With the Barolo Ravera 1996, Flavio Roddolo presents a fiercely independent, traditional Barolo from Monforte d’Alba. Situated at higher elevation, this small Ravera parcel is defined by calcareous marl with sandy veins that impart striking mineral tension to the Nebbiolo. Ravera is one of Roddolo’s defining vineyards and forms the basis for his most important Barolo.   

The 1996 vintage shows immense substance and an initially somewhat reserved bouquet. Dark cherry and dried red fruits intertwine with rose, tar, licorice, and stony mineral notes. With aeration, tobacco, dried herbs, underbrush, and a fine earthy spice emerge. Tasting notes from the years following the turn of the millennium already described the wine as powerful and strongly shaped by its structural frame, with a pronounced mineral dimension.  

On the palate, the Barolo Ravera 1996 delivers impressive drive and concentrated matter. Bright acidity lends freshness and tension, while the dense, grainy tannins still exert a firm grip. Rather than sweet, the fruit feels dark and savory, accompanied by iron, licorice, tobacco, and mineral nuances. Its texture is powerful and compact, displaying Roddolo’s hallmark linearity and a long, dry finish.

The Barolo Ravera 1996 is thus a wine whose maturity expresses itself less through plush softness than through ever-deepening aromatic complexity. Even after three decades, it retains remarkable structure and, in well-cellared bottles, should continue to gain complexity. Its combination of mineral pedigree, vibrant acidity, and firm tannins makes it a singularly characterful exemplar of traditional Barolo.