Oddero Barolo 2020

Oddero has been a consistent pioneer in the Barolo space, beginning over 144 years ago when they were the first to choose to not sell their wine in bulk but instead bottle it and put the winery name on it starting with the 1878 vintage.

In the 1920s they took quality to the next level, creating the first ‘cru’s – small parcels farmed for individual character much like the great vineyards of Burgundy. Many much larger wineries have since followed the Oddero playbook.

Their wines – made in tiny amounts are feverishly collected by Barolo fans, but they are imported in tiny amounts since there is such a small amount to go around. We’ve been one of the few to consistently get our hands on their bottlings but the amounts are so small, I usually just hand sell them to a few of our biggest Nebbiolo buyers. This year, we got slightly more than that – but don’t expect these to be in-house for too long.

The 2020 vintage was spectacular in Barolo and in news that should surprise nobody, Oddero’s baseline Barolo is one of the very best made. Decanter gave the vintage a perfect 5/5 and talked about how it was a much less diluted vintage its predecessor. They also rained down a 93-point score on the Oddero which they called, “a very stylish Barolo”. Parker’s Wine Advocate threw the gauntlet down though with their own 94-point score, which will make this a tough bottle to secure. Unsurprisingly, Wine Enthusiast gave this one their coveted ‘Cellar Selection’ designation as well.

“These are the best wines I have tasted from Oddero. I have had my eyes on this winery for decades, honestly, and I still remember the magical understanding I experienced as a young wine novice across from a bottle of aged Barolo made by Oddero on one of my first trips to Piedmont. Many changes have occurred over the years with regards to this brand. But Mariacristina Oddero and her children have forged forward nonetheless, following an ambitious search for the best cru sites and an overhaul at the winery that prizes elegance and weightlessness in her wines.” – Monica Larner, Parker’s Wine Advocate