The Oddero family has been making wine in the Langhe since the 1800s and was among the first to bottle and commercialize Barolo. In 2006, brothers Giacomo and Luigi amicably split their storied estate. Luigi retained 32 hectares of prime vineyard land across La Morra, Castiglione Falletto, and Serralunga d’Alba, founding Figli Luigi Oddero in the hamlet of Santa Maria di La Morra. After Luigi’s passing in 2009, his widow Lena and their children Maria and Giovanni carried the project forward with the help of winemaker Francesco Versio, a protégé of legendary Bruno Giacosa cellarmaster Dante Scaglione. The winemaking remains deeply traditional: spontaneous fermentation in cement, long maceration, and aging in large neutral oak botti. The vineyards have been certified organic since 2014.
Vignarionda (historically Vigna Rionda), atop a rounded ridge in Serralunga d’Alba, is widely regarded as one of the greatest vineyard sites in the entirety of Barolo. Figli Luigi Oddero farms roughly 0.80 hectares at the summit, at 360 meters with full south exposure. The Lequio Formation soils are rich in limestone and clayey marl, and the upper portion of the parcel contains a small percentage of nebbiolo rosé, a rare variety that contributes a distinctive floral lift. The wine ages approximately 40 months in 35-hectoliter Austrian oak casks, followed by years of additional bottle aging before release, the exact timeline calibrated to each vintage's character.
2011 was a warm vintage that produced Barolos of immediate appeal, with riper fruit profiles and softer tannins than the bookend vintages of 2010 and 2013. In Vignarionda, that warmth added a generous, dark-fruited lushness to the site’s inherent power. The estate deemed this Riserva ready for release earlier than the customary ten-year hold, a sign of the vintage’s forward character.
Complex and inviting now, the nose has moved into balsamic, truffle, dried fig, worn leather, and baking spice territory, with the primary fruit giving way to complex tertiary aromas. The palate retains muscle and grip, with Vignarionda’s signature iron-tinged minerality running through the core. A beautiful expression of this site in a warmer year. Drink now through the early 2030s.
