2017 Cordero di Montezemolo Enrico VI Barolo 750 ml

It’s not every day that we get our hands on a Barolo from a storied producer with some of the finest terroir in La Morra. The 2017 Cordero di Montezemolo Enrico VI is exactly that. 

From an excellent vintage in Piedmont, this 96-point bottling is one of the absolute best from a producer who’s been crafting old-vine Barolo classics from their Villero vineyard’s enviable terroir in Castiglione Falletto for over 50 years. Vinous’ Antonio Galloni said it “shows a level of translucence I don’t remember seeing in this wine for as long as I have followed the domaine.” 

La Morra is at the heart of Barolo wine production, and Cordero di Montezemolo is at the heart of the storied region. For the Cordero family, winemaking is a centuries-long legacy. They’ve occupied their coveted Piedmont land since the mid-14th century, and it hasn’t left their hands for 19 consecutive generations. Even today, the entire property is entirely family-run.

The Enrico VI is the only wine the Corderos produce from vines outside their estate in Annunziata, but every inch of the two-hectare Villero vineyard is exceptional. The vines there top 50 years in age, and they yield an elegant and powerful expression of Barolo, with melodious aromatics that soar over red-rose and tobacco notes, and a palate then bursts with red fruit before resolving in a beautiful sonata of tannin and acid.

The Corderos have also dialed in on promoting absolute purity in the winemaking process. Since 2013, their whole farming operation has been certified organic—no herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides. The results of this meticulous vineyard care comes through splendidly in the regal Enrico VI.