Perched high above the village of Barolo in the hamlet of Vergne, G.D. Vajra has long been one of the most respected names in the Langhe. My first visit was in my blogging days in 2010 but the wines are well known in the UK through the outstanding promotion of their importer, Liberty Wines. There is a refined elegance about the style here which shows in their Barolo and other wines. In November 2023, I was treated to a G.D. Vajra Barolo vertical. The winemaking here is long maceration on the skins, 40–60 days with the cap submerged and then two years and four months in cask.
The first flight was of the 2020 Barolo wines which are about to be released on the market. Vajra has three single-vineyard wines of their own and a further two from Serralunga d’Alba under the Luigi Baudana label. These 2020s showed very fine fruit expression and terroir differentiation. The two Serralunga offerings, from MGAs Baudana and Cerretta, have sublime fruit and, currently, very firm high tannins. They probably need five years in the bottle before they begin to peak. The two wines from Barolo municipality, Coste di Rose and Bricco delle Viole, are gentler, especially the former. Finally, the wine made from grapes in the heat bowl of MGA Ravera (Novello) is opulent with red fruit and tobacco notes. These will drink a bit earlier but have the fruit and fruit-tannin structure to age for at least the medium term. There will be so much to enjoy when the 2020s are released and have some time in bottle.
Barolo MGA Ravera vertical
The second part of the tasting was a mini-G.D Vajra Barolo vertical focusing on Ravera. The vintages were 2020 (see above), 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014. It was good to taste consecutive vintages as then there is no skipping of weaker vintages and the seasonal differences become very clear.
2018 was another challenging vintage with too much rain in May making it a challenge to keep the fruit healthy. The winemaking started with gentle extraction which is what you would expect in a less good year. But then, in the end, the cap was punched down with vigour, counter-intuitively but with good results. As with other 2018s, the fruit is delicious, predominantly red cherry to red plum but with spice and tobacco notes. The tannins are approachable, even in youth. 2017 was also challenging but because of the prolonged heat and drought. The first tertiary notes were beginning to appear with the wine tasting older than it is and the tannins were still a tad aggressive. This will need time in bottle. Conformity to the vintage was also evident in the excellent 2016. This was an elegant and complex wine with integrated fresh red fruit, a light tobacco note and even the first hint of truffle. The tannins are still youthful, lively but refined. 2015 was more fully developed: dried flower, sweet spice, ripe fruit but slightly chunky tannins, a wine of power rather than the elegance of 2016. 2014 was perhaps the most challenging year, with a cold and rainy season. Nearly ten years on, the wine opened with an earthy nose and rather faint red fruit. There is not a lot of pleasure in its current state. It would be interesting to taste this again in a few years to see if it has turned a corner.
It was a pleasure to return to visit the winery and to meet Giuseppe Vajra, an eloquent spokesman for the business.
