Alcohol: 13,5%
Grape(s): Dolcetto
Localization: Piedmont, Italy
Tasting Notes: Deep violet in color, the nose is of red and wild berries leaning to cherries w some herbal notes. The gentle tannins are a perfect match for the moderate, but very fresh acidity.
Notes: Vajra’s Dolcetto comes from grapes in the Barolo commune as well as from nearby Novello, still in the Barolo DOCG. Vinified and aged in stainless steel to retain the exuberant fresh fruit, it is aged in bottle for a few months before release in the summer following the harvest.
Food pairing: Dolcetto is the flagship grape of Piemonte because the beguiling sweetness of its fruit is perfectly balanced by its ripe tannins, which make for a magical food wine that just comes alive at the table and brings everything else along with it.
The Domain: The Vajra family has farmed Bricco Delle Viole, the highest cru in Comune di Barolo, since the 1880s. At the young age of fifteen, Aldo Vajra embraced the dream to revive his family legacy. Displaying a vision and commitment belying his young age he took over the estate in 1968, turning a new page.
Aldo soon acquired the first organic certification of the region (1971), created private biotype selections (selezioni massali) of Nebbiolo and Dolcetto, pioneered the renaissance of Freisa, a noble yet forgotten local grape (1980) and the cultivation of Rhine Riesling in Piemonte (1985).
Today, the Vajra family continues the vineyard research focusing on the influence of soil and climate change. The winery is trail-blazing the rediscovery of Chiaretto di Nebbiolo and the wines of the 17th century – long before Barolo was created - through two limited-production wines: “N.S. della Neve” (a champagne-method rosé nature) and “Claré JC”, a partial whole-cluster fermentation of pure Nebbiolo.
High elevation vineyards are a unique factor to the Vajra wines, for their ability to express finesse and remarkable complexity overpower.
Attention to details and humility towards nature, uncompromised efforts, and humanity: so are Aldo and Milena, now joined by their energetic children Giuseppe, Francesca, and Isidoro, and by an amazing team of young professionals, in their quest for an authentic expression of their land into the wines. G.D. Vajra is an independent winery, entirely family-owned.
