The Estate
- A Micro Production Sister Estate of Josetta Saffirio
- Same Brilliant Winemaker
The Style
- Super Haunting Style
- As Chambolle-Like As Bartolo Mascarello
2017 Sara Vezza Barolo Ravera
- Compare 2017 Vietti Ravera for $160-$275
- Calls to Chambolle as Much as Barolo Mascarello Does
- Clear Refinement and Finesse
- Nose: So Serene and Floral
- The Most Intoxicating Aromas you Can Imagine
- I Gave This a 9.7 on Delectable
- My Second Highest Barolo Score on Delectable Ever
- Smells Like the Petals of Red Roses Being Rubbed Over and Over
- Glorious Mid Season Cherry Fruit
- Earth and Truffle
- Unreal Palate
- Terrific Sweet Fruit and Energy
- The Most Intense Mineral/Umami Element
- Unreal Clarity of Sweet Mid to Late Season Cherry Fruit
2018 Sara Vezza Barbera d'Alba
- A Terrific Introduction to This Micro Estate
- Gorgeous Nose
- Dense, Thick Grapey, Berry-Infused
- Tree Bark and Pulverized Rocks
- Complex Earth and Mineral Tones
- Ethereal
- Palate: Juicy with Fine Grained Tannins
- Wonderful Berry Fruit
- Deep, Meaty, Feral, Lifted
- Stunningly Elegant, Textured and Balanced
- As Serious As Barbera Gets.
Sarah Vezza - the Athena of the Langhe
Gods.
Global warming has made winemaking in the Langhe increasingly challenging. What was once a region known for its elegant, almost wistful wines, has not become a region full of bruisers, much like the lightening bolt throwing Zeus. Sarah Vezza has sprung forth from this modern reality to somehow make wines of stunning elegance. She did it in 2016 with her Ravera. But that could have been luck. To repeat it in 2017, a warm vintage, cements her as a top winemaker and, more importantly, a winemaker of a particular style that is sadly very rare in Barolo these days.
The 2017 Vintage
It’s taken me a whine to wrap my head around 2017 as it’s a warm vintage but it also displays a firm structure which I think is unique for warm vintages. That’s more of a cooler vintage character. Every 17 Barolo I’ve tasted has pretty fierce tannins on Day 1. Which is opposite of the 16’s and the 16 Ravera in particular. The 16 Ravera was so supple and had a Chambolle-like fineness and approachability to it despite it being the classic 16 “big, structured, somewhat cool but not really” type of vintage. It was just so charming and for me the 16 is the more approachable of the two vintages on Day 1. But on Day 2 that is where the 2017s shine which tells me that short term cellaring is the way to go on 2017. These are actually more classic in structure than the 16’s in many cases but the 16’s will go longer but more in a straight line slightly going up. The 17s will go up at a higher angle but then not age as long as the 16’s. I think the average 17 that I sell will need 3-4 years or a 24 hour decant. But make no mistake Sara Vezza delivered the goods in 2017
The New Micro Label
Sara Vezza is part of the genius club. Her base label, Josetta Saffirio, named for her mother is a stunning wine and value and always one of the best basic Barolo values you can find. This new micro label of hers, using her own name, is on a completely different level from what I've tasted. It's much smaller production than Saffirio and in fact only 1,000 bottles of today's wine were filled. I can't remember the last bottle of Nebbiolo (2 vintages now!) that I popped and poured that has stopped me in its tracks.
The first wine is the 2017 Sara Vezza Barolo Ravera for $69.99 a bottle on a 4-pack and $66.99 a bottle on a case.
The style is that super haunting elegant style of Barolo that calls to Chambolle as much as Barolo Mascarello does. It has the style of such clear refinement and finesse with just the most intoxicating aromas you can imagine. If you open a Nebbiolo from Sara Vezza, you will have an outrageous aromatic experience. It is just pow as soon as you open her wines. This is Barolo Musigny. The closest I've had. The seamlessness she gets in her wines is remarkable. I gave this a 9.7 on Delectable and that is the second highest scoring Nebbiolo I've ever scored in all my time on Delectable and at Fass Selections.
Here is my note slightly edited.
One of the best new Barolos to come into my life. The 17 is another hit. Wow.
Nose is so serene and floral. The most vivid florals one can imagine. Just insane. It really smells like the petals of red roses are being rubbed over and over, the aroma just keeps delivering that perfect fresh initial aroma. Glorious. What a site Ravera is. Spice as well and glorious mid season cherry fruit. Wow this nose is a 9.8 knockout. The nose has the most intense mineral/umami element. Sweet baking spices starting to develop. This is so good and I did not expect it to be this good.
After many hours the nose is ethereal, gorgeous incense and tree bark, earth and truffle. Wonderful texture and the tannins are velvety now and so refined. This will need some short term age but it’s a brilliant wine.
On day 2 it really really came together. A gorgeous and very floral nose today. Really compelling. Deep minerals. Flower petals and with such vividness and detail.
Unreal palate with just terrific sweet fruit and energy. An abundance of sweet, velvety tannins and just unreal clarity of sweet mid to late season cherry fruit. Such purity. Such length. Long as the day is in mid July. Wow. A knockout. Stunning. This needs to develop and come together on the palate a bit more but it is all there and I’ll track throughout the day.
On day 2, juicy, bright, precise and compact. So clean, velvety tannins and wonderful length. Really long and super juicy. Spectacular. Insane freshness. 9.6 to 9.7 overnight. And that’s my final score.
The next wine I vastly undersold last year as I was too excited about the Barolo Ravera. The 2018 Sara Vezza Barbera d’Alba Villaro Superiore for $31.99 a bottle is as serious a Barbera as we’ve ever sold and in one year since I’ve tasted it it has only gotten so much better!
Gorgeous nose of dense, thick grapey, berry-infused and very expressive Barbera fruit. Complex earth and mineral tones that are ethereal. What a nose. Tree bark and pulverized rocks. Gets better with air! Big grapey nose with uncommon depth for a Barbera. Spices. Minerals and gravel. Pulverized gravel that is. Gorgeous blackberry and red berry fruit. On Day 2 it really got going. Deep, meaty, feral, lifted and very interesting nose. Floral, berry flavors and a very elegant texture.
Palate is juicy with fine grained tannins and wonderful berry fruit. Juicy fruit and dense with good extract, sap and purity. Long. Sticks on the palate. Needs air but very promising. After air the palate is ethereal for a Barbera and so pure. Rich, yet fresh, darker fruits on the palate than on the nose. Textured and slippery. Great freshness and depth and really elegant and pure. This is showing out of its mind. Just stunned how great this is. So concentrated and fresh with just awesome depth. Really long and lovely velvety structure.
On day 2, palate is stunningly elegant, textured and balanced. Terrific purity and freshness. So pure. Wonderful.
The Estate
"For the Greek philosophers, Socrates and Aristotle among them, earth, air, fire and water were the four base elements and the building blocks of all matter. They believed that every substance was a different combination of these four elements. We breathe in the vital energy of elusive air. Life-giving fire purifies and revives. Water is the font of life. Earth is solidity, a mother who both embraces and nourishes life. Sara's new brand is inspired by the ancient theory of the four elements. These are echoed in Sara's four children, who supply her cosmic force. The concept of 'four' is the basis for her new brand. " - Sara Vezza Website
2017 Sara Vezza Barolo Ravera - $71.99 ($279.96 4-Pack, $815.88 12 bottle case {$67.99!})
2018 Sara Vezza Barbera Superiore Villaro - $33.99 ($127.96 4-Pack)
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