2005 Barolo Lazzarito

What a joy it is to taste the 2005 Barolo Lazzarito. A dramatic, large-scaled wine, the Lazzarito sweeps across the palate with awesome density and richness. Classic Serralunga notes of melted road tar, menthol, new leather, spices, plums and black cherries emerge from this breathtaking, powerful Barolo. Currado has backed off the French oak and gradually lengthened maceration times in this bottling which has resulted in a Barolo of uncommon elegance and transparency to site. Despite the wine’s sheer opulence, the finish is long and fresh, with lingering notes of tobacco and autumn leaves, suggesting the Lazzarito has years of fine drinking ahead of it. This is a superb effort. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2035. ||Vietti has long been an elite, reference-point producer in Piedmont but in recent years brothers-in-law Luca Currado and Mario Cordero have taken major steps to further elevate the quality of their wines across the board. My tasting with Luca Currado encompassed 20-plus Barolos covering vintages 2005 through 2008, including multiple parcels the estate uses for its multi-vineyard Barolo Castiglione. All of the wines were potentially outstanding and some will doubtless turn out to be profound. Vietti fans have much to look forward to in coming years, the biggest decision here will be making choices among a large number of truly special wines. For starters, the 2005s aren’t too far behind the spectacular 2004s. Unfortunately there will be no Barolo Riserva Villero as the vineyard was damaged by hail. The Barolos are fermented in stainless steel, then racked into French oak barriques for the malolactic fermentations. The wines are then moved into Slavonian oak casks where they complete their aging. Over the last few years Currado has gradually lengthened maceration times and taken a more moderate approach to French oak, while limiting yields dramatically, all of which has resulted in an extremely consistent set of Barolos that are easily among the region’s finest. As an aside, long-time visitors to the property will be happy to learn that a much needed renovation to the tasting room is complete. The new facility is strikingly beautiful. Wine Advocate.April, 2009