2015 G.D. Vajra Barolo Ravera- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (12/6/2020)
This starts out a bit tense and tight. It was quite shy on the nose. Initially though it delivers layers of flavor on the palate with deep red fruit, tar and a pretty orange peel note. The tannins are slight and rich at first and it’s very expressive. After an hour of being open it really unwinds and builds power with even deeper flavors. It feels classically built but showing so much now. I was surprised so much more was revealed with time. I wish i could have followed it over a few hours or decanted. 95 for the first impression and 97 on what was revealed with time. Fantastic wine and as good as any 2016 I’ve tried. (97 pts.)
Thanks Fred, appreciate these notes - they’re very helpful especially when trying to figure out the difference between 2016 being “the greatest vintage ever” and 2015 being just a great vintage.
Fred,
Tanks for the note. Sounds really wonderful, and totally unlike my rather tight 15 Cavallotto BB on Sat night. Did you decant at all, or just open and air it out for an hour?
I haven’t explored the 15’s enough yet. The 15’s I have bought have got very positive CT notes to stand by what the critics say. What strikes me about 16 though is the quality of the base barolo’s and how good many of them are showing young. That being said this Ravera is an absolute head turner.
I didn’t Dennis. We tried to catch an early dinner at 5pm at one of our favorite local restaurants. Unfortunately, the restaurant filled up quicker than we thought and we were just not comfortable staying. I hated having to rush that wine but better safe than sorry. The next one will be consumed at home where we can decant and follow over several hours.
It was really good at first but the power and depth it picked up in the last 20 minutes was something else. I just picked up a few more. I think it’s 3-4 years from early window but if you have one let er rip with a decant. Those Cavallotto seem to be built for the long haul. I have some 13’s I’d like to try but doesn’t seem like it’s ready. I won’t touch the 16’s until 2026.
I had this exact bottle on Saturday night. Id agree with you for the most part. This will do really well with time. I picked up a bit more tannin presence that hopefully will subside with time
I’ve got them both and will give them some more time. I’ve had the 12 and 14 BDV this year and really enjoyed. A bit different based on the vintages. The 12 is just starting to strut while the 14 seemed more open and a bit more flashy. Here is my note on the 12 BDV
8/30/2020 rated 93 points: Wine opens up with red cherry, floral and slight menthol tones on the nose. It’s broad and expansive on the palate with red cherry then tar and menthol notes that build along with firm but finer tannins that show on the finish. The fruit more than handles the tannin and I would not hesitate to open now but would like to see where this goes over the next 5 years. We served with an excellent Parmigiano-Reggiano and the cheese really cut through the tannin nicely