2013 Barolo Vigna Elena Riserva
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
This is a beautiful wine from Elvio Cogno and, not surprisingly, the best from this batch of samples. The much-anticipated 2013 Barolo Riserva Ravera Vigna Elena is aged in large Slavonian oak casks and only made in select vintages. It breathes delicate truffle notes and forest berry flavors with just a touch of exotic spice. The wine is soft, lush and well textured, and it makes your mouth salivate. Showing the power and inner structure of the Ravera cru, this Barolo should age beautifully over the course of the next two decades.
Critic scores
Average Score
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
The 2013 Barolo Riserva Vigna Elena shows all of the classic austerity that is such a signature of the year. Bright red cherry, pomegranate, mint, chalk and blood orange fill out the wine's frame effortlessly. Readers will have to give the 2013 a number of years to soften, but it is seriously impressive today.
The fruit is powerful in this wine and offers a rich and intense impression on the nose and palate with a thread of dark chocolate, carried by long, chalky and gently drying tannins. Drink or hold.
Novello, Ravera cru. Lustrous mid ruby with orange tinges. Enormous concentration of perfumed fruit with real depth. Perfumed raspberry with a chalky minerally note, ethereal with hints of cardamom. Flowery lift. Changes all the time in the glass. Supple and elegant yet full and with loads of finely chiselled tannins. Sensational balance and length. (WS)