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Arnaldo Rivera - Undicicomuni

2019
Blend
100% Nebbiolo
Country
Italy
Region
Piemonte
Appellation
Barolo
UPC
0 15643 75248 3
Red Wine
Verified Stock
83412A-19/4PK
Product Ratings
James Suckling 92pt

Aromas of redcurrants and dark cherries with dried herbs, crushed stones and dried mushrooms. Medium-bodied with firm, linear tannins and fine texture. Compact and polished.

by James Suckling, 2023
Wine Advocate 93pt

As its name suggests, the Arnaldo Rivera 2019 Barolo Undicicomuni is a blend of Nebbiolo from many of the 11 villages that make up the appellation. This is a co-op winery that enjoys incredible access to vineyard sites, and no other winery could manage a blend this ambitious. With 50,000 bottles made (and sold at a good value price), the wine offers classic varietal tones of wild berry, dark fruit, violet, tar and licorice. The tannins are already quite integrated, and this Barolo boasts an accessible side. It will be released this fall. The oak regime is reduced to 26 months (instead of 32 months) in the case of this wine, and you get more easy fruit as a result.

by Wine Advocate, 2023
Wine Enthusiast 91pt

Textbook Nebbiolo aromas of cherry, rose, truffle and underbrush all fill the glass. It's fine yet firm on the palate; the tart red fruit core is balanced by dried herbs, savory spice and notes of leather on the bright finish.

by Wine Enthusiast, 2023
Wine Spectator 93pt

Expressive, this boasts pure cherry, strawberry, rose and anise flavors. Elegant, turning more structured as this winds down on the vibrant finish. Gains complexity from tar and wild herb details.

by Wine Spectator, 2023

Tasting notes

Barolo Undicicomuni is arguably Arnaldo Rivera’s most important wine. Spiced cedar, leather and scorched earth on the nose. The palate is wild and savory with notes of crushed raspberry, figs, cinnamon, star anise alongside velvety dusty tannins and fresh acidity. It’s stylish meaty and delicious and super uber Nebbiolo cool. Blending fruit from across the Langhe’s eleven Barolo villages, it epitomizes the quintessential values of traditional, historic Barolo. While the ArnaldoRivera single vineyard Barolos are stunning, it is the Barolo Undicicomuni that demands the winemaker’s greatest attention. He is required to blend different fruit and terroir expressions from diverse villages, just as an artist balances colors to complete his work of art. This means that the Barolo Undicicomuni is naturally Arnaldo Rivera’s most complex Barolo. A shorter ageing in wood, instead of the 32 months of each cru, allows the wine to be more accessible and suitable for early drinking. A consistently great example of Barolo.

Technical data

Variety 100% Nebbiolo.
Refinement 26 months in French oak wood using the following capacities: 75% in large barrels and 25% in second and third passage tonneaux. Six months of aging in concrete tanks follows.
Average annual production: 50,000 bottles.

Ageing

20 months in French wood, 25% used tonneaux, 50% 25Hl oak casks, 25% 50 Hl oak casks. It follows about a year of bottle before sale.

Soil

clayey and sandy calcareous marls

Vinification

destemming and crushing in a protected atmosphere; maceration for two days at low temperature (12-14 C), alcoholic fermentation at a controlled temperature (28-30 C) on the skins for a total of around 13 days, with targeted pumping over and delestage maximizing the extraction of color, aroma and tannic structure.

Estate

Arnaldo Rivera wines are the result of a partnership between Terre del Barolo winery and a number of its growers with the aim of producing the region’s best grapes and wines. The vineyards of origin are among the most prestigious on the Langhe hills. They are ultimate expression of expertise and craftsmanship, where the purity of the single varietal is at the absolute pinnacle, testifying to the unmistakable identity of Piedmont’s wines. This label is a unique, new journey through the eleven villages and native varietals in the Barolo winegrowing area, from the vineyard management, to the vinification techniques and woods used; it is truly the wines and the land they come from that speak for themselves.

Arnaldo Rivera was born on December 13th, 1919 in Castiglione Falletto, a small village at the heart of the historic Barolo winegrowing area. He was a local primary school teacher, mayor of his village for 36 years, and founder in 1958 of the Terre del Barolo winery. He lived through the hard times of the war in the front line, as well as the days of the liberation. He and his wife Ester Rinaldi were not blessed with children. Arnaldo Rivera passed away on January 10th, 1987. This project was created by the growers and the winery in honor of this great man.