Barolo Riserva Villero 2016

Vietti's Barolo Riserva Villero 2016 is the 15th edition of this legendary label, released to market in October 2024 with the artistic signature of Irish photographer Richard Mosse - an artist known for using innovative photographic technologies to draw attention to current affairs. The bottle was presented on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Vietti's 'Etichette d'Autore' (Artist Labels) project, begun in 1974.

The 2016 in the Langhe was a classic vintage par excellence: a regular spring, a summer with adequate day-night temperature swings, and a bright, dry September allowed the Nebbiolo of the Villero cru to reach ideal phenolic and aromatic ripeness. The grapes were harvested on 5 October 2016 - a late harvest, typical of Vietti's rigour - from vines with an average age of 47 years and a density of 4,200 plants per hectare. The yield was around 42 hectolitres per hectare.

In the cellar: soft pressing, alcoholic fermentation of around 4 weeks in steel tanks in contact with the skins with regular pump-overs. The process includes pre-fermentation cold maceration and post-fermentation maceration with the traditional submerged-cap method - consolidating the traditional stylistic shift begun with the 2012. Malolactic fermentation was carried out in wood.

Ageing continued in 30-hectolitre Slavonian oak casks for around 30 months. Bottling without filtration.

On the nose the Villero 2016 is still reserved and developing: it opens cautiously at first, then progressively reveals elegant aromas of rhubarb, potpourri, dried cherry, red currant and wild berries. Notes of rocky minerality, leather, plum and light balsamic nuances enrich the profile. Over time in the glass, elderflower and violets also emerge, recalling the territory of Castiglione Falletto.

On the palate it is full and taut, with well-calibrated concentration and firm but ripe tannins, well integrated by the wine's fruity structure. Acidity is the guiding thread, bright and cutting, carrying the finish to great length with an aftertaste of blood orange and minerality. As James Suckling states, it is 'drinkable now, but best from 2026': a Barolo that can be opened today with generous decanting, but which will express its true potential between 2026 and 2045.