2017 Figli Luigi Oddero Tradizionale Barolo 750 ml

When the Oddero family started out in the Piedmontese wine trade in the 1800s, winemaking was a marginal commercial enterprise. Grower-families sold their grapes to co-ops or their wine in bulk—but the pioneering Odderos began to domaine-bottle and offer their wines commercially.

Amassing land in Barolo sounds like a no-brainer now, but it wasn’t at the time—even into the mid-20th century, Nebbiolo plantings were worth no more than Dolcetto, and the route to financial security ran through factory work, not farming.

But time has proven the Odderos to be clairvoyant.

Because of the stellar terroirs they have pieced together over a century and a half, their wines offer some of the greatest value in Barolo—at a time when the wine’s price is following the path that Burgundy’s has (meaning: UP!) in the last few years.

Their Figli Luigi Oddero’s 2017 Barolo puts that outstanding quality on display. Critic Kerin O’Keefe—who wrote the book on Barolo and Barbaresco and earned her stripes over a decade as Wine Enthusiast’s Italian-wine expert—scored it 95, alongside coveted single-vineyard wines by the likes of Ratti, Chiarlo, and Fratelli Alessandria.

This stunner is exactly what we want to open after coming in from the cold on a winter night and smelling the osso buco bubbling on the stove. With a perfumed core, fleshy body, and soft tannins, you can warm up with a glass until your hands are limber enough to slice the Oregon white truffles. Enjoy it through dinner and until you’re ready to hit the hay.