2021 - Barolo Monvigliero, Comm. G.B. Burlotto

The Comm. G.B. Burlotto 2021 Barolo Monvigliero is another headline achievement from vintner Fabio Alessandria. This wine certainly stands out in a crowd, and I would argue that its floral and herbal notes (linked to traditional whole-cluster fermentation) are more expertly and elegantly presented in this epic vintage. The wine shows growing vertical intensity with rosehip tea, crushed stone, bergamot and a spicy hint of ginger. But it remains demure all the while. The tannins in the Monvigliero are more resolved compared to the Cannubi and certainly the Castelletto, but the wine offers a different kind of structural backbone that permeates the entire palate with smooth silkiness, as opposed to showing up as textural firmness on the finish alone. That said, you'll want to put this bottle aside for more cellar aging. Very few winemakers have the steel nerves to execute whole-cluster fermentation across the board. If things go south, the process can open wines up to significant risk, including Brett, volatile acidity and undesired secondary notes from fermentation. Monvigliero in Verduno is a site of moderate elevation that is influenced by the warm air currents and humidity of the nearby Tanaro River. Hazelnuts, not grapes, are the main crop across the river banks. Nebbiolo grapes mature earlier here; but perhaps more significantly, the grape stems become quite ripe, and this is something that only happens here. This little detail has opened a new chapter for the entire Barolo appellation, especially today with climate change on our minds.

The 2021 Barolo Monvigliero is a wine of sublime elegance and finesse. Soaring aromatics make a strong opening statement, but it is the wine's balance I am most drawn to. The Monvigliero was bottled a bit later than the other Barolos and is therefore a bit closed. Spice cake, rose petal, mint, gingerbread and mint unfurl in the glass. Exotic and alluring, with mind-blowing balance, the 2021 is sublime. The Monvigliero is still coming together in bottle. It is a wine of crystalline precision and classic structure that remains light on its feet.