#22 on PRIMA's Top 25 Wines of 2025

Sure, we were tempted to, once again, put the Odderos’ 2021 Barolo Classico on our Wines of the Year list because it’s truly a magnificent wine, one of the best Barolo Classicos they’ve ever made. That wine is almost always on this list and, usually, in the Top 3. But Oddero is one of the few historical properties in Barolo and Barbaresco permitted to produce both of those wines in their cellar and, besides all their wonderful Barolos, Barbaresco has long been in the stable here at this seminal Santa Maria di La Morra property. Being able to farm the Gallina MGA in Neive certainly makes it worth all the hassle of driving their tractor the 20 kilometers back and forth; it’s one of the top crus in the entire appellation, and the Odderos’ Gallina is far more than an afterthought in the Barolo cellar here.

The 2021 is, far and away, the best version of this wine we’ve ever tasted here. It’s truly a ‘wow’ wine that stunned our group when we tried it at the cellar last fall. Dark and earthy, we were shocked at the depth of flavor here and the brilliance of its aromatics. And, really, it could serve as the poster wine for all of the differences between the Barolo and Barbaresco appellations, with its cool elegance, finesse and purity of Nebbiolo flavors. This is an outstanding wine that deserves a place in any cellar filled with 2021 wines from Piemonte.