Roagna’s Barolo Pira Vecchie Viti 2013 is a focused, old-vine expression of the Pira cru in Castiglione Falletto, sourced from the estate’s oldest plantings dating to 1937. Multiple reports note that many of these vines remain on their original rupestris rootstock, an unusual detail that underlines the wine’s rarity and long-established vineyard material. The fruit comes from heavily calcareous soils, a factor Wine Advocate’s Monica Larner links to a profile that is “much more delineated and firm” than Roagna’s younger-vine Pira.

The 2013 growing season is characterized by the estate as “born elegant,” a phrase repeated in market notes describing a slightly cooler, later year that favors finesse. In the glass, Antonio Galloni (Vinous) emphasizes aromatic detail and poise, calling the wine “perfumed, gracious and light on its feet,” and “strikingly perfumed,” with an “inner sense of sweetness and texture.” His 96+ point rating is an excellent review, and his suggested drinking window of 2023–2043 highlights the wine’s long-term intentions.

Larner’s assessment is even more emphatic: her 97-point score (Wine Advocate, June 2019) stands as a standout, top-tier review for the vintage. While she allows herself a moment of exuberance—saying the wine “absolutely knocks it out of the park”—her underlying message is structural and practical: the wine “bites back with a more pronounced tannic hold,” a trait presented as an asset for bottle aging rather than a drawback. She also notes it has “already developed impressive complexity and soul,” suggesting early depth even as it is built for the long haul.

Taken together, the critical consensus points to a Barolo defined less by sheer mass than by fragrance, delineation, and age-worthy tannin, with old vines and limestone soils shaping a firm but refined 2013.