G. D. Vajra Barolo Albe 2020

TOP 100 WINE OF THE YEAR 2024 WINE # 8 WINE SPECTATOR REPORTS : 'Aldo Vaira took control of the family vineyards in 1968, when he was just 15 years old. Today, G.D. Vajra is one of the Piedmont region’s most recognized estates and comprises 150 acres, mostly around the commune of Barolo. Aldo and his wife, Milena, are joined by their children, Giuseppe, Francesca and Isidoro. Though there are three Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive (MGA) bottlings at the top of Vajra’s range, it’s Barolo Albe that best represents the winery’s elegant, high-elevation style, delivering consistent quality for an attractive price. Sourced from parcels ranging from 1,250 to 1,585 feet in elevation, the various lots macerated for one to three months, then aged 26 months in 4,000-, 5,000- and 7,500-liter Slavonian oak casks.' 

G.D. Vajra is a family owned and managed estate, living with the mantra of 'Being a team is a dream; and it's the greatest dream of a parent.' Named Albe, which means ‘sunrises’, you can see the sun rising three times every morning on the vineyards that compose this wine made of 100% Nebbiolo.  

The high-elevation vineyards for Barolo Albe are usually picked in the second half of Nebbiolo harvest. Vinification is made in custom-designed vertical tini, with gentle punch down and rinsing of the cap. Maceration lasts 25 days on average. Malolactic in held in stainless steel, the following spring. Albe rests between 26 and 32 months, on average, in large Slavonian oak casks of 40, 50 and 75hectoliters. The wine is usually racked once a year. Blending is decided in the spring prior to bottling.  

Albe has an amazing scent of macerated Nebbiolo pomace, cranberries and raspberries. Infused rose petals, sweet red fruits and a hint of black figs, complete its wide and elegant bouquet. So authentic and yet expressive, it beautifully celebrates the maturity of these vineyards and wine. Albe is a pure tribute to Barolo di Barolo and to the amazing craft of combining vineyards.

From the countryside to the city, from the farm to the factory – this was the movement which characterized Piedmont in the four decades which followed World War II. Vineyard holdings were often small, the wines – even those world famous today, strange as it might seem – were neither particularly well known or widely sought out, prices paid to producers were low, and future prospects were anything but rosy. 

The past thirty years, instead, have seen a return – first gradual but now more rapid – to the origins on the part of many young men and women who, attracted by the pleasures of country life and inspired by the challenge of producing not only a wine they could call their own but one which could represent their aspirations and talents on the markets of Italy and the world. And even compete with the famous labels of the zones in which they intended to operate. Once such story, and an enormously successful one, is that of Aldo Vaira, whose family’s origins were in Barolo, a name which explains many things. But Vaira grew up in Turin, where he attended the city’s university. Fascinated from the beginning with the countryside, he decided that agriculture was to be his future and studied agronomy to prepare himself for his future career. Which has been one of continuous growth and inspiring success. From the original small family holdings vineyard land has expanded to the current 150 acres. And includes vineyards in many parts of the area around Alba.