Arnaldo Rivera 2017 Undicicomuni Barolo 750ml

There is no wine like this in the appellation. Made by a cooperative winery with access to fruit from across all the villages of Barolo, the Arnaldo Rivera 2017 Barolo Undicicomuni ("eleven villages") is an ambitious blend of Nebbiolo from several sites: Serralunga d'Alba (San Rocco); Castiglione Falletto (Codana, Piantà and Villero); Diano d'Alba (two sites in Sorano); La Morra (Boiolo and two sites in Rocche dell'Annunziata); and Verduno (Campasso). You get a bit of grape DNA from every corner of the growing region. The result is a balanced and bright wine with silky fruit, cassis, rusty metal and blue flower. There is a touch of white pepper on the close.

Score: 92 points -- Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate, 2021