GD Vajra’s Bricco delle Viole: Tasting 2004-2014

Michaela Morris tastes the last decade of Bricco delle Viole vintages from acclaimed Barolo producer GD Vajra...

I first met Aldo Vaira (note that the family surname is spelt with an i; the estate with a j) when he was presenting GD Vajra’s Kyé, made from local variety Freisa, to a group of international sommeliers.

His daughter Francesca was nestled up close to him, softly translating their comments into Italian. I was moved by this display of familial intimacy.

Subsequent encounters have only reinforced the impression of a tight-knit family. My last visit was during the 2017 harvest for a rare vertical of their Bricco delle Viole Barolo.

The tasting

The tasting room was heaving. Francesca and Vaira’s wife, Melina graciously hosted the endless rotation of guests. Sons Giuseppe and Isidoro were busy in the winery and vineyard respectively, though Giuseppe managed to pop in briefly.

‘We consider Bricco delle Viole like one of our children,’ says Vaira. He is softly spoken yet frank, with a ready smile that runs in the family.

Documents demonstrate that his ancestors had holdings of this cru as far back as the 1700s. Vaira started bottling and labelling it separately in 1978, though his first vinification was the infamously disastrous 1972 vintage. While he recognises this as an important year for him, it is 1975 that he recalls with an emotion and passion that he has never lost. ‘It was the vintage I started to understand Nebbiolo,’ Vaira explains.

The Bricco delle Viole vineyard

Bricco delle Viole translates evocatively as ‘hill of the violets’. This 46ha cru ranges in altitude between 380- 480 metres and sits on the western slopes of the Barolo commune. When Piedmont’s signature fog lifts, proximity to the Alps is stunningly evident. Eight growers have parcels here, including 5ha owned by GD Vajra.

In the summer sun, it is bathed in light from early in the morning until the evening, yet the combination of altitude and cool breezes results in a substantial drop in temperature at night, bringing balance, freshness and precisely defined aromas.

Vaira walks his vineyards with serenity. ‘The vine is alive and absorbs our character,’ he says. Bricco delle Viole’s Tortonian era soil is the region’s Marna di Sant’Agata Fossili, a blue marl rich in magnesium and manganese.

Biodiversity surely contributes to the wine’s complexity. The vines consist of different biotypes of Nebbiolo: Lampia, Michet and Picotener, as well as the closely related but genetically distinct grape, Nebbiolo Rosé.

GD Vajra, Bricco delle Viole Barolo: 2004-2014

The wines below appear in chronological order, beginning with 2004. 

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