2020 Vietti Barolo Cerequio La Morra, Piedmont

The 2020 Barolo Cerequio is fantastic on opening, with aromas of wet asphalt, dried raspberries, cranberry, and fresh roses. Medium-bodied, it has a more vertical feel through the palate, with fine tannins and fresh spine of acidity. Drink 2026-2040.

Vietti was founded by Carlo Vietti in the late 1800s and is based in Castiglione Falletto. After marrying Luciana Vietti in the late 1950s, Alfredo Currado joined the operations of the winery and later was largely regarded as responsible for the resurrection of the Arneis grape. Until last year, the estate had been helmed by fifth-generation winemaker Luca Currado Vietti and his wife Elena, who have been the longtime champions of their family’s winery. In 2016, the estate was purchased by Krause Holdings, which had enabled Luca and Elena to continue their roles while simultaneously supporting significant growth, gaining sought-after site acquisitions for production such as Monvigliero in Barolo. Eugenio Palumbo, who has a long tenure with the winery in all operations, has assumed control as the winemaker of the estate today. Though the winery is in solid control in terms of the winemaking, the recent departure of Luca and Elena is certain to leave a spiritual hole impossible to fill any time soon.

97 points AF jedunnuck.com

The Vietti 2020 Barolo Cerequio (with 3,866 bottles made) has a little more hot-vintage thickness or softness on the mid-palate and shows aromas of dark cherry, dried mint, licorice root and naval orange. The fruit is a little more one-dimensional in 2020, although the acidity is there and the fruit tannins feel velvety and chalky. The wine completes malolactic fermentation in barrique and then goes into large oak casks for two years.

Vietti has access to Nebbiolo from 10 MGA sites to make the various wines in its ample portfolio. We also have a new wine to celebrate—the 2019 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà—that knocks it out of the ballpark with its inaugural release.

94 points ML robertparker.com

Impressive depth of color and brightness from this Cerequio that comes with so much fruit. So fragrant and complex. Fresh brambly raspberries, red cherries, grapefruit and mineral. Pure, ripe and racy, with fully resolved tannins and a tense, compact finish. Expressive and impressive! Vegan. Already approachable for the depth of fruit, but better from 2027 for additional complexity.

97 points jamessuckling.com

The 2020 Barolo Cerequio once again confirms that buying this vineyard is one of the smartest decisions Vietti ever made. A wine of nuance and class, the Cerequio captures all the pedigree of this great site. Crushed red berry fruit, kirsch, blood orange, spice and mint soar out of the glass, all framed by nervy tannins that convey classicism. This is an exotic, racy Barolo.

I tasted a wide range of wines on my most recent visit to Vietti. Starting with the 2020 Barolos, I tasted every wine from a just-opened bottle and a bottle that had been double-decanted two hours prior to my arrival. Aeration can be a tricky thing with young, just-bottled wines. Sometimes, air can help young wines open but also shut them down hard. In 2020, the double-decanted bottles showed better. Overall, there is a bit more variation from wine to wine than I am used to seeing, while some of the Barolos are on the lighter side. In 2020, virtually all the fruit for the single-vineyard Barolos was picked in late September, before the early October rains. Harvest resumed on October 5 with the second portion of Lazzarito and various parcels used in the Barolo Castiglione. The 2020s spent about 24 days on the skins, with submerged cap maceration for most lots. Time in cask was 24-26 months. Readers will note several new wines in the range. Vietti’s 2019 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is stellar. The same is true, incidentally, of the 2020 Barbaresco Roncaglie. I have long admired the Barbarescos here. That is once again the case this year. The 2016 Barolo Riserva is the next incarnation of the 2015 Barolo Riserva that was released last year, but it was made from different vineyards and vinified with a high percentage of whole clusters. I would be remiss if I did not spend some time on the entry-level offerings. The 2021 Barberas are fabulous. These are wines I bought often as a young consumer and continue to enjoy as often as possible. Ripeness and oak impact have been dialed back, which really allows the purity of the fruit to come through.

95+ points AG vinous.com