Barolo Vigna Rionda 2013 Luigi Oddero

Tasting Notes

Pale garnet color, typical of Nebbiolo. Hints of dried rose, sour cherry, tar, leather, anise and dried herbs. On the palate, Serralunga is unmistakably recognizable. Firm, almost astringent tannins, sharp, bright acidity, salty, iron grip on the finish. And lingering length; the 2013 still feels tightly wound. Aerate or, ideally, decant for a few hours or age in the cellar.

Grape Varieties

Barolo means Nebbiolo. 100% by law. So why does Vigna Rionda taste so different from Barolo from La Morra? Soil and exposure. The local Serralunga formation (compacted sandstone, limestone and marl) gives Nebbiolo more iron, more grip and more tannins. Nebbiolo from Serralunga is a grape that ages slowly.

Cellaring Potential

Best time to drink is 2025-2045. Firm tannins, high acidity, concentrated fruit from old vines; store horizontally at 12-14°C. Stand the bottle upright for 24 hours before serving.

The Producer

Fratelli Luigi Oddero is located in the hamlet of Santa Maria in La Morra, where the current estate was founded in 2006. It was in 2006 that Luigi parted ways with his brother Giacomo and left the historic cellar along with plots of vineyards. He died in 2009 and the winery is now run by his wife Lena and their children, Maria and Giovanni. The winemaking team has former Bruno Giacosa winemaker Dante Scaglione as a consultant. The pedigree is evident in the bottles.

Terroir & Climate

Vigna Rionda is one of the most talked about cru in Barolo, and for good reason. The vineyard sits 280-320 meters above sea level, south to southwest on compact calcareous marl mixed with sand and limestone called the Lequio Formation. What does this mean for the wines? Low water retention, fine fruit and concentrated tannins. Serralunga's reputation as a producer of long-lived Barolo is due to these soils. La Morra provides the flavor, Serralunga the backbone.

Winemaking

Luigi Oddero's approach is traditional. Fermentation takes place in concrete tanks and aging takes place in large oak barrels. Why? Because large oak barrels let in less oxygen per liter of wine, so oak doesn't dominate Nebbiolo's flavor. Instead of vanilla and toast, you get tar, roses and cherries. No herbicides are used in the vineyards, and pheromone diffusers are used instead of insecticides to control moths on the vines.

Food Pairing

Serralunga's tannins crave fats and proteins. Try:

• Brasato al Barolo
• beef braised for hours in the same wine.
• Tajarin with white truffles from Alba is a Piedmontese classic.
• Agnolotti del Plin, roasted meat with sugo.
• Aged Castelmagno, so salty it cuts through the structure.

Serve at 16-18°C. Decant young bottles 2 hours before drinking and old bottles 1 day before drinking.