Roberto Voerzio

`One of the most emotionally transcendental experiences I have ever had` - Wine Advocate, how about now? `Roberto Voerzio`s Barolos are some of the richest, deepest and most texturally beautiful wines readers will come across`. When it comes to this estate, there`s no shortage of superlatives. If Scavino and Clerico are jewels in the crown of Barolo, then surely Roberto Voerzio is the Koh-i-Noor. Roberto is a true grower, cultivating the vines on his ten hectares of La Morra organically and pretty much individually. He is ruthless, pruning severely and even then doing a rigorous green harvest for tiny yields - try less than a kilo per vine! (In 2002 - because of the late rains - he ended up not producing any Barolo at all.) From his amazing cru sites he vinifies in tiny containers and each site only produces between 150 and 450 cases. There is no fining or filtration here, which contributes to the density and length of the wines. Roberto was 35 before he was able to found his estate with the first of the six plots he currently owns and the pent-up drive that accumulated when working for his family rather than himself is what pushes him on to new challenges. He is currently nurturing a riserva that will be ten years before release, for instance. For Roberto, La Morra is the best of Barolo. His crus sit on its finest terroirs. (CW 24/09/10)