than the Coste di Rose (14.5%) but well balanced, high acidity, red fruited with cherry; finish is long. Overall this seems like it has more depth and complexity than the Coste di Rose, but it's more coiled straight out of the bottle.
1 hour decanted: The aromatics on this have really improved and are an intense and complex blend of floral, spice, cinnamon, red fruited; palate is largely the same with a bit more fruit showing; finish is still quite long. Tons of potential here, drinking well now but my other bottles will wait 5-10 years. 94-95++
3 hours in: this closes down a bit. Definitely will need some time to get through this period. I don’t think this drinks as well overall right now as some more basic bottlings.
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5 comments have been posted
7 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue (8,945 views)
Comment posted by SARED:
11/16/2020 9:01:00 PM - You couldn't resist trying it again..
Comment posted by aagrawal:
11/16/2020 9:59:00 PM - Yes... my last taste was a small bit bottled the day before. I wanted a cleaner sample. This one opens up and shuts down over time... not always at peak. I think with some time it will settle down. I do really love this style, which I don’t think is a typical Barolo style. Almost more alto Piemonte in style, which I tend to like. I think you would like the Coste Di Rose that I tried tonight...
Comment posted by SARED:
11/17/2020 7:20:00 AM - Your comment confuses me. I associate Vajra with a slightly riper wine style (finding the 2015s to be a bit candied). I associate Alto Piedmonte with light bodied/high acidity wines. And I associate 2016 vintage generally with concentrated fruit/good acidity...
Comment posted by aagrawal:
11/17/2020 8:02:00 AM - I generally associate Vajra with being red fruited, light bodied, high acidity, even in 2016. The coste di rose and Ravera seem to have more fruit concentration. I don’t think any Vajra is that ripe. Alcohol seems to be in check, 14% for Coste Di rose and 14.5% for Bricco. They don’t come across candied to me.
Comment posted by SARED:
11/17/2020 8:20:00 AM - very much looking to trying a 2016 BdV! especially per your description and my sense of past vintages. You need to just crack open a bottle and buy a case.