Has anyone been drinking these, and if so, how are they showing?
I ask because I had a 2013 Barbaresco that was closed off. I don’t want to pop open others if it is too early.
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Not touching mine yet. From what I’ve read from others’ notes these are long-agers, that are pretty tannic and closed at this point. I’d give them at least another five years.
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I’ve had a few recent experiences with the the 2013 Marchesi Di Gresy Barbaresco Camp Gros Martinenga Riserva. They were enjoyable and worth trying one if you have a case or so but anticipate waiting 3+ (closer to 5) before my next bottle. It still needs to eat through a bit of its oak IMO.
From CT notes it seems like some are slowly waking up, but needs some air management.
Why do I check a lot of 2013 CT notes you may ask?.. I will do a 2013 tasting with a few friends soon, and feared we would be drinking pure tannin all day 
I will return with an impression. We will mostly focus on base wines from good producers, but will also taste through wines like Alessandria Fratelli’s Monvigliero.
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I have been afraid of opening my 2013s. The ones ai have touched have shown nice complexity of fruit and tannin, with good balance.
They have been slowly softening and opening up in the last 12-18 months. Still in primary territory but not as clenched as 3-5 years ago.
I had a Produttori Rabaja 2013 on Thursday and it was great. Decanted at around 2:30 PM for 7:30 PM dinner. I had a Sandri Riserva that I gave a bit more air to a few months back with equally excellent results. Also had a Vajra Viole that didn’t get as long of a decant but was also delicious. I think you just need to give it a shot and see what you think.
I had a tasting of 2013 and 2016 a little while ago.
I enjoyed almost all of them, but especially the 2013 were quite tough and forbidding at the moment (no surprises there). Some others didn’t appreciate their stern, tightly-knit overall character that much and one person actually left the tasting saying “After this tasting I’m not sure if I actually like Barolo”.
I guess there are particular wines or occasions where air on a relatively young Barolo/Barb can cause it to tighten up and close down but, like you, I have found that the 13s of late show better with ample air. Over the past 18 months are so I am finding this vintage to have real depth of complexity. I’ve always liked it but it did seem to go through a period where it was not showing much. Good now and holds a lot of promise for many years ahead.
I really think that when cellaring solid vintages like this ( and the many many others in this century) 20 years is a good rule. So 2013 will shine from 2033 to 2083
For all producers?
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Naturally you will find different results for different producers and different zones.
I have opened a few Classicos over the past 6 months or so. Massolino pretty closed, Oddero opening, Vietti Castiglione fairly open, Cogno Cascina Nuova opening, Produttori closed. So it’s a little hit or miss, everything could be drunk with air, or on day 3. In my experience a vintage like 2013 needs about 14 years to go through slumber. I expect to begin enjoying a broad swath of the wines in a few year but don’t regret opening the few recent test bottles.
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Another option - drink with rich food/meat. That always helps the tannic wines.
For the usual suspects
The " new paradigm" off course taken in account
Mascarello, Giacosa etc will drink well now but optimum will be 10 years from now
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Always good to remember that vintage generalisations are clumsy.
To get closer: get a feel for the producer / vineyard style; for the difference between Barolo and Barbaresco (both in general and in that vintage); for your own preferences; and if you really want to get into the nitty-gritty, seek out what that producer said themselves about the vintage and the wine (which may or not have relevant insight into ageing).
Alternatively track the TNs of others on Cellartracker, but accept that the significant differences between tasters and how they drank those bottles, very much clouds the issue.
… and then there’s bottle to bottle variation.
in short, there’s no precision for when to open these wines, and with perhaps more variability of when to open than most other wines. i.e. do take thoughts/insight from others, adding it to your own trial and error experiences (and working out whether you like the wines earlier, later or about the same level of maturity as the crowd), but there is no magic formula.
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I wouldn’t open a 2013 for another 4+ years at a minimum…better in 9+ years.
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That sums up my take. With air, it’s showing some really great things but those things are likely just a hint of what’s to come. You kind of need to really sniff deeply and search around to find all those pretty nuances at this point.
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I had '13 Vajra BdV and Ravera, and '13 Cogno Vigna Elena and Bricco Pernice last year. While a little tannic and tight, I really enjoyed them, especially with food. Some others at dinner did not, however.
I think whether '13 Barolos are ready for you really depends on your tolerance for firm tannins. While the '13s had a bit of bite to them, I still could perceive plenty of fruit, herbs, and mineral complexity. Others at the table disagreed and thought they were too young and the tannins too punishing. YMMV.
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