WINEMAKER NOTES:
Barolo Undicicomuni is arguably Arnaldo Rivera’s most important wine. Spiced cedar, leather and scorched earth on the nose. The palate is wild and savory with notes of crushed raspberry, figs, cinnamon, star anise alongside velvety dusty tannins and fresh acidity.
TASTING NOTES:
Sweet-berry and tar aromas with cherries and ripe strawberries. Full-bodied with round and relatively soft tannins that show intensity. Juicy and savory finish.
– James Suckling, 93 pts.
There is no wine like this in the appellation. Made by a cooperative winery with access to fruit from across all the villages of Barolo, the Arnaldo Rivera 2017 Barolo Undicicomuni (“eleven villages”) is an ambitious blend of Nebbiolo from several sites: Serralunga d’Alba (San Rocco); Castiglione Falletto (Codana, Piantà and Villero); Diano d’Alba (two sites in Sorano); La Morra (Boiolo and two sites in Rocche dell’Annunziata); and Verduno (Campasso). You get a bit of grape DNA from every corner of the growing region. The result is a balanced and bright wine with silky fruit, cassis, rusty metal and blue flower. There is a touch of white pepper on the close.
– Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, 92 pts.
There is a core of cherry, strawberry and floral aromas and flavors here, accented by wild herb and iron. Lean and firm, yet vibrant and complex, with a long fruity, savory and mineral aftertaste. Best from 2024 through 2042.
– Decanter, 92 pts.