Barolo Villero DOCG 2011 Brovia

The 2011 Barolo Villero exhibits a full body and thick concentration. Ultimately, this is one of my favorite wines from Brovia in this vintage. I love the muscle and heft that the wine shows, and the fact it delivers that power with the utmost elegance. Nothing is heavy or overdone here. You really get a sense of the quality of fruit achieved in the Villero vineyard. The wine shows integrated tannins and impeccable dark fruit balance.

I tasted through a wonderful selection of new and recent releases from Alex Sanchez that represent the 2011 and 2010 Barolo vintages, respectively. I also had an exciting sneak peek back in time to the 1990 Barolo Rocche dei Brovia that has since morphed into the Barolo Rocche di Castiglione. The big piece of exciting news at Brovia is farming is now all organic. This has been the case since the 2010 vintage.

The 2011 Barolo Villero is one of the most structured wines in the range. Here the firm tannins and ample frame both suggest the 2011 will drink well for many years, once the tannins start softening. Orange peel, wild flowers, red stone fruits and spices flesh out on the creamy finish. It's always interesting to taste the Villero next to the Rocche, as the two sites are pretty close to the other, yet the wines are remarkably different. Here the heat of the year is quite evident, while the Rocche benefits from greater ventilation and therefore a bit more freshness.