G.D. Vajra 'Albe' Barolo 2020

TASTING NOTES: 2020 Barolo Albe shows an expressive nose with aromas of fresh cherries, crushed stones and roses. The mouthfeel is bright and energetic, with generous mouthfeel and a youthful tannic structure enriched by notes of raspberry and orange zest. Long, textural finish.

DESCRIPTION: Albe is our tribute to traditional Barolo and its ‘Maestri’. This is a blend of high-elevation vineyards where, every day, we see three beautiful sunrises - or Albe. The 2020 Albe is already expressive, with layers of red fruits and a generous, textured mouthfeel.

VARIETY: 100% Nebbiolo.

VINEYARD AND TERROIR: Albe is a blend of Barolo DOCG vineyards with exposures that range from south-south-east to south-west, at high elevation between 380 and 480 m above sea level.

GROWING: In 1971, Aldo Vajra, then still a university student, was one of the earliest to adopt organic farming in Piemonte. Vineyards have been nurtured, and soil preserved, by grassing and spontaneous cover crop for almost 50 years now. They are sustainable and organic certified. With an incredible ratio of manual work per hectare, farming at Vajra is a labor of love and “recipe-free” attention. Intense research is also placed into monitoring and improving the biodiversity of both flora and fauna not just in the vineyards, but also in the winery fields and forests.

VINTAGE: 2020 is a truly remarkable vintage and one of the longest of the decade. It started off with an anticipated bud break and slowed down throughout spring and summer, resulting in a late harvest. An abundant flowering, from May 12th, set the stage for perfumy, aerial and redtone dominated wines. Numerous rainfalls, well into July, resulted in a less regular fruit set, much more work in the vineyards, but also milder temperatures, leading to an estimated vegetative cycle of 213 days. Great aromatics, varietal authenticity and gorgeous tannins are the signatures of 2020.

HARVEST AND WINEMAKING: In 2020 the fruit for our Barolo Albe was picked between October 1st and 14th. Grapes were sorted manually three times: directly on the vine, as whole clusters on the sorting tables and lastly as single berries after destemming. Vinification was carried out in custom-designed vertical tini, with gentle punch down and pump-overs. We had a diversity of maceration lengths, from 27 up to 57 days (the latter case, under submerged-cap). Spontaneous malolactic fermentation occurred in stainless steel during the following spring. AGING: 26 months in large Slavonian oak casks of 40, 50 and 75 hectoliters. Bottling on July 10th 2023.