Aurelio Settimo

This is the second-best wine I tasted blind from the highly regarded cru of Rocche dell’Annunziata, and surely the best value. It is a conspicuously big, rich wine in the context of the 2016 vintage, with very ripe fruit that packs a very prodigious punch, but shows no heat in the finish. There’s also quite a bit of overt wood at this point in the wine’s development, but the concentrated fruit will surely be up to the task of absorbing and integrating the oak notes in time. Although one of the virtues of the 2016s from Barolo is their elegance and early approachability, this is an exception to the rule, requiring a good five years from now to really hit its stride. But with that caveat noted, this is a complete wine that represents a sure bet for those with decent storage conditions and adequate patience.

Azienda Aurelio Settimo have just under 7ha of vineyards in the hamlet of Frazione Annunziata in the commune of La Morra. When Aurelio's father Domenico died in 1962, he decided to focus the polyculture farm into vineyards, eventually beginning his namesake label. When Aurelio passed in 2007, his daughter Tiziana took over the vineyards and winemaking, as she had grown up alongside her father in the winery. A very traditional Barolo, this aged 1 year in concrete tanks before resting 2 years in large older French oak casks. A bricking orange hue, with dried cherry, aged wood, and a thread of funky brett that persists, stubbornly, through the finish. Acidity is bright, and tannins are appropriately tuggy and absorbed into the fading fruit. This finishes with a warming flush, and best enjoyed now (at least my bretty bottle) with hearty mushroom risotto or pork tenderloin.