April 17, 2024 - Took about 2 hours to open up and really shine. Tar, roses, leather on the nose. Spuce, red plums, licorice, almonds and leather on the pallet. Good mouthfeel, long finish. Fine but still noticable tannins. Very nice barolo that was initially subdued but opened up very nicely. 93+
February 2, 2024 - After a dry Jan, I wanted to try something new, and this barolo has been hiding unmolested in my basement for 5 years. Seemed like the proper occasion. Decanted for an hour. Campfire and vanilla on the nose, violets too. On the palate, this is a big brash riot of red cherries, tar, and tannins. Pumped down overnight, as good or better on day 2. The nose is perhaps a little muted, but the palate expression has integrated. Still a powerful masculine wine, now with perhaps a touch of spices and black pepper in the finish. Overall, great intensity, heft, and staying power in this masculine Barolo, but it's still very early in its life. Needs 3-5 more years in the cellar for greater maturity, I think.
September 26, 2023 - An excellent Barolo from a well known Producer. Single Vineyard. Very present tannins but smooth to drink. Very dry. Bright, fresh red cherry, earthy. Lots of years ahead of it but delightful to drink now.
August 25, 2023 - Barolo Dinner (Mathilde Bistro - SF): Wonderful to try this next to the Bricco delle Viole. Darker fruited and with a bit of meaty funk, almost feral. Also very tightly clenched, but more approachable to me than the Bricco, perhaps because the burlier, darker profile harmonized with the bigger tannins better. Very enjoyable now, but 95+ in 10 years.
August 25, 2023 - Barolo Dinner (Mathilde, San Francisco): Stood up for weeks, decanted off a small amount of fine sediment. Light ruby, slight age-appropriate bricking; more black cherry than red cherry, high intensity aromatics, some stony minerality, almost a bit of plum; palate is medium bodied, a smoothness/richness which is appealing, red to purple fruited, youthful tannin, high acidity; finish is medium length and very balanced. Really exceptional, seems well put together and with a huge amount of potential. 94++
August 12, 2023 - Decanted this for about 4-5hrs. I was worried this would be open but I was lucky and this wine sang. Still very present tannins with good acidity a beautiful red fruit with some underbrush present. Has a long life ahead but was so happy to enjoy this bottle now.
July 9, 2023 - Served cooled, more tannic but still available for drinking , Ravera is a splendid vineyard has the power like Serralunga d`Alba.
June 9, 2023 - Overall this wine is still very tight and tannic despite 2 hour decant and multiple hours drinking through the course of the evening. Would wait several years or serve with food.
March 16, 2023 - Very Ravera with redder fruit than some of the other Barolos we tasted, this was similar, not in taste, but in quality, to the Grasso Gavarini. It showed again why Vajra is such a superb source of value for the Piedmont.
March 8, 2023 - 2013 Barolo tasting at 67PM: Unfortunately very disappointing for a producer that I usually like. Disjointed dark fruit, the wine lacked focus and had a distracting prune note. Ranked 8/9.