Oddero, ‘Villero’ Barolo 2016

Critics

“The Oddero family suggests tasting their single-vineyard Baroli in this order: Villero, Rocche di Castiglione, Brunate and Bussia. Starting off with the 2016 Barolo Villero, you get an open-knit but very precise expression in which the Nebbiolo grape is able to show its delicate nuances of wild cherry, rose hip, pressed violet and cola. The wine is silky and graceful. This Villero hits all the magic spots in the classic 2016 vintage. It should be exciting to chart its progression over time.” – 95+ points
Monica Larner – Wine Advocate (July 2020)

“Black cherry, cloves, melted road tar, licorice and leather all run through Oddero’s 2016 Barolo Villero. Deep on the palate with huge swaths of tannin, the Villero is a decidedly big, virile wine that is going to need time to fully come together. I imagine it will always be a powerhouse, however. The Villero is not especially elegant; the bombastic style clearly favors power over finesse – at least, it does today. Even so, there is plenty of Nebbiolo character and classic, old-school austerity.” – 94 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous

Producer

Oddero is one of the great, historic, traditional Barolo houses with a long history spanning over 200 years. There are mentions of the Oddero family in La Morra as far back as the 1700s, though the family was likely there even before that point. The winery was among the first producers to estate bottle their Barolo – in the late 1800’s, a time when most wine was sold in bulk either by demijohn or barrel. There are even records of their wine being sold to the USA at that point as well. It was Giacomo Oddero (born 1926) and his brother Luigi (born 1928) who brought the winery into the modern era.