2012 Vietti, Barolo, Lazzarito, Piedmonte, Italy.
Luca Currado’s Barolo Cru Lazzarito 2012 is an absolutely gorgeous showstopper, a classic Nebbiolo with deep complexity, power and unbelievable graceful length. It was great to see Luca and get a few minutes to hear about this vintage, which is turning out to be a fantastic Barolo year, and both of his wines at Slow Wine San Francisco were magnificent showing opulent fruit layers and wonderful balance with vibrant acidity, polished tannins and satiny textures. The Lazzarito though really has it all and it’s verve and dimension put this at the highest level, it comes from a single vineyard with high density planting of Nebbiolo, about 40 years old, set on Serralunga d’Alba’s calcareous-clay soil, this Grand Cru site produces ripe and flamboyant fruit, especially in the hands Currado and team at Vietti, making for their most sleek example, aged in both French barriques for 7 months, and then into big Slovenian oak cask for another 25 months. The Lazzarito is unfiltered and pure with layers of fruit, spice and mineral starting with a ruby/garnet/brick red hue in the glass and a mixed perfume of wild flowers, rose petals, sweet herbs, exotic spice and light tar notes with poached red berries before and fine and energy filled palate of damson plum, black raspberry, tangy cherry and fig fruits along with truffle, salted licorice, minty/cedar and loamy stones. Hints of liqueur, tea spice, iron, red citrus and vanilla add to the whole picture that in unfolding in this young and vigorous beauty, this wine has serious structure to back up it’s succulent forward style, at 14.6% this is a big full bodied wine, best to cellar this Barolo for another 5 to 10 years, even though it is not shy in showing off it’s greatness even now, these 2012’s from Vietti are very seductive, poised and impressive, stunning world class stuff!
($150+ Est.) 96 Points, grapelive
