2019 Giacomo Fenocchio Barolo Villero
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Tasting notes
The 2019 Barolo Villero has a bright and polished bouquet with small red fruits, tart cherries and blue flowers. Villero is a site in Castiglione Falletto, and it always shows a very linear and focused character. This wine concludes with fine tannins and pretty freshness. Rusty mineral notes also appear. This is a limited production of just 5,800 bottles.
Critic scores
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Taking things up a notch, the 2019 Barolo Villero offers compelling aromas of wet stone, pencil shavings, kirsch, and Asian spices. Exceptional for its purity and balance, this medium-bodied red is fine-grained, and remains classic without displaying any harsh edges. All its components are working in concert and showing no signs of slowing down. Notes of cranberry cocktail, fresh blood orange, and dusty earth are long on the palate, with wonderful clarity and no one component dominating. This gorgeous wine will take time to show its best but will drink well over the next two decades. Claudio Fenocchio is the fifth-generation winemaker for this estate based in Monforte d’Alba. They practice long fermentations and maceration and utilize large Slavonian oak. In the vineyard, they practice organic viticulture.
The 2019 Barolo Villero is the most inward of the wines in this range. It offers good depth, but today the acids and tannins are simply overwhelming. Time in the glass releases hints of tobacco, cedar, dried herbs and earthiness. It will be interesting to see if the Villero softens in bottle. Today, it is a bruiser, but a promising bruiser.
Cask sample. Mid ruby. Ripe cherry nose but fresh and with a hint of mace. Lively cherry-fruit palate with juicy acidity. Coating tannins reveal themselves especially on the finish. Supple, long, youthful and lively yet with plenty of substance. (WS)