2022 G.D. Vajra Barolo Ravera | 96+ Point Single Vineyard Barolo

🔥 96+ Point Single-Vineyard Barolo | One of the Great Crus of Novello

Power, minerality and electric energy — the more structured and profound side of G.D. Vajra

Ravera. Novello. Single-vineyard Nebbiolo. A Barolo built for the cellar.

96+ Points – Jeb Dunnuck | 95 Points – JamesSuckling.com

Exceptional Single-Vineyard Barolo | Power, Minerality & Precision

“A serious, mineral-driven Barolo — dark cherry, iron, graphite and florals wrapped around powerful tannins and remarkable energy.”

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Brilliant medium ruby-garnet with the transparency and luminosity of great Nebbiolo.

Aroma: Initially restrained, then gradually unfolding to reveal fresh cherry, dried flowers, hibiscus and orange peel, alongside graphite, iron, sandalwood, herbs and earthy mineral complexity.

Palate: More powerful and structured than Vajra's Coste di Rose, with broader shoulders and a firmer tannin profile. Cherry and red fruit sit within a framework of iron, graphite and mineral depth, while vibrant acidity gives the wine tremendous energy and drive.

Finish: Long, firm and mineral, with dried flowers, orange peel, spice and ferrous notes lingering alongside beautifully defined Nebbiolo tannins.

Jeb Dunnuck's Audrey Frick awarded the wine 96+ points, particularly highlighting its depth, firm tannins, mineral richness and combination of fresh cherry, graphite and iron.

Critical Acclaim – 2022 Vintage

• 96+ Points – Jeb Dunnuck
• 95 Points – JamesSuckling.com

James Suckling found a beautifully aromatic wine with tea, hibiscus, orange rind, sandalwood and dried flowers, backed by an ethereal quality of fruit and a strong tannin backbone. His recommendation?

Better from 2029.

This is serious cellar Barolo.

Ravera – One of the Great Vineyards of Novello

This is where the wine becomes particularly exciting.

Ravera

is widely regarded as the most important single vineyard in the Comune di Novello, in the south-western part of the Barolo zone.

Vajra's parcels lie within the vineyard's southern amphitheatre, at approximately:

300–380 metres above sea level.

The geology is particularly complex, with Tortonian marls intermingling with Serravallian sandstone and clay.

That complexity helps create a Barolo with a very different personality from Vajra's Coste di Rose.

Where Coste di Rose is about perfume and silk, Ravera is about:

Structure. Minerality. Energy. Longevity.

The Electric Barolo

Giuseppe Vaira's description of Ravera captures its personality beautifully.

He says he's fascinated by the vineyard's “indomitable personality”, comparing its crisp, direct and electric character to the sound of a Telecaster guitar.

That's a brilliant way to think about this wine.

It has tension.

It has attack.

It has energy.

There's something almost electrically charged about great Ravera.

This isn't soft, immediately seductive Barolo.

It demands attention.

Ravera vs Coste di Rose

These two Vajra cru Barolos make a fascinating comparison.

Coste di Rose is the prettier wine:

Rose petals
Red cherry
Strawberry
Sandy soils
Silky tannins
Perfume & finesse

Ravera is the more structured wine:

Darker cherry
Graphite
Iron
Herbs
Firmer tannins
Mineral energy

And that's one of the great things about buying single-vineyard Barolo.

Same grape.

Same producer.

Same vintage.

Completely different wines.

That's terroir.

2022 – Ravera Shines in a Warm Vintage

Ravera is becoming increasingly fascinating in the context of warmer Piedmont vintages.

Its elevation and location help retain freshness, giving the vineyard an ability to preserve tension, acidity and structure even during warmer growing seasons.

That makes Ravera a particularly compelling vineyard for the future of Barolo.

And the 2022 demonstrates why.

Despite the warmth of the vintage, the wine remains:

Fresh.

Structured.

Mineral.

Defined.

Jeb Dunnuck's review specifically emphasises the wine's firmer tannins, mineral depth and richness, while James Suckling praises its unique balance and ethereal fruit.

G.D. Vajra – One of Barolo's Benchmark Estates

G.D. Vajra has become one of the reference-point family estates of modern Barolo.

What's particularly impressive is how clearly the individual vineyards speak.

Albe gives you the complete, traditional blended expression of Barolo.

Coste di Rose gives you perfume and silky elegance.

Ravera gives you structure, minerality and power.

And then Bricco delle Viole takes the range into another expression again.

That's what great producers do.

They don't make every vineyard taste the same.

They let the site speak.

Food Pairings

• Brasato al Barolo
• Slow-braised beef cheek
• Osso Buco
• Roast lamb
• Venison
• Porcini mushroom risotto
• Tajarin with truffle
• Roast duck
• Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Mature hard cheeses

If you're drinking it young, I'd give it at least two hours in a decanter.

Better still?

Put it in the cellar.

Cellaring

This is the Vajra Barolo I'd be particularly inclined to cellar.

Jeb Dunnuck suggests:

2026–2046

while James Suckling believes the wine will be better from:

2029.

I'd have no hesitation putting this away for 10–20 years.

The tannin, acidity and mineral structure are all there.

Why We Love It

This is serious Barolo.

You're getting:

100% Nebbiolo

Ravera MGA

Novello

High-elevation vineyard

Complex marl, sandstone and clay terroir

G.D. Vajra

96+ Points – Jeb Dunnuck

95 Points – JamesSuckling.com

20+ year cellaring potential

And the RRP?

$199.

For a single-vineyard Barolo of this pedigree, from a producer of Vajra's quality, that's compelling.

But here's the important distinction if you're deciding between the Vajra wines:

Albe – $112

The value play. Classic, approachable Barolo.

Coste di Rose – $155

The seductive one. Perfumed, silky and immediately beautiful.

Ravera – $199

The serious one. More powerful, mineral and structured, with the architecture to evolve for decades.

If I were buying Vajra for the cellar, Ravera would be very high on my list.

Powerful. Mineral. Electric. Age-worthy.

The 2022 G.D. Vajra Barolo Ravera is a brilliant demonstration of the serious side of Nebbiolo — combining the perfume and transparency of Barolo with iron, graphite, structure and extraordinary mineral drive.

96+ Jeb Dunnuck. 95 James Suckling. Ravera. $199 RRP.

👉 A superb single-vineyard Barolo for the cellar — give it time and this could become something very special.