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.
In 2014, the Vignarionda does not carry the Riserva designation, a reflection of the cooler, more challenging growing season. But a lesser vintage in a great vineyard is often more interesting than a great vintage in a lesser one. The long ripening period that the cool 2014 season afforded produced a wine of remarkable delicacy and aromatic complexity, a Vignarionda that reveals its site through nuance.
The nose is lifted and ethereal: dried damask rose, white pepper, orange zest, and crushed thyme over a mineral frame. The palate is slender and elegant, with fine tannins and a vibrant acidity that suggests this has more life ahead. A contemplative Barolo from one of the denomination’s most revered sites. Drink now through the mid-2030s.
