Oddero Oddero Barolo 2021 750ml

A blend of fruit from three MGA sites (Bricco Chiesa, Capalot and Fiasco), the Oddero 2021 Barolo reveals cassis and dried cherry, but it also shows extra spice and smoke at the back. You get mineral nuances over a well-structured and firm Nebbiolo. This wine requires a little extra time before it fully opens. Once it does, it offers a beautiful mouthfeel with zesty freshness, minerality and lots of energy. It undergoes a spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel, and the wine ages in botte grande for 24 months. Production is 48,000 bottles, and the wine is priced competitively.

Coming in hot off some truly excellent past releases, the Oddero 2020 Barolo has a pretty mineral content with pencil shaving, crushed stone and wet soil that meets forest berry and underbrush. The wine hits on all cylinders, and there is good aromatic balance. It delivers a punch of bright fruit and crushed rose that gives way to pulverized stone. For a base Barolo, this is one of your best buying options. Fruit is blended from Bricco Chiesa and Capalot in La Morra and Fiasco in Castiglione Falletto. (Monica Larner)

Very floral, this Barolo shows aromas of rose petals with wild-strawberry and cedar undertones. Medium-bodied, sleek and elegant with precise, enveloping tannins that will require a couple of years to mellow. Very promising, this will benefit from at least 3 years of bottle age. Best from 2028.

Well-rounded, juicy and fruit-forward with notes of sliced strawberries, raspberries, spiced cherries and herbs. Medium to full body with fine, firm tannins. Juicy on the palate with more strawberry character coming through. Lively and in control with a generous and charming finish. Try after 2026. (James Suckling)

A firmly structured red, this offers cherry, raspberry, eucalyptus and iron flavors. There's an underpinning of dense tannins, yet overall this is medium-bodied and linear, with a compact finish. Best from 2027 through 2045. (Bruce Sanderson)

Cherry and raspberry fruit mingles with tar, eucalyptus and mineral notes in this balanced yet solidly built red. There’s ample flesh to match the sinewy tannins, while the fruit peeks through again in the end. Best from 2029 through 2047. 2,917 cases made.

Coming from vineyards in Bricco Chiesa, Capalot, Bussia, and Fiasco, the 2022 Barolo pours a medium red hue. Aromas of cherries, spice, potpourri, and fresh herbs emerge from the glass. Medium-bodied, it offers refreshing purity, with balanced acidity and excellent length. Bussia was particularly dry in this vintage and suffered more hydric stress, which led the fruit to be included in the classico rather than bottled separately. This is a beautifully balanced and classic expression that is already appealing. Potential production is roughly 40,000 to 45,000 bottles. Drink 2026-2036.

The 2021 Barolo is fabulous. Aromatic, pliant and wonderfully inviting. Oddero's Barolo shows just how appealing this vintage is. Crushed flowers, red/blue-toned fruit, spice and perfumed notes build nicely in the glass. Polished, silky tannins wrap it all together in style. Vineyard sources are Bricco Chiesa, Capalot, Bricco Fiasco and a bit of Galina.

The 2022 Barolo is a gorgeous entry-level wine. Kirsch, cedar, sweet pipe tobacco, crushed autumn leaves and licorice are some of the notes that take shape in the glass. More than anything else, I am so impressed with the wine's depth in a vintage marked by light wines. The 2022 benefits from the inclusion of fruit from Vigna Mondoca, where yields were too low for a commercial release, and Capalot, which was also not bottled separately. A lot of care goes into this wine, and it truly shows. This is a great achievement. If I could only buy one wine of these 2022s, the straight Barolo would be it.

The 2020 Barolo is a pretty powerful wine in this peer group. Accordingly, it is going to need a few years to come into its own. Macerated cherry, licorice, lavender, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco emerge gradually, but only with great reluctance. Hints of rose petal, mint and cinnamon linger. (Antonio Galloni)