Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 31

two vintages are promising (we awarded the 2016 vintage
95 points in December 2020).
At 322 acres, Ravera is the fourth-largest MGA in the
A L PS
Barolo zone, with plenty of changes in elevation, exposure,
and soil composition. This diversity allows Valter and Nadia
to produce four diff erent Elvio Cogno Barolos from a single
cru-not unparalleled (Aldo Conterno produces four Barolos
from Bussia, a cru more than twice the size of Ravera),
but very unusual. Their Barolo Cascina Nuova doesn't carry
the Ravera name on its label, but the fruit all comes from
the estate's younger vines just below the farmhouse. Barolo
Ravera is the fl agship wine, the most structured of the four,
requiring more time to unfurl. Fruit for Barolo Riserva Ravera
Vigna Elena comes from a single, sandy plot in Ravera
planted exclusively to nebbiolo rosé, once thought to be
a clone of nebbiolo but now understood to be a separate,
if closely related variety. Vigna Elena has a totally diff erent
personality from Elvio Cogno's other three Barolos, its
exuberant fl oral scents and high-toned red-cherry fl avors
refl ecting the infl uence of nebbiolo rosé and those sandier
soils. Barolo Ravera Bricco Pernice comes from another
single plot that represents, according to Valter, the historic
heart of the cru. Bricco Pernice's microclimate is slightly
warmer than other parts of Ravera, and it contains the
estate's oldest vines, some more than 50 years of age; that
combination proved magical in the 2016 vintage, garnering
a recommendation of 100 points.
When discussing those diverse and articulate expressions
of a single cru, Valter often goes back to the fact that he lives
among his vines and can respond immediately to changing
conditions. Our most recent conversation
was on the eve of the
2021 harvest, and he was refl ecting
on the fact that, when Elvio
Cogno moved to Cascina Nuova
in 1990, it was his 30th harvest.
Elvio passed away in 2016, and
Valter, now 56 years old, has the
same number of harvests under
G.D. Vajra
A
ISIDORO VAIRA MANAGES
THE FAMILY'S
VINEYARDS (TOP LEFT);
SCENES FROM THE
CRUSH AT THE VAJRA
CANTINA IN BAROLO
OCTOBER 11, 2021
his belt. Having worked almost his entire professional life
in the Ravera cru, he agrees with Vietti and Vaira that it takes
time to get the measure of the vineyard. The 2014 vintage
was a turning point for Valter, when he realized that Ravera
is not just a hedge against hot vintages-that he could
fi nd balance in the vines in a cool and rainy growing season.
And despite enjoying Elvio Cogno's reputation as " the king
of Ravera " (in the words of Penna Currado Vietti), Valter
and Nadia welcome the company in their home cru. " We
were pioneers, but then to have other producers who see
the potential was important, " says Valter.
Even after 30 harvests, Valter is still experimenting, now
with the use of stems, a practice that may be common in
Burgundy but not in Barolo. I ask him why, after all his
success, he would risk taking such a diff erent direction. " I
taste wine from around the world, and my palate becomes
more demanding, " he replies. " I want wines with more
complexity and emotion, because I have become more
complicated as I get older. " Nadia, who has been working
side by side with Valter during those 30 harvests, can't suppress
a chuckle. But perhaps that willingness to take a risk,
to work on the edge of ripeness, to jump on the wild horse,
is what it takes to make Barolo in Ravera. ●
100
Barolo Ravera recommended by our tasters:
96
94
Elvio Cogno 2016
Barolo Ravera
Bricco Pernice
98
Elvio Cogno 2016
Barolo Ravera
Vietti 2016
Barolo Ravera
97
Elvio Cogno 2015
Barolo Ravera
Bricco Pernice
Elvio Cogno 2013
Barolo Riserva Ravera
Vigna Elena
Elvio Cogno 2013
Barolo Ravera
Bricco Pernice
Elvio Cogno 2017
Barolo Ravera
Elvio Cogno 2015
Barolo Ravera
Vigna Elena
Elvio Cogno 2015
Barolo Ravera
G.D. Vajra 2016
Barolo Ravera
Vietti 2017
Barolo Ravera
Vietti 2015
Barolo Ravera
95
Elvio Cogno 2014
Barolo Riserva Ravera
Vigna Elena
Elvio Cogno 2012
Barolo Riserva Ravera
Vigna Elena
Elvio Cogno 2012
Barolo Ravera
Bricco Pernice
G.D. Vajra 2017
Barolo Ravera
Paolo Scavino 2016
Barolo Ravera
DE CEMBER 2021
Elvio Cogno 2016
Barolo Cascina Nuova
Elvio Cogno 2014
Barolo Ravera
Bricco Pernice
Elvio Cogno 2013
Barolo Ravera
Elvio Cogno 2012
Barolo Ravera
Paolo Scavino 2017
Barolo Ravera
Vietti 2014
Barolo Ravera
93
Elvio Cogno 2017
Barolo Cascina Nuova
Elvio Cogno 2015
Barolo Cascina Nuova
Elvio Cogno 2011
Barolo Riserva Ravera
Vigna Elena
Elvio Cogno 2011
Barolo Ravera
G.D. Vajra 2015 Barolo
Ravera
G.D. Vajra 2014 Barolo
Ravera
WINE & SPIR IT S
31
B A RO LO
M I LA N
T U R IN
V E RDU N O
R O DDI
G R INZ A N E
C AV O U R
C H ER A S C O
D I A NO D ' A LB A
L A MOR R A
O
C A S T I G LI O NE
F A LLE T T O
B A RO LO
SE R R A L U NG A
D 'A L B A
NO V E LL O
MONF O R T E
D 'A L B A
Ravera
CU N EO
E
G E N OA
* M A P N O T T O S C A L E
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P
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Wine & Spirits - December 2021

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