BROVIA
This is a stellar set of wines from Brovia. The wines have shut down considerably since bottling.
Whereas so many 2013s have moved towards a direction of finesse, Brovia’s 2013s are among the biggest wines of the vintage today. Naturally, a t this level, wines are like a great book with many chapters. These will be thrilling wines to follow for several decades. The 2013 Barolos were vinified in cement and spent approximately a year and a half in Slavonian oak casks followed by another year and a half in French oak casks. The straight Barolo is aged entirely in Slavonian oak.
Beginning in 2010 all of the vineyards have been farmed with a greater attention to sustainability.
Stylistically, the 2013s recall both the 2004s and 2008s, with a similar sweetness in the tannin and expressive aromatics, but more mid-palate depth and stuffing. If that sounds appealing, well, it is.
Readers should do everything possible to add some of these wines to their cellars.
Barolo Rocche di Castiglione 2013
A real heat-turner, the 2013 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione is powerful and surprisingly dense and rich. Sweet floral notes meld into a core of succulent red – fleshed fruit. This is a surprisingly ample, richly textured Rocche with huge density, creaminess and body, all qualities that are not often seen in Barolos from this site. There is a hint of Rocche sensuality in the glass, but the 2013 is holding quite a bit back in reserve. Sweet red cherry, pomegranate, mint, wild flowers and blood orange give the wine its distinctive signatures. Today, the 2013 impresses for its mid-palate depth, aromatic intensity and racy personality. Quite uncharacteristically, the Rocche is the least expressive of the single vineyard Barolos today.
Barolo Villero 2013
The 2013 Barolo Villero is magnificent. In fact, the 2013 may very well be the single most impressive young Brovia Villero I have tasted. Specifically, the flavors are vivid, delineated and wonderfully alive. The characteristic Villero spiced/balsamic notes are very much present. Black cherry, menthol, licorice, cloves and lavender infuse the impeccable, layered finish. Today, the Villero is explosive and showy. Readers will have to be patient. This is a fabulous showing.