Vietti Barolo Ravera

It is a single-vineyard (MGA) Barolo DOCG from Vietti, made entirely from Nebbiolo grown in the Ravera cru at Novello. The vineyard sits around 400 metres on limestone-and-clay Sant'Agata marls, and the wine ages about 32 months in large oak botti.

Yes. The shops above list it in both the standard 750ml bottle and the 1.5 litre magnum, and each row says which size it is. A magnum ages more slowly than a standard bottle, because there is less oxygen for the amount of wine. That suits a structured, long-lived Barolo like Ravera, which is meant for the cellar.

Ravera is built to age. Barolo DOCG requires 38 months of ageing before release, and Vietti's traditional style, with firm tannins and high acidity, rewards a decade or more in bottle. Strong recent vintages will drink well from the late 2020s into the 2040s.

Its tannin and acidity are made for rich Piedmontese dishes: brasato al Barolo, ossobuco, tajarin with white truffle, and aged Castelmagno or Parmigiano. Game and grilled red meat work well too.

Yes. Vietti recommends decanting a few hours before serving, especially for younger vintages, to soften the taut tannins and let the floral, tar and red-cherry aromatics open.

Several years are usually on sale side by side, in both bottle sizes, and every row above shows its own vintage and price. Younger years are the structured, classic ones built for long cellaring; the older years listed are the more approachable, earlier-drinking ones.