Vignarionda: one of the great vineyards of Serralunga d’Alba
The Vignarionda MGA– also often spelled as Vigna Rionda – is located in Serralunga d’Alba and belongs to the most highly regarded vineyards within the entire Barolo DOCG.
The name refers to the round shape of the hill: riondais derived from rotonda, Italian for round. The vineyard is situated high on the hill and benefits from plenty of sunlight, while being protected from cold northwesterly winter winds by the nearby Castelletto hill. This creates a particularly favorable microclimate.
At Oddero, Vignarionda is not a Barolo that is automatically produced every year. The family began vinifying the cru separately in 1985, but omitted several vintages entirely when the quality was not deemed high enough. For example, no Vignarionda was produced in 1992, 1994, and 2002.
This fits the positioning of this wine: Vignarionda is the Riserva and one of the absolute top wines from Oddero.
The Oddero parcel
Oddero owns approximately 0.77 hectareswithin Vignarionda, divided between cadastral plots 335 and 340 in Serralunga d’Alba.
The vineyard lies at approximately 360 meters above sea level, almost at the top of the hill, and has a full southern exposure. This gives Nebbiolo maximum sunlight during the growing season, while the altitude helps to maintain freshness and aromatic tension.
The yield is limited to approximately 50 quintals per hectare, or about 5,000 kilos of grapes per hectare. That is significantly lower than many standard Barolo bottlings and contributes to the wine's concentration.
When were the vines planted?
The Vignarionda vineyard consists of several plantings.
The largest and central part dates back to probably 1972, according to Oddero. The highest part, with about 240 vines, was planted in 1983. A smaller, lower section of about 300 plants followed in 2007.
By the 2019 harvest, the oldest vines were therefore almost fifty years old.
This combination of old and younger vines gives Oddero different components to work with: old vines generally provide concentration and depth, while younger plants can contribute extra vibrancy.
How many vines per hectare?
The vineyard is planted with 4,500 vines per hectare.
The unique soil of Vignarionda
This is where a significant part of this wine's identity lies.
Geologically, the soil of Vignarionda belongs to the Serravallian formationof Serralunga d’Alba and consists of the so-called Lequio Formation: layers of grey marl alternating with sandstone.
The soil contains, among other things, siliceous sand, calcium carbonate, and iron carbonate, and is rich in trace elements such as potassium, boron, manganese, and magnesium.
Even more striking is the content of active lime.
For Vignarionda, Oddero reports a staggering 13.58% active lime, which the estate claims is the highest percentage within the entire Barolo area.
That helps explain why, despite its power, Vignarionda never tastes merely heavy or massive. In addition to firm tannins, the wines have a distinct mineral tension and freshness.
It is precisely that combination of power, chalky minerality, and finessethat makes Vignarionda such a special terroir.
Aromas and flavors of the 2019 Vignarionda
The Oddero Vignarionda Riserva 2019is still young and layered, but already displays a broad aromatic spectrum.
On the nose, you will find dark cherries, blackberries, and other dark fruit, combined with red and dried roses and fresh citrus tones. These are followed by deeper aromas of tobacco, licorice, spices, dried herbs, and forest floor.
Also typical for this wine is a pronounced mineral side that is reminiscent of wet limestone, iron, and graphite.
Oddero itself mentions dark fruit, blackberries, citrus, roses, tobacco, licorice, cinchona, forest floor, and wet limestone.
The 2019 also shows balsamic and spicy nuances. Decanter tasted, among other things, medicinal herbs, sage, ash, and iron, and emphasizes that the wine is particularly impressive for its combination of structure and elegance.
On the palate, the wine is powerful and taut, yet very precise.
The tannins are firm – as expected from a young top-tier Barolo from Serralunga – but they are fine in structure. The fresh acidity gives the wine tension and length, while a sturdy mineral core carries it through the long finish.
This is emphatically not a thick or heavily extracted Barolo. Its strength lies in the structure and length, not in over-ripeness.
2019 vintage: classic Barolo
2019 is among the strongest recent Barolo vintages.
Decanter awarded the year 5 out of 5 starsand describes 2019 as a classic vintage. The winter provided good water reserves, while rainfall during the growing season was better distributed than in 2018.
The summer had some very hot periods, especially at the end of July, but the final phase of the season was particularly favorable. October brought relatively dry conditions, mild days, and cool nights.
As a result, Nebbiolo had a long growing seasonand enough time to fully develop its tannins, aromas, and acids.
The result is Barolos that are often somewhat tighter and less exuberant than in warm, very ripe years, but have plenty of freshness, tension, and aging potential.
And that suits Vignarionda exceptionally well.
For Serralunga d’Alba, 2019 was also particularly successful. Decanter rated Serralunga, together with Monforte, as one of the stronger municipalities of this vintage.
When was the 2019 Vignarionda harvested?
Oddero states the second week of Octoberas the usual harvest period for Vignarionda. The grapes are picked entirely by hand into small crates of about 18 kilos.
The 2019 harvest was relatively late, due to the classic growing season. The general Nebbiolo harvest in Barolo lasted until about October 20, which was clearly later than in various warmer years.
Due to the favorable microclimate, Oddero considers Vignarionda to be among the Nebbiolo vineyards that reach full technical and phenolic ripeness relatively early.
Manual selection of the grapes
For a wine of this level, selection starts in the vineyard.
The Nebbiolo grapes are harvested by hand in 18-kilo cratesand the bunches are manually selected.
Upon arrival at the cellar, they undergo another selection on a conveyor belt before the grapes are destemmed.
This double selection is important. Only healthy and optimally ripe grapes end up in the Vignarionda Riserva.
Vinification: traditional and slow
After destemming, the grapes go into fermentation tanks of about 50 hectoliters.
Alcoholic fermentation takes place there, with daily remontage where the wine is pumped over the skins and the cap is kept moist.
The total fermentation and maceration process lasts about 25 to 28 days.
This fits Oddero's traditional approach to Barolo.
Ample time is taken to extract tannins, color, and aromatic components from the Nebbiolo skins, but without making the wine artificially powerful through extremely aggressive extraction.
After alcoholic fermentation, malolactic fermentationfollows.
Aging: about 40 months in Austrian oak
This is where Vignarionda clearly distinguishes itself from various other Oddero Barolos.
After malolactic fermentation, the wine is transferred to Austrian oak barrels, in which it ages for about 40 months.
The purpose of the wood is not to give the wine a clear vanilla or toast flavor.
The relatively large traditional barrels primarily ensure a very gradual oxygen exchange. This allows the firm Nebbiolo tannins to refine slowly while the character of the vineyard is preserved.
After bottling, the Riserva is kept for years under controlled conditions in the Oddero cellars, around 15°C and 70% humidity, before it is released.
Why is Vignarionda a Riserva?
The Riserva designation is more than just extra aging here.
Vignarionda naturally has the tannins, acids, concentration, and mineral structurenecessary to endure long aging and subsequently decades of development in the bottle.
Oddero therefore produces the wine in very small quantities, on average about 2,700 to 3,000 bottlesper vintage.
It remains a rare wine from less than one hectare of vineyard.
Vignarionda 2019 within the Oddero range
For a Brunolo customer who, for example, also looks at Oddero Villero, the difference is interesting.
Villero from Castiglione Falletto combines power with a relatively round, juicy fruit structure.
Vignarionda goes a step further towards tension, minerality, tannin structure, and longevity. The lime-rich soil of Serralunga and the high proportion of active lime give the wine a distinct vertical structure.
With the 2019, that difference is extra clear.
The wine possesses sufficient dark fruit, but its most important qualities are not just fruit and volume. They are primarily precision, freshness, minerality, length, and the ability to continue developing for decades.
This makes Vignarionda not simply a more expensive Oddero Barolo, but a fundamentally different wine.
Drink now or keep?
Those who open the Vignarionda Riserva 2019now are tasting an impressive but still young Barolo.
The tannins, acids, and mineral structure are clearly present, and the wine needs time to show its full aromatic complexity.
Decanter explicitly places this wine in its “20-year club”for Barolo Riserva 2019 and considers it a wine that represents the character of both the vintage and the terroir exceptionally well.
Other professional reviews also point to very long-term development. I would therefore set a practical drinking window for Brunolo.nl at approximately:
2028–2050+
Those who enjoy drinking powerful, young Barolo can certainly start earlier. If so, give the wine at least three to four hours of airand serve it in a large Nebbiolo or Burgundy glass.
Those who are patient will see the dark fruit gradually give way to an even more complex palette of dried roses, tobacco, leather, truffle, forest floor, herbs, tar, and balsamic notes.
This is clearly a wine that rewards a good cellar.
Food and wine pairings
A Barolo of this caliber deserves dishes with sufficient depth, but preferably not so heavy or sweet that the finesse of the wine disappears.
Good pairings are:
- brasato al Barolo
- slow-braised beef shank
- veal cheeks or ossobuco
- venison or roe deer
- rack of lamb with rosemary
- tajarin with ragù
- risotto with porcini
- tajarin or risotto with white truffle
- porcini and other wild mushrooms
- Parmigiano Reggiano
- Castelmagno or long-aged pecorino
Especially truffles, mushrooms, and refined game dishescomplement the earthy, balsamic, and mineral development of older Vignarionda beautifully.
Serve preferably at around 17–18°C.
Brief summary
The Oddero Barolo Riserva Vignarionda 2019is one of the great aging Barolos from Serralunga d’Alba. It comes from just 0.77 hectares at 360 meters altitude, with Nebbiolo vines of which the majority were already planted around 1972.
The exceptionally lime-rich soil gives the wine its characteristic tension and minerality. Dark fruit, blackberries, roses, citrus, tobacco, and licorice are combined with powerful yet refined tannins and a long, mineral finish. After about 40 months in Austrian oak, the wine receives a long bottle aging before Oddero releases it.
The classic top year 2019fits this cru perfectly: plenty of freshness, structure, and precision, with aging potential that easily extends well into the 2040s and likely beyond.
An exceptional Barolo for the enthusiast who seeks not only intensity, but primarily terroir, refinement, and a wine that can continue to develop for decades.
