Barolo, Piedmont
The G.D. Vajra estate is located at the highest elevation in the municipality of Barolo, specifically in the fraction of Vergne, where the vineyards sit at an altitude of up to 400 metres. The estate is named after Giuseppe Domenico Vajra, who founded the estate in 1972, using vineyards that had been in the family since the 1920s.
Today, G.D. Vajra is one of Piedmont’s best kept secrets and the estate is now run by Giuseppe's son Aldo who, with the help of his wife Milena and their children Giuseppe, Francesca and Isidoro, tends all 40 hectares of vines. Vajra had been a pioneer among Barolo producers in the region, having started as fully organic before others even had the insight to do so.
Thanks to sustainable farming and attention to details Vajra craft sensitive, transparent wines of place by patiently allowing the fruit to dictate its own evolution. Nebbiolo vineyards for Aldo's Barolo are located in such prized vineyards as Bricco delle Viole, Fossati, La Volta and Coste di Vergne.
Aldo adheres to old-style winemaking methods, using longer maceration times and ageing his Barolo in large Slavonian oak casks. He produces wines of incredible finesse and elegance and unlike other powerful Barolos, Aldo's wines have a Burgundian intensity and a purity of flavour that makes them stand out in Barolo.
The classic and finessed single-vineyard Barolo Bricco delle Viole is now one of the top-scoring wines of every vintage, and it has been perfectly complemented by the acquiring of the Baudana winery and their lineup of Barolos from Serralunga (Cerretta and Baudana). Vajra’s Barolo production is completed by the Barolo Albe: made with grapes coming from a mix of high-altitude vineyards within the Barolo village (Fossati, Coste di Vergne and La Volta), it is one of the greatest values in the region.
“Vajra is one of Piedmont’s best kept secrets. Here readers will enter a world of sublime hand-crafted, artisan wines of the very highest level”. Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate, October 2009
“It’s hard to believe, but the Vajra family keeps raising the bar. The 2014 Barolos are strong across the board, especially within the context of the vintage, but the agship Bricco delle Viole is a truly special, moving wine”. Antonio Galloni, Vinous, February 2018
Main Wines
Langhe Riesling Pétracine
Barolo Cerretta
Barolo Baudana
Barolo Albe
Barolo Ravera
Barolo Bricco delle Viole