2019 G.D. Vajra Barolo Albe DOCG

Product Description

DESCRIPTION: Albe is our tribute to the tradition and its ‘Maestri’. It’s a blend of high-elevation Barolo vineyards where, every day, we see three beautiful sunrises – or Albe. The 2019 is a radiant, incredibly poised wine and promises an amazing evolution.

VARIETY: 100% Nebbiolo.

VINEYARD AND TERROIR: Albe is a blend of Barolo DOCG vineyards with exposures that range from south-south-east to south-west, at high elevation between 380 and 480 m above sea level.

GROWING: In 1971, Aldo Vajra, then still a university student, was one of the earliest to adopt organic farming in Piemonte. Vineyards have been nurtured, and soil preserved, by grassing and spontaneous cover crop for almost 50 years now. They are sustainable and organic certified. With an incredible ratio of manual work per hectare, farming at Vajra is a labor of love and “recipe-free” attention. Intense research is also placed into monitoring and improving the biodiversity of both flora and fauna not just in the vineyards, but also in the winery fields and forests.

VINTAGE: 2019 was marked by an early bud break, a late flowering and a slow and progressive ripening, with low yields from the very beginning of the season. These elements turned the vintage into one of the longest and latest of the decade. Early winter snows and moderate, well spread rain falls throughout the year preserved the water reservoirs and laid the conditions for a balanced phenolic ripening. Thankfully, the Langhe were spared from both the April frost and the dramatic heat of late June. A severe hailstorm hit some vineyards on September 5th. Low yields since flowering, slow ripening, late harvest, excellent phenolic maturity and a great acid spine: there is real potential for a truly remarkable vintage.

HARVEST AND WINEMAKING: Fruit was harvested between October 7th and 19th. Grapes were sorted manually three times: directly on the vine, as whole clusters on the sorting tables and lastly as single berries after destemming. Vinification was carried out in custom-designed vertical tini, with gentle punch down and pump-overs, and lasted 27 days on average, with partial submergedcap maceration. Spontaneous malolactic fermentation occurred in stainless steel during the following spring.

AGING: 23 months in large Slavonian oak casks of 50 and 75 hectoliters. Bottling on July 20th and 22nd, 2022.

TASTING NOTES: 2019 Barolo Albe features a classic pigeon blood garnet color, with a very lively core. A rush of red berries, raspberries, and red currants is wrapped by a layer of sweet spices. The mouthfeel opens with a gorgeous balance, great energy and refined tannins, and the aftertaste echoes the aromatics with lingering complexity.