Ciao Winehounds,

Roberto Voerzio? I’m not going to make an apology for this even if it is somewhat self indulgent but today’s topic of choice is the wines of Roberto Voerzio, my personal favourite Piedmont producer (ignoring the Dolcetto of an earlier blog entry!).

For those who don’t know, Roberto Voerzio is a tiny producer of just 30,000 bottles a year operating in the Piedmont region of Italy. Below is the basic QT on Roberto, then some reviews of his Barolos together with a recommended retailer.

Why are Roberto Voerzio wines so damn fine?
In 1987 Roberto Voerzio left the family wine business and created his own label. The most important thing Roberto did was purchase some of the best vineyards in the area for first growth Barolo. This decision to purchase only the very best is typical of Voerzio’s wine making methods. His remarkable attention to detail for each and every vine in what sets his wines apart from other “mass produced” Barolos. All procedures in the vineyards are carried out by hand.

Roberto intends to limit the stress on the grapes at every stage of the wine making cycle. The yields are extremely low with only the very best grapes making the final cut. These labour intensive methods create the very best Barolo but are also very costly and justify the price tag. This style of wine making can be considered almost artistic and this is why his wines are treated like masterpieces and sell for incredible sums at auction. A Roberto Voerzio from a top year can go for $1000 a bottle. Another reason; the tiny production makes the wine rare and owning a Roberto Voerzio Barolo from a golden year carries some kudos with wine aficionados.