Vietti Cru: The Great Vineyards of Barolo, presented by Ben Christiansen

There are great producers in Piedmont. There are great vineyards in Piedmont. And then there is Vietti—one of the rare estates whose history is inseparable from the modern understanding of Barolo's greatest individual crus.

Long before single-vineyard Barolo became the obsession it is today, Vietti was among the producers making the argument that place matters profoundly in Barolo. Beginning with its landmark Rocche di Castiglione bottling in 1961, the estate helped establish the idea that Nebbiolo grown in one great vineyard deserved to be bottled separately from Nebbiolo grown in another. Today, that philosophy gives Vietti one of the most extraordinary collections of vineyard-designated Barolos in the Langhe.

For this seminar, we are going straight to the top.

At the center of the tasting will be four of Vietti's great Barolo crus from the 2022 vintage: Lazzarito, Monvigliero, Rocche di Castiglione and Ravera. Together they offer an extraordinary study in terroir. Lazzarito brings the formidable structure and power of Serralunga d'Alba; Monvigliero offers the perfume and delicacy for which Verduno has become famous; Rocche di Castiglione delivers the extraordinary precision, minerality and elegance of Castiglione Falletto; and Ravera shows the tension, energy and increasingly celebrated character of Novello.

This is exactly why serious collectors become fascinated by Barolo. Same grape. Same producer. Same vintage. Four vineyards—and four profoundly different wines.

But we are going considerably further.

We will begin outside Barolo with the 2021 Barbaresco Roncaglie, a beautifully perfumed and elegant expression of Nebbiolo from one of Barbaresco's distinctive sites. From there, we move through our quartet of 2022 Barolo crus before finishing with two Riservas: the 2018 Vietti Barolo Riserva and, finally, the monumental 2016 Barolo Riserva Villero.

Villero is the exclamation point. This legendary Castiglione Falletto vineyard has produced some of Vietti's most celebrated and sought-after wines, and the estate reserves its Riserva treatment for exceptional circumstances. With a decade of evolution behind it, the 2016 gives us the rare opportunity to finish the seminar not by speculating about what great Barolo may become, but by beginning to see that transformation for ourselves.

The Wines:

2021 Vietti Barbaresco Roncaglie — $213.99

2022 Vietti Barolo Monvigliero — $359.99

2022 Vietti Barolo Ravera — $359.99

2022 Vietti Barolo Rocche di Castiglione — $359.99

2022 Vietti Barolo Lazzarito — $359.99

2018 Vietti Barolo Riserva — $257.99

2016 Vietti Barolo Riserva Villero — $957.99

For collectors of Barolo, this is precisely the sort of tasting that is increasingly difficult to assemble. These are tiny-production wines from some of the Langhe's most coveted vineyards, tasted side-by-side and culminating in one of Vietti's rarest Riserva bottlings.

Seven wines. One great producer. Six distinct expressions of place. And one extraordinary exploration of Nebbiolo at the highest level.

All prices listed shown are regular retail. Significant discounts offered on all wines at the tasting.

Due to their highly allocated nature, some wines may change without notice.