2008 Barolo Pira Vecchie Viti
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Tasting notes
(from vines planted in 1937): Good full red. Musky aromas of redcurrant, strawberry and meat, sweetened by a note of marzipan. A step up in sweetness from the regular Pira, but with firm acidity and underlying minerality giving grip and shape to the strawberry fruit. Not particularly big or fat but mellow, aromatic and fine-grained. The very long, slowly mounting finish features suave tannins and fresh acidity.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Sweet red cherries, plums, crushed rose petals, rosemary, menthol, game, anise, smoke and leather waft from the glass in the 2008 Barolo Pira Vecchie Viti. Darker, ferrous notes add complexity over time. The 2008 boasts striking inner perfume, tons of sweetness and considerable mid-palate pliancy, with a touch more depth, resonance and dimensions of flavor than the straight Barolo La Pira. Here, too, the tannins are remarkably polished for a young Barolo. The Barolo La Pira is a wine more of seduction, while the Vecchie Viti is a wine of power. Today, the Vecchie Viti is surprisingly open for a young 2008 Barolo, but it will probably firm up a bit in bottle.
About the producer
Roagna is one of Italy’s finest estates, producing top, single-vineyard Nebbiolos in Barbaresco and Barolo. The estate’s Crichët Pajé Barbaresco is one of the rarest fine wine cuvées in Piedmont with fewer than 2,000 bottles produced each year.