Monvigliero

Monvigliero is widely regarded as the grand cru of Verduno and one of the most distinctive sites in all of Barolo, sitting in a south-facing natural amphitheatre on the Sant'Agata Fossili marls - a pale, clay-limestone soil with a sandy component that tends to give wines of unusual perfume and lift rather than brute power. Bel Colle's bottling comes from vines averaging around 25 years old at roughly 5,000 plants per hectare; fruit ferments in temperature-controlled stainless steel with a post-fermentation maceration of 22 to 25 days on the skins, then rests on its yeasts before a long maturation in large oak followed by bottle aging prior to release. The 2016 growing season is now broadly considered a modern Piedmont benchmark, with a steady ripening curve, cool nights, and bright acidities that yielded structured but balanced wines comparable to 2010. In this context the Bel Colle Monvigliero 2016 reads as a tightly drawn, slender take on the cru, with the floral and aniseed register typical of Verduno's lighter, more aromatic frame.