2018 Mauro Veglio, Barolo “Paiagallo” DOCG, Piedmonte, Italy.
So far everything I’ve tasted from Mauro Veglio has impressed me, especially this new set of releases and in particular this gorgeous 2018 Paiagallo Barolo with its inviting dark garnet/ruby color, its vinous, almost luxurious textural quality and pure Nebbiolo character all folding together in seamless elegance, much the same way you’d expect from a top Burgundy! I discovered fhe Mauro Veglio wines only in the 2017 vintage, they offer a studied series of Barolo wines, from many highly regarded Cru sites, as well as a terrific normal Barolo bottling from the younger vines that is an exceptional value, along with a very nice set of Barbera and Dolcetto wines. This Paiagallo is already drinking excellently with an underlying sense of power, youthful freshness, fruit concentration and well hidden tannin that forms a good backbone for this well put together Barolo. The full bodied palate reveals brandied cherry, damson plum, red currant, bramble berry and grilled orange fruits, all accented by a floral and spicy lavender and rose petal porporri, minty herb, tarry licorice, a touch of earth and cedar note. After reving up with air you get the full sense of this wine’s depth and its grip, which comes through on the long finish, begging for some meaty cuisine choices, this Paiagallo, with a ripe 14.5 % natural alcohol, looks to have real potential, even though I doubt I would have patience to let it have more than 4 or 5 years in the cellar, such is the immediate joy it delivers. I very much enjoyed this 2018, and I am hearing that the upcoming 2019 is even more exciting, so this is a label to keep an eye on.
The Barolo offerings here at Veglio, a traditional winery with a long family history going back generations in the Piedmonte region, typically get a maceration on the skins in stainless steel tanks for between 10-15 days, before the grapes are pressed with fermentation in stainless tanks as well, lasting about 20 days, with its malolactic fermentation also taking place in the tanks with cool controlled temperatures to preserve aromatics and fresh details. After fermentation the Barolo(s) are aged in a combination of oak casks with a small percentage of new barrels being employed to add a luxurious taste, with a touch of toast and vanilla. Additionally this enhances the texture to the wines, and allows for earlier drinking pleasure, as this Paiagallo cru Barolo shows. That said though, Veglio’s Paiagallo is all from a single 30hl Botte grande (used big oak cask), aged 24 months and then rested back in stainless steel vat for another lengthy period, after which it was then bottled unfined and unfiltered, to capture the true natural personality of the site. The tannins, here, like the 2017s I tried, are very supple, but still provide just about the right amount of solidity to let you this is in fact a true Barolo and while compliant in nature, as I mentioned in my prior reviews, there is a seriousness to this wine’s purpose, all of which I admire. The Paiagallo cru was added to the Mauro Veglio collection in 2016, when Alessandro Veglio took over the winery and brought this inheritance parcel with him. This unique and small set of vines is located, the winery notes, in the Eastern slopes of the township of Barolo and set on classic marls (clay and limestone) and sandy soils, it has proven itself capable of producing an outstanding wine and I highly recommend it for Nebbiolo enthusiasts.
($100 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive