Azienda Agricola Brovia
Villero Barolo Nebbiolo
Barolo, Cuneo, Piedmont, Italy
Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a couple of hours. The 2016 Villero pours a bright garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of Morello cherry, raspberry, fresh roses, tar, orange curaçao, talcum powder, dried green herbs, and gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and slightly savory. Villero is one of those MGA‘s that will show well young and this was no exception. While other 2016’s might still be locked down, this was full of pleasure. With this much balance, there’s a long life yet ahead. Drink now through 2066+.
Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a couple of hours. The 2016 Villero pours a bright garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of Morello cherry, raspberry, fresh roses, tar, orange curaçao, talcum powder, dried green herbs, and gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and slightly savory. Villero is one of those MGA‘s that will show well young and this was no exception. While other 2016’s might still be locked down, this was full of pleasure. With this much balance, there’s a long life yet ahead. Drink now through 2066+.
Apr 25th, 2026
Day two with the 2016 Brovia Barolo Villero, and this was frustrating in exactly the way certain 2016s can be frustrating. Brovia Villero, for me, is one of the great wines of Langhe. The material here was obvious. The site nobility was obvious. But at 14.5%, this bottle leaned too far into the heat side of the vintage for my taste. That is the 2016 crapshoot in a nutshell. The producers who mastered the year made some of the greatest wines I have ever tasted. The producers who let the vintage lead made wines that feel more dominated by the year than by the site. This landed in the second camp. Beautiful raw material, absolutely, but the heat kept stepping in front of the vineyard. And the cruel part is that maybe you do not get that level of material without the heat. So there is no clean complaint here. Just a tradeoff I felt in every glass.
Day two with the 2016 Brovia Barolo Villero, and this was frustrating in exactly the way certain 2016s can be frustrating. Brovia Villero, for me, is one of the great wines of Langhe. The material here was obvious. The site nobility was obvious. But at 14.5%, this bottle leaned too far into the heat side of the vintage for my taste. That is the 2016 crapshoot in a nutshell. The producers who mastered the year made some of the greatest wines I have ever tasted. The producers who let the vintage lead made wines that feel more dominated by the year than by the site. This landed in the second camp. Beautiful raw material, absolutely, but the heat kept stepping in front of the vineyard. And the cruel part is that maybe you do not get that level of material without the heat. So there is no clean complaint here. Just a tradeoff I felt in every glass.
Apr 4th, 2026Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of three hours. The 2012 Villero pours a pale, slightly hazy garnet with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing and initially a little grumpy with the fruit showing a touch stewed and everything a little muddled. However, with about 30min of air, it started to freshen up! This is a trait I find common with traditionally made Nebbiolo from Barolo and Barbaresco in solar years. Morello cherry, raspberry, bruised strawberry, dried roses, tar, dried green herbs, talcum powder, and gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and grippy. There is so much nuance and yet, the quality is undeniable. Hard to stay away from. Drink now with patience to let it freshen up in the glass after opening but this should drink well through 2037.
Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of three hours. The 2012 Villero pours a pale, slightly hazy garnet with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing and initially a little grumpy with the fruit showing a touch stewed and everything a little muddled. However, with about 30min of air, it started to freshen up! This is a trait I find common with traditionally made Nebbiolo from Barolo and Barbaresco in solar years. Morello cherry, raspberry, bruised strawberry, dried roses, tar, dried green herbs, talcum powder, and gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and grippy. There is so much nuance and yet, the quality is undeniable. Hard to stay away from. Drink now with patience to let it freshen up in the glass after opening but this should drink well through 2037.
May 15th, 2025Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two hours. The 2003 “Villero” pours a deep garnet color with a transparent core, moving towards a slightly orange/watery rim. Medium+ viscosity and no staining of the tears with significant signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of black and red fruit: black plum, Morello cherry, red roses, green herbs, leather, old wood and dried gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose, however there seems to be more dried herbs on the palate, including a fresh mint. The finish is long, lasting for minutes. A beautiful expression from a very solar vintage. Drink now and through 2040.
Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two hours. The 2003 “Villero” pours a deep garnet color with a transparent core, moving towards a slightly orange/watery rim. Medium+ viscosity and no staining of the tears with significant signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of black and red fruit: black plum, Morello cherry, red roses, green herbs, leather, old wood and dried gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose, however there seems to be more dried herbs on the palate, including a fresh mint. The finish is long, lasting for minutes. A beautiful expression from a very solar vintage. Drink now and through 2040.
Dec 27th, 2024This bottle was also part of the really fun ensemble of Barolos, generously shared and curated by our friend Tim.
Again, served blind after a lengthy slow-ox and we knew we were drinking Barolo but that’s it. No obvious signs of age. On the nose, bright red fruits, herbs, dead flowers and tar...but was all knees and elbows, even with all of the air it was given. Abundant structure. This had to be a classic case of yet to be realized potential.
The shroud was pulled and...I’ll be damned, a 2008 Brovia “Villero”. I’m sort of surprised how much of an infant this wine seemed to be. I have little doubt these will age gracefully for decades to come.
This bottle was also part of the really fun ensemble of Barolos, generously shared and curated by our friend Tim.
Again, served blind after a lengthy slow-ox and we knew we were drinking Barolo but that’s it. No obvious signs of age. On the nose, bright red fruits, herbs, dead flowers and tar...but was all knees and elbows, even with all of the air it was given. Abundant structure. This had to be a classic case of yet to be realized potential.
The shroud was pulled and...I’ll be damned, a 2008 Brovia “Villero”. I’m sort of surprised how much of an infant this wine seemed to be. I have little doubt these will age gracefully for decades to come.
Fascinating how different this is from the Rocche 13' (from the same producer). Goes to show that Piedmont is indeed a great distraction from Burgundy, which has been reflected in the increasing prices. Thankfully, Brovia's wines are still "under the radar." Affordable, in the scale of things.
Neighbouring vineyards. The Rocche - blue-fruit focused, leaner, less tannic on the palate (but you could smell it), elegant if not firmer. The Villero - red-fruited, more classic on the nose, brawny palate, with big spice tones and a blood-like minerality. No preference of one over the other at the moment. Rocche, the queen of Brovia's line-up, and Villero, the king! Their purity, nuance, and turbo-charged aromatics are seriously impressive, though it doesn't make it any easier to drink them at this early stage. Definitely cellar these crus. Minimum 20 years!
Fascinating how different this is from the Rocche 13' (from the same producer). Goes to show that Piedmont is indeed a great distraction from Burgundy, which has been reflected in the increasing prices. Thankfully, Brovia's wines are still "under the radar." Affordable, in the scale of things.
Neighbouring vineyards. The Rocche - blue-fruit focused, leaner, less tannic on the palate (but you could smell it), elegant if not firmer. The Villero - red-fruited, more classic on the nose, brawny palate, with big spice tones and a blood-like minerality. No preference of one over the other at the moment. Rocche, the queen of Brovia's line-up, and Villero, the king! Their purity, nuance, and turbo-charged aromatics are seriously impressive, though it doesn't make it any easier to drink them at this early stage. Definitely cellar these crus. Minimum 20 years!
Drinking very well for an off vintage. That's when great producers really shine.
Drinking very well for an off vintage. That's when great producers really shine.
1 person found it helpfulDec 12th, 2014
One of my favorite producers, favorite vineyards and a great vintage. Still a long way from its peak but the '06s are in for the long haul just like the '96s #brovia
One of my favorite producers, favorite vineyards and a great vintage. Still a long way from its peak but the '06s are in for the long haul just like the '96s #brovia
Oct 19th, 2016