Ask Barolo winemakers to list their Top Five vineyards. We’d bet a bottle of Monfortino that Vigna Rionda would be on every list. 

The site is the Barolo equivalent of Le Musigny or Chambertin—the very best of the best of the area’s Grand Crus. It’s one of just ten sites that Vinous rates as Exceptional in their map of the area’s vineyards—ahead of other famous names like Cannubi, Bussia, or Villero—declaring that “Vigna Rionda yields the most perfumed, sensual and mystical of all Barolos.”

Luigi Oddero, a starry producer from one of the most legendary families in the region, owns but a single hectare in the cru. From that, they produce their most coveted, most prestigious wine, Vignarionda—and in the “rockstar” 2012 vintage, they produced an absolute banger. 

In the 1800s, when the Oddero family entered the Piedmontese wine trade, winemaking was far from a lucrative venture. Most grower-families simply sold their grapes to co-ops or their wine in bulk. The Odderos, however, were visionaries. They began domaine-bottling and offering their wines commercially, a pioneering move at the time.

Their decision to amass land in Barolo might seem obvious now, but it was a risky gamble then. Even into the mid-20th century, Nebbiolo plantings were no more valuable than Dolcetto, and many believed financial security lay in factory work rather than farming. Yet, time has proven the Odderos' foresight to be remarkable.

Over a century and a half, the family pieced together stellar terroirs in vineyards that at the time were affordable—but would be prohibitively expensive to buy today, as Barolo has mirrored the trajectory of Burgundy’s pricing.

The story of Figli Luigi Oddero is both deeply rooted in this history and relatively new. In 2006, Luigi Oddero amicably split from his brother Giacomo, retaining 32 hectares of some of the family's finest vineyards. Luigi, known as a quintessential country gentleman, passed away in 2009. Today, the winery is run by his widow Lena and their children, Maria and Giovanni. 

Their efforts have garnered acclaim and caught the attention of legendary importer Neal Rosenthal, who now brings their wines to a wider audience. Rosenthal loves nothing more than to import and sell wines with some bottle age, and the 2012 Vignarionda is finally emerging from its fiercely tannic younger persona—though it still has plenty of time left to hit apogee. 

Hailed as “a rockstar vintage” by James Suckling, 2012 was warm, and it produced more richness and texture than was often the case in the early ‘10s. Antonio Galloni wrote in his 2012 vintage report, “Go deep on favorite producers and wines. Those bottles will give pleasure for many years and decades to come.”

We have an extremely limited allocation. Don’t miss out.

A dusty crimson color decorates the glass. The aromas deliver classic notes of sour cherry embraced by dried red roses with a dried herb ensemble, damp forest floor, and camphor. The palate is youthful, with excellent acidity and fruit that resolves in a long-lasting finish. A rare treat from ideal vineyard sites in Barolo. Drink now–2035.

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