Wine Advocate 94 (best Albe ever):
This is certainly one of the most popular and versatile wines made in Italy, and deservedly so. The well-priced G.D. Vajra 2019 Barolo Albe shows some ripe fruit and softness with cherry, dried raspberry and crushed rose. This vintage is similar in character to the 2016 release in that both vintages offer a linear style with good structure at the back. The mouthfeel is polished and long, affording accessibility and complexity too.
And best ever at 94 for the Wine Enthusiast, too:
Stunning in its purity, freshness and vibrancy, the Albe Barolo from the venerable Vajra family is a beauty. Aromas of fresh cherries, wild strawberries, rose- buds, wild herbs, underbrush and subtle chalky notes waft from the glass. The generous palate showcases the tart red fruits Nebbiolo is known for, but at a higher gear followed by more savory flavors finishing with well-integrated tannins and vibrant acidity.
Also for the WineFront:
Juicy, red fruits and mint, exotic spice, dried roses. It’s a classic Barolo in feel, red fruits and supple tannin, a little bit ferrous too, quiet perfume, and a long finish of offering gentle stony grip and rosehip and orange peel fragrance to close. Excellent.
And Jancis Robinson:
Lustrous mid ruby. Complex cherry-fruit nose with minerally dark-earth notes. Bags of dark-cherry fruit that is still a little embryonic. Cranberry and lifted cherry on the finish, which is light of touch and almost a little mouth-watering.
Outstanding ratings from Dunnuck and Suckling, too…and let’s face it, everybody.
One to enjoy – immensely – while you wait on (or maybe hoard) that Bricco della Viole. Though as Francesca said (and the sublime 1998 recently proved), this will also age magnificently for 15 years or more.
This Barolo, by the way, comes entirely from the three great vineyards or crus that together surround Vajra’s flagship Brico della Viole.
