The iconic G.D. Vajra (VIE-rah) estate has delivered a stellar set of Barolos from 2020, including one that made it to the #9 spot on Wine Spectator's Top 100 list for 2024! The warm, drawn-out vintage imbued wines with a natural feeling of harmony and early charm. They combine generous aromatic tones with a balanced interplay of juicy concentration, embracing tannic weave and inner glow of acidity. They display more power than the 2013s, more finesse than the 2010s, and fresher aromatic tones than both. This is great news for those who enjoy Barolos a bit earlier while they have tons of youthful ebullience!
G.D. Vajra's elegant and expressive wines make it easy to forget that Barolos generally used to take at least a decade to mellow before you'd want to try them. The change is thanks to 1960s-70s pioneers like G.D. Vajra's founder, Aldo Vaira, who knew that Barolo could be more appealing at an early age if they embraced a more modern approach to grape-growing and winemaking. He was also an early proponent of single-vineyard bottlings for the region, pioneering the bottlings of the Bricco delle Viole and Ravera vineyard sites.today!
This is the family's flagship vineyard, with the oldest vines going back to the 1930s. It's at the upper heights of the appellation, with open sun exposure throughout the day, though the warmth is kept in check by its exposure to cool winds coming from the maritime Alps. Though broad-shouldered, this Barolo is more finessed than most, with an expansive - not heavy - mouthfeel, and an emphasis on violet/rose florals, cool aromatic herbs (like mint or menthol) and fine layers of electric/mineral sensations. It's irresistible already, but it'll get even better with a couple more years of unwinding in the bottle; just give it a couple hours to breathe in a decanter and try it with a risotto (Milanese or al Barolo) and osso buco.
JEB DUNNUCK 98 POINTS - "A ripe ruby color, the 2020 Barolo Bricco Delle Viole is incredible on the nose. Initially lightly smoky on opening, it needs a little time to reveal notes of candied roses, wild raspberries, tea leaf, and sweet sage. Medium to full-bodied, with ripe tannins, a balanced, compact nature, and a velvety texture, it is nicely concentrated, yet with a weightless feel. This is one of the most complete wines I’ve tasted from Vjara to date. It has depth, but with a defined feel, and is long on the palate, with an exceptional finish. It’s going to have a wide drinking window but age at a very slow rate over the next two to three decades."
VINOUS 96 POINTS - "The 2020 Barolo Bricco delle Viole, Vajra's flagship, is very fine. Dark cherry, kirsch, blood orange, spice and lavender are nicely amplified. The 2020 is gracious and elegant, but its youthful Nebbiolo tannins will require some time to soften. The 2020 is another wine that captures my keen interests with its sublime balance. I would be thrilled to own it." - Antonio Galloni
WINE SPECTATOR 96 POINTS - "Elegant and graceful, with a silky texture, this red evokes strawberry, cherry, rose, mint and mineral aromas and flavors. Firmly structured and lively, with balance and a resonant, energetic finish. Shows superb harmony, finesse and length. Best from 2027 through 2048. 1,250 cases made, 700 cases imported."
WINE ADVOCATE 95 POINTS - "The G.D. Vajra 2020 Barolo Bricco delle Viole is a very pretty wine with brightness and delicate aromas that remain etched and defined. You get dried violet or lilac, tart cherry, cranberry, lavender essence, rosemary and other perfumed Mediterranean nuances. Bricco delle Viole finishes dry, and the tannins are on the powdery side, giving the wine medium weight and a lean mid-palate."
KERIN O'KEEFE 95 POINTS - "Fragrant and refined, the G.D. Vajra 2020 Bricco delle Viole has heady aromas of wild berry, fragrant purple flower and camphor. It’s polished and savory, with great red cherry and raspberry fruit flavors accented by spicy notes of ground clove and white pepper. Tightly knit, fine-grained tannins offer seamless support. Drink 2028–2035. Abv:14% Kerin O’Keefe February 2024 ©kerinokeefe.com"
The Vajra wineries are family-run labors of love. The original G.D. Vajra winery was founded by Aldo Vajra, with his first release coinciding with the troublesome 1972 vintage. Instead of cutting his losses by abandoning the grapes on the vines, he made the best wine he could and never stopped. Remaining obstinate in his vision of what great Barolo should be, he refused to succumb to the increasing popularity of aging in French oak, especially with new barrels, which he felt would detract from the elegant and pure expression of the Nebbiolo grape. He was well-aware of the modern improvements in the wine cellars, though, and through the years earned a reputation for being "the most modern of the traditionalists and the most traditional of the modernists.”
Aldo and his wife, Milena, along with their three children have continued to improve and grow from that humble first wine. It's a testament to the character of this family that the small but well-respected winemakers, Luigi and Fiorina Baudana, felt comfortable letting the Vajras take over their estate in 2009, and with it their legacy (no small thing in a region that takes such things so seriously). In keeping with the old ways, the Vajras farm organically, make use of long fermentations during which the skins and juice gently mingle, and age the wines in large Slavonian oak barrels that impart only subtle wood notes.
G.D. Vajra's elegant and expressive wines make it easy to forget that Barolos generally used to take at least a decade to mellow before you'd want to try them. The change is thanks to 1960s-70s pioneers like G.D. Vajra's founder, Aldo Vaira, who knew that Barolo could be more appealing at an early age if they embraced a more modern approach to grape-growing and winemaking. He was also an early proponent of single-vineyard bottlings for the region, pioneering the bottlings of the Bricco delle Viole and Ravera vineyard sites.today!
This is the family's flagship vineyard, with the oldest vines going back to the 1930s. It's at the upper heights of the appellation, with open sun exposure throughout the day, though the warmth is kept in check by its exposure to cool winds coming from the maritime Alps. Though broad-shouldered, this Barolo is more finessed than most, with an expansive - not heavy - mouthfeel, and an emphasis on violet/rose florals, cool aromatic herbs (like mint or menthol) and fine layers of electric/mineral sensations. It's irresistible already, but it'll get even better with a couple more years of unwinding in the bottle; just give it a couple hours to breathe in a decanter and try it with a risotto (Milanese or al Barolo) and osso buco.
JEB DUNNUCK 98 POINTS - "A ripe ruby color, the 2020 Barolo Bricco Delle Viole is incredible on the nose. Initially lightly smoky on opening, it needs a little time to reveal notes of candied roses, wild raspberries, tea leaf, and sweet sage. Medium to full-bodied, with ripe tannins, a balanced, compact nature, and a velvety texture, it is nicely concentrated, yet with a weightless feel. This is one of the most complete wines I’ve tasted from Vjara to date. It has depth, but with a defined feel, and is long on the palate, with an exceptional finish. It’s going to have a wide drinking window but age at a very slow rate over the next two to three decades."
VINOUS 96 POINTS - "The 2020 Barolo Bricco delle Viole, Vajra's flagship, is very fine. Dark cherry, kirsch, blood orange, spice and lavender are nicely amplified. The 2020 is gracious and elegant, but its youthful Nebbiolo tannins will require some time to soften. The 2020 is another wine that captures my keen interests with its sublime balance. I would be thrilled to own it." - Antonio Galloni
WINE SPECTATOR 96 POINTS - "Elegant and graceful, with a silky texture, this red evokes strawberry, cherry, rose, mint and mineral aromas and flavors. Firmly structured and lively, with balance and a resonant, energetic finish. Shows superb harmony, finesse and length. Best from 2027 through 2048. 1,250 cases made, 700 cases imported."
WINE ADVOCATE 95 POINTS - "The G.D. Vajra 2020 Barolo Bricco delle Viole is a very pretty wine with brightness and delicate aromas that remain etched and defined. You get dried violet or lilac, tart cherry, cranberry, lavender essence, rosemary and other perfumed Mediterranean nuances. Bricco delle Viole finishes dry, and the tannins are on the powdery side, giving the wine medium weight and a lean mid-palate."
KERIN O'KEEFE 95 POINTS - "Fragrant and refined, the G.D. Vajra 2020 Bricco delle Viole has heady aromas of wild berry, fragrant purple flower and camphor. It’s polished and savory, with great red cherry and raspberry fruit flavors accented by spicy notes of ground clove and white pepper. Tightly knit, fine-grained tannins offer seamless support. Drink 2028–2035. Abv:14% Kerin O’Keefe February 2024 ©kerinokeefe.com"
The Vajra wineries are family-run labors of love. The original G.D. Vajra winery was founded by Aldo Vajra, with his first release coinciding with the troublesome 1972 vintage. Instead of cutting his losses by abandoning the grapes on the vines, he made the best wine he could and never stopped. Remaining obstinate in his vision of what great Barolo should be, he refused to succumb to the increasing popularity of aging in French oak, especially with new barrels, which he felt would detract from the elegant and pure expression of the Nebbiolo grape. He was well-aware of the modern improvements in the wine cellars, though, and through the years earned a reputation for being "the most modern of the traditionalists and the most traditional of the modernists.”
Aldo and his wife, Milena, along with their three children have continued to improve and grow from that humble first wine. It's a testament to the character of this family that the small but well-respected winemakers, Luigi and Fiorina Baudana, felt comfortable letting the Vajras take over their estate in 2009, and with it their legacy (no small thing in a region that takes such things so seriously). In keeping with the old ways, the Vajras farm organically, make use of long fermentations during which the skins and juice gently mingle, and age the wines in large Slavonian oak barrels that impart only subtle wood notes.
