Vajra G.D. Vajra Bricco delle Viole 2021
DOCG

G.D. Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole

Azienda Agricola Vajra

Vintages 2021 2020

G.D. Vajra's Barolo from the Bricco delle Viole cru, the highest historical vineyard in the commune of Barolo at 400 to 480 metres. A pure, perfumed Nebbiolo of violets, kirsch and chiselled tannins, organically farmed from vines planted in 1931 and

UK Market From £49.75 Found across 3 retailers
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Tasting Notes

Tasting Vajra's Bricco delle Viole

Drawn from Vajra's own notes, the producer's 2020 and 2021 fact sheets and the consensus of nearly 9,000 Vivino drinkers, the picture of this high-altitude Barolo cru.

Tasted by
ItalianWines editorial
Tasted on
6 June 2026
Source
Drinker consensus · confidence Medium
Taste profile
Body Light / Full
Tannins Smooth / Grippy
Sweetness Dry / Sweet
Acidity Soft / Crisp
Nose

The Bricco delle Viole signature is florality: Vajra's own notes for the 2020 lead with blue violets and dried rose petals over kirsch and blood orange, and Vivino's 8,823 raters echo the perfume with violet and dried-rose mentions. Beneath the flowers sits the savoury Nebbiolo register drinkers flag most often here, leather, tar and dried earth, the most-cited descriptor group across 1,878 taste reviews.

Rose petalRose petal
VioletViolet
CherryCherry
Forest berriesForest berries
TobaccoTobacco
TarTar
LeatherLeather
LiquoriceLiquorice
Palate

Grown on the western ridge of Barolo at 400 to 480 metres, the highest historical cru and the closest to the Alps, this is a cool, high-toned Nebbiolo rather than a powerhouse. The 2020 shows the mid-weight grace Vinous attributed to the vintage, with tapered energy and youthful, finely drawn tannins; the 2021, scored 96 by Antonio Galloni, is richer and firmer. Both carry red cherry and licorice over the chalky-clay tension of the site.

Finish

Long and lifted, closing on cherry, wild berries and the subtle minerality Vajra describes from the 1931 vines, the fine-grained tannins leaving a savoury, rose-scented trail rather than weight.

Overall

Bricco delle Viole is Vajra's most aromatic, age-worthy Barolo, organically farmed since 1971 and held in large Slavonian casks rather than new oak. Vivino drinkers rate it 4.3 from nearly 9,000 ratings and consistently praise its elegance and perfume while noting it needs cellar time; give it five years from release and a decade rewards the patient.

Best by 2045
Live UK pricing

Buying Bricco delle Viole: 2020 and 2021 in the UK

Two vintages are tracked here: the graceful 2020 and the more structured, critically acclaimed 2021, with UK shelf prices around £84 to £100.

Best price · 75 cl £49.75 at 8wines
Price spread £49.75 – £100.00 Across 3 UK retailers tracked
Retailers tracked 3UK 1 in stock · 2 awaiting restock
Vintages live 2021 · 2020 Current release: 2021
Per-litre (75 cl basis) £66.33 Per-litre price for the lowest current offer
Last checked 7 Jun 2026, 15:45 BST Refreshed once every 24 hours
Wine fit score

How Bricco delle Viole scores for your table

A benchmark food and occasion Barolo that scores low for everyday and beginner drinking: a cellar wine for special meals, not a midweek pour.

Best for an occasion 9.3/10

A prestige single-vineyard Barolo DOCG from a benchmark Langhe estate with 96 to 97-point critic scores is a natural special-occasion bottle, scoring near the top of the occasion band.

Best with food 9.2/10

Classic food Barolo: bright high-altitude acidity and firm Nebbiolo tannin make it a benchmark partner for braised meat, truffle and aged cheese, scoring at the top of the medium-tannin, bright-acid band.

Best for cellar 9.2/10

Barolo DOCG mandates 38 months ageing; Vajra gives 28 months in large Slavonian casks plus firm tannin and 14 to 14.5% ABV, supporting a two-decade window that scores at the top of the cellar band.

Best value 6.7/10

At £84 to £100 in the UK it sits near the Wine-Searcher average for this cru and is fair for a single-vineyard Barolo with 96-point critic scores, but it is firmly premium, so value lands mid-band rather than high.

Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.

Denomination Compliance Snapshot

Barolo in five fields

A compact view of what the Barolo denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.

Allowed grapes
1 varieties listed
This bottle: Nebbiolo.
Minimum ageing
38 months minimum
Of which 18 months in oak.
Region / area
Cuneo, Langhe: Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d'Alba, La Morra, Monforte d'Alba, Novello, Verduno, Grinzane Cavour, Diano d'Alba, Cherasco, Roddi
Source: Disciplinare.
Style
DOCG · Barolo
Minimum ABV at this colour: 13.0%.
Classification
DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita)
What that means →
Retailer Shortlist

Where to Buy

Compare tracked offers from verified retailers at a glance. Stock is shown only where the retailer exposes it. Logos, sale pricing, and the strongest offer are surfaced first.

Best Live Price £49.75
Retailers Tracked 3
Last Checked 7 Jun 2026
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8wines

Best price Awaiting restock
Vintage 2020
£49.75
£66.33/L · checked 30 May
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75 cl · Low stock confidence
Vintages

2020 versus 2021 at Bricco delle Viole

Vinous rates both years five stars, the 2020 a mid-weight study in grace and the 2021 a superb, more harmonious vintage scored 96 by Antonio Galloni.

2021 Current release
Lowest price
£84.00
Retailers
1 in stock · 1 awaiting restock
ABV
14.5%
Window
Drink now through 2048

Vinous rates 2021 a superb Barolo vintage, more vibrant than 2020 and the most harmonious of recent years, and Vajra's Bricco delle Viole drew 96 points from Antonio Galloni and 97 from James Suckling. Richer and more structured than the 2020, it carries the cru's signature violet and dark-cherry aromatics over firm Nebbiolo tannins built for two decades of ageing.

2020 Previous release
Lowest price
£49.75
Retailers
0 in stock · 1 awaiting restock
ABV
14.0%
Window
Drink now through 2045

A long, late-ripening 2020 with a 213-day growing cycle gave Vajra a mid-weight, red-toned Bricco delle Viole that Vinous called a study in grace and understatement. Harvested in early October and aged 28 months in large Slavonian casks, it leads with violets and kirsch over youthful, finely drawn tannins that reward a decade or more in the cellar.

Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.

The disciplinare, the place, the label

What sits behind a £90 single-cru Barolo

Old vines from 1931, organic farming since 1971, a steep 480-metre Alpine site and years in large Slavonian oak shape both the character and the price of Vajra's flagship cru.

01

DOC, DOCG, IGT: what the badges mean

Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.

Barolo is in the DOCG tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.

02

The denomination rules, in detail

  • Allowed grapes. 1 varieties listed in the disciplinare
  • Yield ceiling. 8.0 tonnes per hectare
  • Minimum ABV. 13.0% vol
  • Minimum ageing. 38 months total (of which 18 in oak)
  • Tasting panel. Mandatory pre-release tasting commission
03

Region and area context

Barolo falls within Piedmont , covering Cuneo, Langhe: Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d'Alba, La Morra, Monforte d'Alba, Novello, Verduno, Grinzane Cavour, Diano d'Alba, Cherasco, Roddi. The denomination is further divided into 11 sub-zones.

04

Reading the label

  • Azienda Agricola VajraProducer / estate
  • NebbioloGrape varieties (in declared order of dominance)
  • Barolo DOCGGeographic indication and quality tier
  • 2021Vintage (year of harvest)
  • 14.5% vol · 75 clAlcohol by volume and bottle size
  • Imbottigliato all’origineEstate-bottled
05

What sits behind the price of G.D. Vajra Bricco delle Viole

Tracked from
£49.75
Direction
Mostly cost up
Drivers
5 up / 1 down
Main factor
Single-vineyard cru, old vines from 1931
  1. 01

    Single-vineyard cru, old vines from 1931

    Cost up

    Fruit comes only from the Bricco delle Viole cru, the highest historical vineyard in Barolo, with some vines dating to 1931. Limited cru volume and low old-vine yields put this well above generic Barolo, which averages far below its £84 to £100 UK price.

  2. 02

    Steep 400 to 480 metre Alpine site, hand-worked

    Cost up

    The vineyard sits on a steep western ridge up to 480 metres, the closest in Barolo to the Alps. Vajra cites an exceptional ratio of manual work per hectare, and that hand labour on slope is a real cost the price has to carry.

  3. 03

    Organic and sustainable certification since 1971

    Cost up

    Aldo Vaira adopted organic farming in 1971 and the estate is certified organic and sustainable, with grassing and cover crop for nearly 50 years. Certified low-intervention farming lifts cost versus conventional Barolo viticulture.

  4. 04

    Long ageing in large Slavonian oak

    Cost up

    The 2020 spent 28 months in 25 and 50-hectolitre Slavonian casks before bottling in July 2023, comfortably beyond the 38-month total Barolo DOCG minimum. Years of cellar inventory and cask upkeep are tied up before any bottle is sold.

  5. 05

    UK duty and VAT

    Cost up

    Every still bottle at this strength carries £2.67 UK excise duty, and 20% VAT on a roughly £90 bottle adds about £15. Together that is close to £18 of the shelf price before the wine itself is paid for.

  6. 06

    No reliance on new French barriques

    Cost down

    Vajra ages in large traditional Slavonian botti rather than buying new French barriques each vintage, so the cru avoids the costly annual barrel spend that inflates some modern-style Barolo, taking a little pressure off the final price.

Perfect Pairings

Dishes that complement this wine

Brasato al Barolo on stoneware bowl with Bay Leaf, Beef Chuck, Carrot

Brasato al Barolo
Tajarin al Tartufo on stoneware bowl with Butter, Egg Yolk, parmesan

Tajarin al Tartufo
Agnolotti del Plin on stoneware bowl with Butter, Egg, Egg Pasta Sheets

Agnolotti del Plin
Ossobuco alla Milanese on stoneware bowl with Beef Broth, Carrot, Celery

Ossobuco alla Milanese
Roast Pheasant, plated

Roast Pheasant
Food Pairing

Nebbiolo tannin and Langhe acidity: dishes that fit Bricco delle Viole

The cru's firm tannins and bright high-altitude acidity point straight at brasato, white-truffle pasta and aged cheese, with clear clashes to avoid.

Tannin softening Strong match

Barolo-braised and slow-cooked beef

The firm, finely drawn Nebbiolo tannins of Bricco delle Viole need protein and collagen to soften against. Long-braised Piedmontese beef coats the palate, taming the grip while the wine's acidity cuts the richness of the sauce. This is the homeland pairing: the cru sits a few hundred metres from the kitchens that invented brasato al Barolo.

Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Ossobuco alla Milanese · Fiorentina steak · More pairings →

Aromatic bridge Strong match

White truffle and Langhe egg pasta

Bricco delle Viole's perfume of violets, dried rose and dried earth bridges directly into the savoury, earthy aromatics of Alba white truffle. The wine's high-toned florality lifts the dish rather than competing with it, while its acidity keeps buttery egg pasta from cloying. Cru and truffle share the same Langhe autumn.

Try with: Tajarin al Tartufo · Truffle risotto · Tagliatelle al tartufo di Acqualagna · More pairings →

Acidity matching Good match

Stuffed pasta and savoury risotto

Nebbiolo's bright, cool-site acidity, pronounced here thanks to the cru's 400 to 480 metre elevation, slices through the butter and stock of a Piedmontese risotto or the meat filling of agnolotti. The match keeps each bite fresh and stops the dish feeling heavy across a long meal.

Try with: Agnolotti del Plin · Porcini mushroom risotto · Risotto alla Milanese · More pairings →

Fat cutting Good match

Aged Alpine and blue cheeses

The tannin and acidity that make young Bricco delle Viole demanding on its own become an asset against hard aged and blue cheeses. The wine scrubs the fat and salt clean while its violet and cherry lift answers the funk. Reach for it once the bottle has a few years of bottle age and the tannins have settled.

Try with: Gorgonzola, pear, and walnut risotto · Cheese board · Strong cheddar cheese

Body matching Good match

Roast game birds and venison

Bricco delle Viole is mid-weight rather than massive, the style Vinous flagged for the 2020, so it matches game without flattening it. The wine's savoury, leather-and-tar register mirrors the gamey depth of pheasant and venison, and its acidity cuts through accompanying jus and root vegetables.

Try with: Roast Pheasant · Venison Stew · Roast Duck · More pairings →

Avoid Clash

Chilli heat, sweet glazes and oily fish

Skip Bricco delle Viole with chilli heat, sugary glazes and oily fish. Nebbiolo's tannin amplifies capsaicin and makes spicy dishes taste harsher, sweet-and-sour sauces clash with the dry, savoury palate, and the wine's structure overwhelms delicate raw fish. This is a wine for savoury, slow-cooked food, not for heat or sweetness.

Skip with: Peking duck · Szechuan beef · Crispy chilli beef · sushi · Pairing guide →

Drinking + cellar

Cellaring Vajra Bricco delle Viole

A two-decade Barolo: the 2020 from around 2026 and the 2021 from 2027, both built on firm tannin and large-cask ageing to reward patience into the 2040s.

Drinking window
2027 → 2048

Peak around 2034. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.

Decanting
h1

A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.

Cellar potential
High

Barolo DOCG mandates 38 months ageing; Vajra gives 28 months in large Slavonian casks plus firm tannin and 14 to 14.5% ABV, supporting a two-decade window that scores at the top of the cellar band.

Buy now or wait?
Buy now

£49.75 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.

Sources & trust

Sources behind this Bricco delle Viole page

Prices & stock

Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 7 Jun 2026, 15:45 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.

Confidence · High
Tasting notes

Drawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.

Confidence · Medium
Appellation rules & ageing

From the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.

Confidence · High
Why it costs what it costs

Our reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.

Confidence · Medium
Drink window & cellar potential

Style guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.

Confidence · Medium
Related

Explore Vajra, Barolo and Nebbiolo

Producer
Azienda Agricola Vajra Piedmont
Grapes
Nebbiolo
Denomination
Barolo DOCG
Region
Piedmont Region guide
Cuisine
Italian Cuisine 4 dishes paired British Cuisine 1 dishes paired

Common Questions

It is 100% Nebbiolo, as required by the Barolo DOCG. The fruit comes from the single Bricco delle Viole cru in the commune of Barolo, the highest and most Alpine of the village's historical vineyards, with vines dating back to 1931.

Expect a perfumed, mid-weight Barolo led by violets, dried rose and kirsch, with red cherry, licorice and a savoury tar-and-leather depth. The high-altitude site gives bright acidity and fine, chiselled tannins rather than sheer power.

Give it time. The 2020 drinks well from around 2026 and the structured 2021 from about 2027, with both rewarding ten years or more from the vintage. The wine's firm Nebbiolo tannins and large-cask ageing support a window stretching into the 2040s.

Pair it with Langhe classics: brasato al Barolo, tajarin or risotto with white truffle, and braised veal or beef. It also suits roast game and aged cheeses. Avoid chilli heat, sweet glazes and delicate raw fish, which clash with its dry, tannic structure.

It is a single-vineyard Barolo from a benchmark Langhe estate, organically farmed since 1971 from old vines planted in 1931 and aged years in large Slavonian oak. With 96 to 97-point critic scores and limited cru production, UK prices sit around £84 to £100 a bottle.

Both are strong. The 2020 is the more graceful, mid-weight vintage that Vinous called a study in elegance, ready a touch sooner. The 2021 is richer and more structured, rated a superb year and scored 96 by Antonio Galloni, with the longer cellar life.

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G.D. Vajra Bricco delle Viole
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