DOCG Red

Barolo - Ricossa

Ricossa

Grape
Nebbiolo
Denomination
Barolo DOCG
Region
Piedmont
ABV
13.5%
Body
Medium to full
Drink
Now to 2034

The Nebbiolo for this Barolo grows in the Langhe. Ricossa ages it three years, 18 of them in wood. Expect rose, cherry and leather, then firm tannin. At £26 it is an affordable way into Barolo.

Price
£21.57 Save 17%

2020 · 75cl · checked 27 Sep

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Where to buy Barolo - Ricossa

£21.57 price · 1 retailer in stock · checked 27 Sep 2026

One shop sells this wine in the UK, so there is no price to compare between shops. Each price is the one on its page today, read daily.

Vinatis Best price Save 17% 2020 · 75cl · checked 27 Sep
Read from the retailer's page once a day. Confidence is low, so treat it as a guide and confirm at the retailer.
£21.57 was regular price £26.00 £28.76/L
Buy

Stock status is read from each retailer’s page once a day and may lag.

Tasting Notes

What Ricossa's 2020 Barolo tastes like

Ricossa ages this Barolo for three years, 18 of them in wood, and that shows. Of 2,263 Vivino reviews, 711 mention oak, vanilla or tobacco before anything else. Cherry and dried rose come next, then the leather and tar Nebbiolo is known for.

Tasted by
ItalianWines editorial (drinker consensus)
Tasted on
31 August 2026
Vintage in glass
2020
Source
Drinker consensus · confidence Medium
Taste profile
Body Light / Full
Tannins Smooth / Grippy
Sweetness Dry / Sweet
Acidity Soft / Crisp
Nose

Ricossa's own note leads on rose and dried violet, and the Vivino crowd backs it: 52 of 2,263 reviews mention violet or rose hip. Oak comes first for most drinkers, though, with 711 mentions of oak, vanilla or tobacco. Wine Enthusiast found smoke in the 2020, like morning fog in the Langhe hills. Cherry sits under all of it.

SmokySmoky
Rose petalRose petal
VioletViolet
CherryCherry
TobaccoTobacco
TarTar
LeatherLeather
LiquoriceLiquorice
VanillaVanilla
Palate

Three years in the cellar, 18 of them in wood, have taken the hard edges off the tannin without hiding it. It is dry and firm, with the grip Nebbiolo always brings and the ripe fruit the hot, well-watered 2020 summer gave the Langhe. Ricossa's soils are clay and limestone, so pale the growers call them white earths, and the producer credits them for the wine's staying power. Italian buyers on Vinatis score it 16.9 out of 20.

Finish

The finish is dry with a bitter edge. Wine Enthusiast called the 2020 the earthy side of Barolo rather than the soaring side, and that is the note it leaves.

Overall

This is the affordable way into Barolo rather than the grand one, and drinkers price it that way: 19,883 Vivino ratings settle at 3.9, with the 2020 at 4.0. A verified Italian buyer on Vinatis called it an affordable introduction to Barolo, and money well spent.

Drink now Best by 2034
Live UK pricing

Prices and stock for Ricossa's Barolo

Wine-Searcher puts the worldwide average near 21 euros a bottle before tax. A UK price adds £3.10 of duty at 13.5% strength, and then VAT on top. So £26 sits close to the floor here.

Best price · 75 cl £21.57 at vinatis
Only sold by Vinatis The only UK shop we track for this wine, so there is no price to compare
Vintages live 2020 Current release: 2020
Per-litre (75 cl basis) £28.76 Per-litre price for the lowest current offer
Last checked 27 Sep 2026 Refreshed once every 24 hours
Wine fit score

Where Ricossa's Barolo scores well, and where it does not

This bottle earns its best marks for food and for an occasion. Barolo's tannin wants a plate in front of it, and the name carries weight at a table. It scores low as an everyday red, because £26 is not an everyday price.

Best with food 8.8/10

Firm tannin and high acidity together make this a wine that needs a plate, and Vivino drinkers name beef, lamb, game and pasta before anything else.

Best for an occasion 8.0/10

Barolo's name does real work at a table and 2020 is an approachable vintage, but the entry price keeps it below a single-vineyard Barolo.

Best value 7.8/10

At £26, with an 88-point critic average on Wine-Searcher and a worldwide average near 21 euros before tax, the price tracks the quality closely.

Best intro to this style 7.0/10

One verified Italian buyer calls it an affordable introduction to Barolo, though Nebbiolo's tannin still asks more of a new drinker than a soft red would.

Best for cellar 6.8/10

Barolo law already gave it 38 months of ageing and Vinatis puts the drinking window out to 2034, but this is an entry Barolo, not a bottle to hold for decades.

Best everyday bottle 3.2/10

At £26 and 13.5%, with tannin that wants food, it is a Sunday bottle rather than a weeknight one.

Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our Wine Fit Score 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 →
Vintages

The 2020 Barolo vintage, and why it drinks early

James Suckling rated more than 400 Barolos from 2020 and called it the most approachable set the Langhe has made in years. The summer was hot but never short of water, so the tannin came in ripe rather than hard. Ricossa's 2020 is drinking now.

2020 Current release
Best price
£21.57
Retailers
1 in stock
ABV
13.5%
Window
Drink now through 2034

2020 was a hot year in the Langhe, but the vines never ran short of water, so the tannin ripened rather than hardened. James Suckling rated over 400 Barolos from the vintage and found them the most approachable in years.

2020 Current release
Best price
£21.57
Retailers
1 in stock
ABV
13.5%
Window
Drink now through 2034

2020 was a hot year in the Langhe, but the vines never ran short of water, so the tannin ripened rather than hardened. James Suckling rated over 400 Barolos from the vintage and found them the most approachable in years.

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 £26 Barolo DOCG

Barolo law holds the wine back 38 months before release, 18 of them in wood, and caps the harvest at 8 tonnes a hectare. Ricossa meets both. The rest of the price is UK duty, VAT and the shop's margin.

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.

Barolo DOCG zone The producer Wine route in the zone

Made at Ricossa, Castel Boglione. Directions

Wine route in the zone: Langhe Nebbiolo Route.

04

Reading the label

  • RicossaProducer / estate
  • NebbioloGrape varieties
  • Barolo DOCGGeographic indication and quality tier
  • 2020Vintage (year of harvest)
  • 13.5% volAlcohol by volume
05

What sits behind the price of Barolo - Ricossa

Tracked from
£21.57
Direction
Mostly cost up
Drivers
3 up / 2 down
Main factor
Three years locked away before release, 18 of them in wood
  1. 01

    Three years locked away before release, 18 of them in wood

    Cost up

    Barolo law holds the wine back 38 months, and Ricossa gives it 18 months in wood inside that. Three years of cellar space and barrels sits in the £26.

  2. 02

    Not an estate wine: Ricossa's own cellar is 40 km away in the Monferrato

    Cost down

    Ricossa's own vineyards are at Castel Boglione in the Monferrato and are mostly Barbera, while this Nebbiolo grows in the Langhe. A wine that does not carry its own Barolo vineyard costs less to make than one that does.

  3. 03

    Barolo's harvest cap of 8 tonnes a hectare

    Cost up

    The rules cap Barolo growers at 8 tonnes a hectare. Fewer grapes off the same land means a higher cost in every bottle, before a drop is made.

  4. 04

    UK duty and VAT before the wine is even poured

    Cost up

    At 13.5% strength a 75cl bottle carries £3.10 of UK duty at 2026 rates, and VAT takes another £4.33 of a £26 price. That is £7.43 of the shelf price before shipping or the shop's margin.

  5. 05

    Made at group scale inside Argea

    Cost down

    Ricossa's site says the brand is part of Argea, and Vivino lists 45 Ricossa wines with 83,489 ratings between them. That volume gives buying power a single Langhe estate does not have.

01

Three years locked away before release, 18 of them in wood

Cost up

Barolo law holds the wine back 38 months, and Ricossa gives it 18 months in wood inside that. Three years of cellar space and barrels sits in the £26.

Perfect Pairings

Dishes that go with this wine

Rack of lamb, plated

Rack of lamb
Food Pairing

Nebbiolo tannin, and the Piedmont dishes built for it

Vivino drinkers put beef, lamb, game and pasta at the top of the list for this wine. Ricossa says roast meat and truffle. Both point the same way: fat and protein to soften the tannin.

Tannin softening Strong match

Beef braised for hours

Barolo's tannin needs protein and fat to soften against, and a long braise gives it both. The meat breaks down into gelatine, which coats the tongue and takes the grip off the wine. Brasato al Barolo is the dish built around this wine.

Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Bollito dei Pastori · Ossobuco alla Milanese · Spezzatino di pecora · More pairings →

Aromatic bridge Strong match

Truffle, porcini and dried autumn flavours

Ricossa's own note runs to dried rose, tobacco and leather, and Nebbiolo picks up a forest-floor smell with age. Truffle and porcini sit in the same register, so the plate and the glass echo each other. The producer names truffle dishes first.

Try with: Tajarin al Tartufo · Truffle risotto · Porcini mushroom risotto · Fonduta · More pairings →

Fat cutting Good match

Roast lamb and a good steak

Nebbiolo carries firm tannin and high acidity together, and both cut through fat. Wine-Searcher lists lamb as the single food match for this wine. A rested ribeye or a rack of lamb gives the tannin something to work on.

Try with: Rack of lamb · Lamb chops · Ribeye steak · Fillet steak · More pairings →

Body matching Good match

Game and the Sunday roast

This is a medium to full-bodied red at 13.5%, firm but never heavy. Game and roast beef carry the same weight, so neither side flattens the other. Vivino drinkers put game and beef in their top four matches.

Try with: Venison Stew · Roast Pheasant · Sunday Roast Beef · Beef wellington · More pairings →

Salt balance Good match

Hard alpine cheese and cured meat

Salt makes tannin taste softer and rounder, which is why an aged hard cheese flatters a young Barolo. Italian buyers of this bottle pair it with cured meats. Keep the cheese firm and salty rather than soft and creamy.

Try with: Polenta alla Valdostana · Frico · Caciocavallo farcito · Lucanica · More pairings →

Avoid Clash

Chilli heat and sweet sauces

Chilli heat and firm tannin sharpen each other, and 13.5% alcohol makes it worse. Sugar in a sauce does the same, leaving the wine tasting thin and bitter. Save the Barolo for the savoury course.

Skip with: Green curry · Sweet and sour pork · Lamb bhuna · Nigiri Sushi · Pairing guide →

Drinking + cellar

How long the Ricossa 2020 will keep

Vinatis, which sells this bottle in Italy, gives it until 2034. That is 14 years from the harvest, and fair for a Barolo built to drink rather than to hoard. Keep it on its side somewhere cool and dark.

Drinking window
2024 → 2034

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

Decanting
1 hour

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

Serving temperature
16-18°C

Aim for the cooler end on a warm day; warmer end opens up more aromatics.

Cellar potential
Medium

Barolo law already gave it 38 months of ageing and Vinatis puts the drinking window out to 2034, but this is an entry Barolo, not a bottle to hold for decades.

Buy now or wait?
Buy now

£21.57 for a 75cl bottle of the 2020, at Vinatis, is the best price we track, and we have no signal of further discounting.

Sources & trust

Where the Ricossa figures come from

Prices & stock

Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 27 Sep 2026, 02:13 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

More Barolo, Nebbiolo and Piedmont

Producer
Ricossa Piedmont
Grapes
Nebbiolo
Denomination
Barolo DOCG
Region
Piedmont Region guide
Cuisine
International Cuisine 1 dishes paired

Common Questions

Rose, dried violet and cherry, over leather, tar and a clear note of oak. Ricossa ages the wine three years, 18 of them in wood, and Vivino drinkers pick out oak, vanilla or tobacco more often than any other note. The tannin is firm and the finish is dry.

It is near the bottom of the Barolo range. Wine-Searcher puts the worldwide average for this wine at about 21 euros a bottle before tax, and UK duty adds £3.10 before VAT. Barolo law also holds the wine back 38 months before release, and that wait sits in every price.

Until about 2034, which is what Vinatis tells its Italian buyers. It is drinking well now, and James Suckling rated over 400 Barolos from 2020 and found the vintage more approachable than usual. There is no need to hide it away.

Slow-braised beef is the classic answer, and brasato al Barolo is the dish built around this wine. Truffle and porcini work too, which is what Ricossa itself suggests. Vivino drinkers reach for beef, lamb, game and pasta.

Ricossa says to open the bottle a few hours ahead and to decant it if you want to. Serve it at 17 to 18 degrees. The tannin softens noticeably with air.

Ricossa started in the Asti hills in the early 1900s and has been based at the Ca' dei Mandorli estate in Castel Boglione since 2015. Its own 74 hectares there are mostly Barbera, so the Nebbiolo for this Barolo comes from the Langhe instead. Ricossa is part of the Argea group.

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Barolo - Ricossa
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