The Vajra family does a fabulous job with all their wines. The Barolo Albe is a mid-tier offering, not as inexpensive as their Dolcettos and Barberas, but also priced below their single vineyard Barolos. It is one of my go-to wines on restaurant lists, as it offers so much value. Done in a forward, fruity style, the Albe offers tons of appeal in its dark fruit, leather and spice notes. Naturally, the 2018 shows the modest complexity of the vintage, but it is a gorgeous wine in every way. I loved it. Antonio Galloni, Vinous

Barolo is not an everyday wine for most of us. Like most things we’ve seen prices rising fairly steadily over the past few years. In comparison to other similarly famous regions it is still a relative bargain though, and if you want a good weeknight alternative you can always reach for a top notch Langhe Nebbiolo, but . . . even those are now pushing into the $30-40 range. That’s why we love the value and consistency of Vajra’s real deal, Barolo “Albe”.

Vajra specializes in the very western corner of the Commune of Barolo, where the Langhe hills begin to rub up against the Alps. "Albe" is the plural of "Alba", which means dawn. The name refers to the three different dawns seen by the east-facing slopes that give us this wine. All three  slopes are some of the highest altitude sites within the commune of Barolo, all clustered around the village of Vergne at Barolo's western edge.

This micro-terroir is Vajra's home and specialty. Since 1970, when Aldo Vajra started out with a tiny 0.3 hectare holding, the Vajras have learned to master this corner of Barolo and in so doing have become one of Nebbiolo's greatest producers anywhere.

G.D. Vajra Barolo Albe 2018 $49.99 | The Albe is made in an entirely traditional fashion, with aging exclusively in large Slavonian casks. The cooler high-altitude sites ensure that the wine stays bright and nimble, and fun to drink even on release. 

This is especially true of the precocious 2018. Not as structured as the sublime 2016, or as richly textured as the 2017, the ‘18 offers open aromatics that are classic Barolo (roses, cherries, tar and earth) and a fresh, lifted texture with just the right amount of tannin for any northern Italian inspired meal. It’s such a good deal and so consistently delivers that non other than Antonio Galloni calls it a ‘go to” on wine lists. Grab some today, it’s a good wine to have on hand all the time!