Vietti Barolo Riserva Villero 2016

Why buy it

Choosing this wine means opting for one of the most prestigious expressions of Barolo, crafted by a benchmark producer: Vietti.

Its single-vineyard origin, extremely limited production, and the structure characteristic of great Riserva wines make the 2016 Barolo Riserva Villero DOCG a true collector’s item—perfect for a special occasion.

It is an ideal choice for those looking to purchase wine online with a focus on quality, terroir, and aging potential.

The History

The history of the Vietti winery traces its roots back to the 19th Century. Only at the beginning of the 20th century, however, did the Vietti name become a winery offering its own wines in bottle.

Patriarch Mario Vietti, starting from 1919 made the first Vietti wines, selling most of the production in Italy. His most significant achievement was to transform the family farm, engaged in many fields, into a grape-growing and wine-producing business.

Then, in 1952, Alfredo Currado (Luciana Vietti’s husband) continued to produce high quality wines from their own vineyards and purchased grapes. The Vietti winery grew to one of the top-level producers in Piemonte and was one of the first wineries to export its products to the USA market.

Alfredo was one of the first to select and vinify grapes from single vineyards (such as Brunate, Rocche and Villero). This was a radical concept at the time, but today virtually every vintner making Barolo and Barbaresco wines offers “single vineyard” or “cru-designated” wines.

Alfredo is also called the “father of Arneis” as in 1967 he invested a lot of time to rediscover and understand this nearly-lost variety. Today Arneis is the most famous white wine from Roero area, north of Barolo. Setting such a fine example with Arneis, even fellow vintners as far away those on the west coast of the United States now are cultivating and producing Arneis!

Since 1974 certain Vietti wines have been dressed with specially-designed original works (lithographs, xylographies, etchings, silkscreens, linocuts) inspired by the wine of that particular vintage.

The print run is the same as the number of bottles produced, and the first hundred labels are signed by the Artist. Each work is only used once, just for the wine of that vintage. Since the presentation of the 1982 Barolo Villero in 1988, the artist’s labels have been dedicated exclusively to the wines grown on this great vineyard.

How the idea was born

Alfredo Currado tells the story: “The idea was conceived in the company of a group of friends one winter’s evening around a bottle of Barolo Rocche. Some of them were artists, and while we were tasting a few bottles they were fired with enthusiasm just on seeing the colour of the wine in the glass. They said wines like these deserved to be graced with labels unlike any other: labels designed by Artists. In the excitement of the moment we drew up a list of Artists, and the following day what had seemed to be a fanciful idea began to take shape”.

Barolo Villero Riserva Vietti 2016

Vinification and Maturation: The grapes are hand-harvested and selected, then fermented in steel tanks for 21 days, with cold maceration both before and after fermentation. Malolactic fermentation takes place in wood. The wine is aged in oak barrels for at least 30 months.

Pairing: Red meat, roasts, game, braised meat, and aged cheeses.

Bottles produced: 5,146 (0.75 L), 330 magnums, and 15 double magnums.

2016 Vintage Awards

• RP98
• WS98