2025 Vajra, G.D. - Rosabella Nebbiolo Rose (750ml)

G.D. Vajra is a family estate based in Vergne, the highest hamlet in the commune of Barolo, sitting around 400 meters up in the Langhe hills. The winery takes its name from Giuseppe Domenico Vajra, father of founder Aldo Vajra, who formally established the estate in 1972 after beginning work in the family vineyards as a teenager in 1968. By 1971 Aldo had secured one of Piedmont's earliest organic certifications, a pioneering move at a time when the practice was virtually unknown in the region, and the family has farmed the celebrated Bricco delle Viole cru since the 1880s. Aldo and his wife, Milena, now work alongside their children, Giuseppe, Francesca, and Isidoro, across some forty hectares of vineyard.

Rosabella takes its name from Milena's mother, Rosa, affectionately known as Bella Mama Rosa, and has been produced every year since debuting between 2004 and 2007. It's built mostly from Nebbiolo with small amounts of Barbera and Dolcetto, drawn from younger organically farmed vines across the communes of Barolo, La Morra, Novello, and Serralunga d'Alba. The Nebbiolo is bled off by saignée, while the Barbera and Dolcetto get a brief skin contact before gentle pressing. Fermentation runs cool in stainless steel with no malolactic conversion, and the wine is bottled young, in January, to lock in freshness.

The wine shows a bright, translucent peach-pink color with delicate aromas of orange blossom, blood orange, strawberry, and rose petal. The palate is dry and light-bodied, with crunchy apple, white pepper, and a clean, saline mineral finish. It's lovely with vitello tonnato or simple aperitivo fare.