VN (97)
From: 2021 Barolo: Changing Times, Changing Wines (Jan 2025)
The 2021 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione is a classic wine from this site. Vibrant, focused and finely cut, the 2021 dazzles with finesse. Crushed rocks, mint, slate, white pepper, mint and orange peel all race across the palate. The 2021 Rocche is everything Barolo is—everything it can be. I especially admire its intensely saline energy. This is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage.
- By Antonio Galloni on January 2025
I was so impressed with these 2021s from Poderi e Cantine Oddero. I suppose I should not be surprised, given where the wines have been over the last handful of years, but at the same time, I can't forget the enormous strides the Oddero family has made over that period. Readers will find wines that express all the best the vintage had to offer. The straight Barolo is a fabulous introduction to the range. From there, the wines just get better and better. The highlights are many. This year, I was especially struck by the Villero, a truly magnificent Barolo. It is a blend of two tanks, one of which was done with submerged cap maceration that lasted 70 days. The wines are aged in cask for around 20-23 months. Brunate, Oddero's smallest holding, is naturally aged in a smaller cask, and sees a bit less time in oak in order to soften any overt wood character. It is another exceptional wine in this lineup. As is the Barolo Rocche di Castiglione. I would be thrilled to own these wines.
