Mauro Veglio 2019
The 2019s remind me of the legendary 1989s: An extraordinary vintage from another era that produced Barolos with complexity and unusually ripe fruit for the times but that were also racy and extremely tense. While the ‘89s needed years to fully develop, even at their debut, they promised greatness and longevity. KERIN O'KEEFE
2019 may be the last time an electrifying, fresh and tannic vintage has been gifted to us in Barolo – at least for the foreseeable future. WALTER SPELLER, www.jancisrobinson
This is another fine set of Barolos from Mauro Veglio. Alessandro Veglio describes 2019 as a year with a late bud break and a long vegetative cycle. The 2019s represent another step forward for an estate that continues to seek greater finesse in their wines. The new Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d’Alba is a terrific addition to the range. ANTONIO GALLONI
Now in its second generation, this La Morra estate is poised to make a big move under the direction of Alessandro Veglio. GALLONI'S ESTATE'S TO WATCH
Well, well, well! They are finally here. The 2019 wines from Mauro, Daniela and Alessandro Veglio are wines I've tasted from barrel and tank for the last two years and for that entire time I've been waiting to offer them. I've written about the incremental changes that have arrived with nephew Alessandro over the last few vintage offers - longer macerations, vertical ferments, no roto-fermenters, less wood, bigger wood - and my excitement has been growing as I've tasted the 2017's and 2018s. In those wines you could see an evolving style of greater transparency and precision.
As good as those wines were, I've always felt the 2019 vintage would be the coming out party for the estate. The vintage is a cracker; classic in nature and a showcase of site and variety. Combined with the aforementioned tweaks in vinification, it makes for a double whammy of factors whereby aromatic purity, clarity of site transmission and a generosity of fruit have been amplified to the max. These are undoubtedly the best sets of wines I've seen from the Veglios.
The other thing I love about this story - Mauro has long been one of the most talented winemakers in La Morra. Of all the process, the vineyard is his happy place ( so much so they actually live within the Arborina site alongside mentor Elio Altare) and his skills at producing fruit of the highest quality are known and respected across the communes of Barolo. His stylistic bent has historically been to make wines that sit in the "modern" camp. The wines have always been excellent and even beneath the modern umbrella the character of vineyard is apparent.
When nephew, Alessandro, was invited to join the estate - 22 hectares of prime Barolo plots on offer so it didn't take him long to say yes - he brought with him a winemaking philosophy that was more nuanced. He has a keen eye/nose for detail in wine. He saw that what was being made here was already great but with a few subtle variations he could make them even better. This is his thing, the winemaking is impeccable, exacting and deeply thought through. Smart chap.
So, without ego Mauro has ceded some control to Alessandro, accepting the new thinking and going with it. I'm not sure he necessarily agrees all the time but I think he understands that it's part of the caper of generational change and that without that change, the estate will stagnate. The other thing is, it leaves him time to concentrate on the vineyards - now with the addition of Alessandro's "dowry" plots and a new vineyard in Serralunga - to deal with.
So what you get is Mauro on producing stellar fruit and Alessandro on winemaking, a kind of Barolo Dream Team!
One more quick thing. When Alessandro added his small stable of vineyards, a small portion of Gattera and a leased plot of Piagallo underneath the castle in Barolo, it gave the opportunity for a couple of significant changes. Alessandro's piece of Gattera has a much cooler situation in this sun-trap vineyard to Mauro's piece, so it has been chosen to form the heart of the cru bottling. This change has had big consequences; more energised and transparent aromas and flavours to a point where it's now vying to be one of the best in the range. Mauro's piece now mainly goes into the DOCG Barolo, making that wine even more profound (it already has fruit from Arborina and Castelletto).
In the case of Paiagallo, this plot provides a snapshot into Alessandro's thinking on style direction. 25 days on skins (the others see an average of 20 days) and elevage only in large cask make for more primary, transparent wine. Wood tannin is replaced by 'wet' fruit tannins that sit within the wine more easily. This wine is already one of the higher scoring crus from amongst the range and the style of production has been employed for the new plot in Serralunga. That wine is wonderful by the way. But again, the plots were probably never going to be leased to the Veglios if it wasn't for Mauro's reputation as a grape grower. Proving again that the sum of the parts is more powerful than the both men individually.
Last year Antonio Galloni has named the estate as one to watch. As he says, this La Morra estate is poised to make a big move under the direction of Alessandro Veglio. This statement is true but it also makes me a little uncomfortable. Mauro has always made brilliant wines, the genius is that he and Daniela have been smart enough to want to preserve their legacy and humble enough to allow new thinking into the cellar. The style changes are subtle and incremental, they preserve the past by embracing the future.
In the 2019 vintage you have some of the best wines the estate has ever produced, they emphatically underline Veglios point but to me it already out of date, Veglio have already moved to a new level. On top of that they're still superb value in a region that is starting to "embrace" their wine notoriety via some "impressive" price increases. DO NOT MISS!
2019 may be the last time an electrifying, fresh and tannic vintage has been gifted to us in Barolo – at least for the foreseeable future. WALTER SPELLER, www.jancisrobinson
This is another fine set of Barolos from Mauro Veglio. Alessandro Veglio describes 2019 as a year with a late bud break and a long vegetative cycle. The 2019s represent another step forward for an estate that continues to seek greater finesse in their wines. The new Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d’Alba is a terrific addition to the range. ANTONIO GALLONI
Now in its second generation, this La Morra estate is poised to make a big move under the direction of Alessandro Veglio. GALLONI'S ESTATE'S TO WATCH
Well, well, well! They are finally here. The 2019 wines from Mauro, Daniela and Alessandro Veglio are wines I've tasted from barrel and tank for the last two years and for that entire time I've been waiting to offer them. I've written about the incremental changes that have arrived with nephew Alessandro over the last few vintage offers - longer macerations, vertical ferments, no roto-fermenters, less wood, bigger wood - and my excitement has been growing as I've tasted the 2017's and 2018s. In those wines you could see an evolving style of greater transparency and precision.
As good as those wines were, I've always felt the 2019 vintage would be the coming out party for the estate. The vintage is a cracker; classic in nature and a showcase of site and variety. Combined with the aforementioned tweaks in vinification, it makes for a double whammy of factors whereby aromatic purity, clarity of site transmission and a generosity of fruit have been amplified to the max. These are undoubtedly the best sets of wines I've seen from the Veglios.
The other thing I love about this story - Mauro has long been one of the most talented winemakers in La Morra. Of all the process, the vineyard is his happy place ( so much so they actually live within the Arborina site alongside mentor Elio Altare) and his skills at producing fruit of the highest quality are known and respected across the communes of Barolo. His stylistic bent has historically been to make wines that sit in the "modern" camp. The wines have always been excellent and even beneath the modern umbrella the character of vineyard is apparent.
When nephew, Alessandro, was invited to join the estate - 22 hectares of prime Barolo plots on offer so it didn't take him long to say yes - he brought with him a winemaking philosophy that was more nuanced. He has a keen eye/nose for detail in wine. He saw that what was being made here was already great but with a few subtle variations he could make them even better. This is his thing, the winemaking is impeccable, exacting and deeply thought through. Smart chap.
So, without ego Mauro has ceded some control to Alessandro, accepting the new thinking and going with it. I'm not sure he necessarily agrees all the time but I think he understands that it's part of the caper of generational change and that without that change, the estate will stagnate. The other thing is, it leaves him time to concentrate on the vineyards - now with the addition of Alessandro's "dowry" plots and a new vineyard in Serralunga - to deal with.
So what you get is Mauro on producing stellar fruit and Alessandro on winemaking, a kind of Barolo Dream Team!
One more quick thing. When Alessandro added his small stable of vineyards, a small portion of Gattera and a leased plot of Piagallo underneath the castle in Barolo, it gave the opportunity for a couple of significant changes. Alessandro's piece of Gattera has a much cooler situation in this sun-trap vineyard to Mauro's piece, so it has been chosen to form the heart of the cru bottling. This change has had big consequences; more energised and transparent aromas and flavours to a point where it's now vying to be one of the best in the range. Mauro's piece now mainly goes into the DOCG Barolo, making that wine even more profound (it already has fruit from Arborina and Castelletto).
In the case of Paiagallo, this plot provides a snapshot into Alessandro's thinking on style direction. 25 days on skins (the others see an average of 20 days) and elevage only in large cask make for more primary, transparent wine. Wood tannin is replaced by 'wet' fruit tannins that sit within the wine more easily. This wine is already one of the higher scoring crus from amongst the range and the style of production has been employed for the new plot in Serralunga. That wine is wonderful by the way. But again, the plots were probably never going to be leased to the Veglios if it wasn't for Mauro's reputation as a grape grower. Proving again that the sum of the parts is more powerful than the both men individually.
Last year Antonio Galloni has named the estate as one to watch. As he says, this La Morra estate is poised to make a big move under the direction of Alessandro Veglio. This statement is true but it also makes me a little uncomfortable. Mauro has always made brilliant wines, the genius is that he and Daniela have been smart enough to want to preserve their legacy and humble enough to allow new thinking into the cellar. The style changes are subtle and incremental, they preserve the past by embracing the future.
In the 2019 vintage you have some of the best wines the estate has ever produced, they emphatically underline Veglios point but to me it already out of date, Veglio have already moved to a new level. On top of that they're still superb value in a region that is starting to "embrace" their wine notoriety via some "impressive" price increases. DO NOT MISS!