TASTING NOTES: 2017 Coste di Rose is a very seductive wine right out of the gate. Cherries and roses burst on the nose, with hints of dark cherries, red hard candy, wild berries, wet stone, mint and thyme. The palate is radiant and expressive, with all of the signature elements of Coste di Rose in nice evidence: the ethereal character, the saline, up-front tannic structure, and further whiffles of roses and cherries in the finish.

DESCRIPTION: Coste di Rose is a small MGA in Comune di Barolo. It is located on a steep slope that arises from Bosco della Fava and descends swiftly towards the border with Monforte d’Alba. The greatest emotion is the one you feel when reaching the top of the vineyard: a five-meter tall dune of pure Arenarie di Diano stands out there, as the witness of the unique soil composition of Coste di Rose. These sands provide Barolo DOCG Coste di Rose with its distinctive character: tones of cherry and rose petals, mint and sweet spices, a silky tannin and a juicy sip. VARIETAL: 100% Nebbiolo.

VINEYARD AND TERROIR: Coste di Rose MGA, Comune di Barolo. GROWING: In 1971, Aldo Vaira was one of the earliest to adopt organic farming practices in Piemonte. The winery holds both organic and sustainable practices certifications. Vineyards have been nurtured and soil preserved by grassing and cover crop for almost 50 years now. They are sustainable and organic certified. With an incredible ratio of manual work per hectare, farming at Vajra is a labor of love and “recipe-free” attention. Intense research is also placed into monitoring and improving the biodiversity of both flora and fauna not just in the vineyards, but also in the winery fields and forests.

VINTAGE: The 2017 Barolos are profound and characterized by a core of red fruits, acid spine and refined tannins that set the wines for the long haul. In Europe, this was recorded as the lowest yielding vintage since 1947, due to a combination of spring frost and summer droughts. The outcome is surprising, due to the combination of limited intake of potassium in the fruit and cool nights throughout the season, with an almost perfect September. After a mild winter with little snow and an anticipated vegetative development, temperatures brutally dropped between April 19th and 21st, with frost across Europe that luckily spared our vineyards. Starting in May, the weather turned stable. Days were hot but the nights cooler than in 2003 and 2011. The strong diurnal drop of temperature preserved the vines from water stress, despite little or no rainfalls. By early September, night temperatures dropped even further, enhancing phenolic ripening while slowing down sugar accumulation. Average time between bud break and ripening was 185 days. According to the Consorzio Langhe, ‘hot’ vintages last 170 days and ‘late’ vintages 200 days.

HARVEST AND WINEMAKING: In 2017, Coste di Rose was harvested on September 22nd. Fruit was hand-picked, destemmed and vinified in customdesigned tini. Vinification lasted 50 days, under submerged cap. Spontaneous malolactic fermentation in the following Spring. AGING: 2017 Coste di Rose spent approximately 25 months in large Slavonian casks, until the bottling on July 14th 2020.

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