Earlier this month we visited the G.D. Vajra winery in the Piedmont area of Italy. They make Barolos (and other wines) in a style that is a bit different from many. Although the wines were well structured, they had a classy elegance to them that balanced the heavy tannins in young Barolos. Add to that the pricing on their top wines, while not inexpensive, is not crazy either and these are wines well worth having in the cellar. And, at the same time, the Langhe Nebbiolo is a perfect choice to drink now.
Our tour and tasting was led by Elena who was very knowledgeable and also fun. The winery has some beautiful stained glass windows. On a rainy day (it had actually hailed a bit earlier although I don't believe Vajra had an issue) we stayed inside and walked thru the cellars before finishing and tasting thru some wines. The individual reviews of those can bee found here: https://www.intowine.com/reviews?region=&varietal=&uid=Loren+Sonkin&score=&grade=All&vintage%5Bvalue%5D%5Byear%5D=&search=vajra&before=2025-05-22&after=2025-05-18&sort_by=created&sort_order=ASC
These wines are highly recommended no matter what style of wine you like. That said, these are wines that will excel at the dinner table but do require some mid-term ageing (and would benefit from long term ageing as well). Of course, if you find yourself in the Piemonte, make an appointment and go see for yourself.
