2012 Barolo Vigna Rionda Ester Canale

Davide Rosso’s 2012 Barolo Vigna Rionda is a pretty, mid-weight wine. Bright and floral, the 2012 possesses mid-weight structure and modest depth. Moreover, the signatures that make Rionda one of the world’s most pedigreed vineyards never develop. Even taking into account the personality of the vintage, Rosso’s 2012 Vigna Rionda captures only a fraction of the true potential of this great Serralunga site. And that is a shame because Rosso owns what is widely considered the heart of the vineyard. My most recent bottle of the 2012 was quite a bit different than those I tasted a few months ago, which suggests the earlier bottles may have been damaged in transport or storage.