Mauro Veglio

The Veglio style emphasizes texture and soft fruit, which makes the wines excellent early and medium-term drinkers. ANTONIO GALLONI

These are some of the prettiest Barolos I have tasted from Mauro and Daniela Veglio. The 2014s are bright, perfumed and super-classy in every way. ANTONIO GALLONI

Mauro and Daniela Veglio are a formidable team; he on the winemaking side of things and Daniela in pretty much everything else. The Cantina shares a cul de sac with Elio Altare where both perch overlooking the Arborina vineyard. Over the years Mauro has out-grown the apprentice moniker (to Altare) and is in full control of his vineyards (which are always in impeccable order) and the style of Barolo he prefers to make – “modern”.

In his armoury are an enviable set of holding including La Morra-based crus Arborina, Gattera and Rocche dell’Annunziata as well as Daniela’s ‘dowry’ vineyard of Castelletto in Monforte d’Alba. All are made into individual cru bottlings and a normale draws fruit from younger vine material in Arborina and Castelleto predominantly.

In the cantina things are kept pretty simple with short fermentations in stainless steel before malolactic and elevage in barrique. The percentage of new oak for the crus hovers around 50% (slighlty higher for the Rocche) and the normale is mostly second passage.

The finished wines are an exercise in “good modern”, retaining transparent vineyard characteristics and energetic fruit profiles. The oak is undoubtedly a feature in greater or lesser degrees depending on vintage and vineyard but it plays a supporting role rather than overwhelming. This is an evolutionary thing as well with slight tweaks having been made over the years wihtout sacrificing Veglio’s strong belief in the efficacy of his style.

A great La Morra address making superbly consistent and expressive Barolo. MICHAEL MCNAMARA