E. Pira & Figli (Chiara Boschis) Barolo Via Nuova 2020 1.5L

Via Nuova ("New Road") carries a genuinely unusual backstory for a Barolo. It was originally bottled as a single-vineyard wine from its own small MGA cru, but when the Municipality of Barolo reorganized its Additional Geographical Mentions in 2010, the tiny Via Nuova cru was formally abolished and folded into the larger Terlo zone. Rather than simply rename the wine, Chiara Boschis chose to honour the old name by turning it into something new entirely: a considered blend of fruit from six distinct crus spanning three communes, Terlo and Liste in Barolo itself, Ravera di Monforte and Mosconi in Monforte d'Alba, and Gabutti and Baudana in Serralunga d'Alba. It has become, in effect, her "Master Blend," pulling together the perfumed elegance of the Barolo commune with the structure and power of Monforte and Serralunga into one harmonious voice, matured around two years across barrel and French oak barrique, with a further year resting in bottle before release.

The 2022 has been singled out by critics as one of the standouts of the range this vintage. James Suckling scored it 95 points, praising its "pure savoriness" and calling it "a vibrant, mid-weight Barolo that perfectly balances the characteristics of its six constituent vineyards." Expect earthy strawberry, peony and restrained blood orange on the nose, with a silky, delicate palate lifted by a surprising, almost chocolatey touch to the tannins, more immediately approachable than its Cannubi and Mosconi stablemates without sacrificing real Barolo seriousness.