Aurelio Settimo

What a spectacular bottle this was! Aurelio Settimo is a small winery in the hamlet of Annunziata in the Barolo region. This Rocche dell’Annunziata Riserva 09 gave me the impression of being is such a sweet spot that the bottle almost thanked me for opening it. Fresh, ripe, supple, with rich but smooth tannins, oak fully integrated, definitely one of the best of the year so far. If you have some Barolo 2009 buried in your cellar you might consider giving it a little taste.

There are two main roads that from Alba take you to the top of La Morra, one of the 11 villages of the Barolo appellation, famous for its breathtaking belvedere. One of the two roads passes through the small fraction of Annunziata, home of many legendary producers. Among them, Aurelio Settimo distinguishes itself for some of the most elegant and old-school style wines. Large cask only and submerged cap maceration for up to 20 days.

On a clear day, this is one of my favorite winery experiences for our guests: I normally park my car in front of the tasting room and before tasting we take a walk into Rocche dell’Annunziata where we can talk about farming and the cycle of the plants. From the top of the hill, the view is just incredible, the entire Barolo valley is in front you and it is pretty amazing to realize that there’s only a small portion of that valley that can actually produce Barolo wines. In fact, only the south-facing vineyards are allowed as they are the ones that get the most amount of sun. In the past, getting the Nebbiolo grape to fully ripen was one of the biggest challenges.

Tiziana Settimo is the third generation owner and winemaker, extremely focused on farming her 7 hectares of land in the best way possible. She only bottles one Cru which is Rocche dell’Annunziata, right next to the winery, which is probably the most renowned vineyard in the whole area. Clay-calcareous soil at 300 meters. The Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata is an elegant, complex, and incredible bottle that will age for several years. The Langhe Nebbiolo is very light, floral, and very feminine. The Barolo 2014 is amazing now: a cooler vintage, it reminds me of old-school Barolo from the 70s, very little fruit but a lot of spice and tertiary flavors, low tannins, super smooth. Tiziana has kept some old vintages aside every year and we now have access to some of it, join our Wine Club to learn more!