Aurelio Settimo Barolo Rocche Dell'Annunziata Riserva 2019 (750ml) *
Product price
$115.99
Description
Nebbiolo grown in the Rocche dell'Annunziata cru, where the vines sit in a sheltered hollow above the Torriglione hamlet, between the hills of San Martino and Cerequio-Brunate. This is the Riserva bottling from Aurelio Settimo, from the 2019 vintage in Barolo, aged some 36 months before release, 18 of them in large French and Austrian oak casks rather than small barrels. It carries the extended aging and structure the Riserva designation implies, built for patience.
Give it time in the glass, because it opens tightly, showing tar and a leafy, savory edge before the fruit arrives. Once it does, expect dried cherry, a touch of bloody iron, and something close to cassis, ripe but still vibrant. The palate is generous and sweet-fruited, with chewy, deeply extracted tannins that read as youthful and demand a few years. This is a powerful Barolo with plenty of flesh on the frame, and one to follow rather than rush.
Expert Reviews
The vines here look out over the Torriglione hamlet, in the shelter of a hollow lying between the hills of San Martino and Cerequio-Brunate. This wine ages for 36 months, of which 18 are in French and Austrian big oak vessels. It's not an easy Barolo at first, with whiffs of tar and leafiness, but then emerge dried cherry, some bloodiness and almost cassis, ripe yet vibrant. There's a lot of sucrosity on the palate, with chewy, extracted and youthful tannins. A powerful wine with meat on the bones but lacking just a bit of acidic character. One to follow. (Decanter, February 2023)