I like that list. Although Vietti is hardly at mid-level pricing. You might consider adding to your list Azelia and Massolino (excluding their black label).
Vietti Castiglione is sub $50. Their upper end is mid $200’s. That’s a damn bargain compared to village Burgundy. Then again being owned by the Kum&Go family might be a turn off to purists.
Azelia and Massolino are both on my radar to expand into. I just haven’t been habitually a buyer.
Based on 2018 pricing and what seems to be a pretty steep level of inflation, 2019 might be the last year I buy several of my favorite producers. In some cases, it might be past. I’ve been focusing on backfilling the past couple of years cherry picking 2013’s and 2016’s and more and more 2012’s and 2015’s. Being in my mid 50’s that’s probably about right anyway.
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Solid list. Big fan of Vajra and Vietti.
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What are some of the better U.S retailers for barolo pre arrivals?
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A very difficult question to answer, and I suspect a moving target with recent changes in viticulture / weather.
In the past, a good solid traditional producer (e.g. Marcarini), in a very good vintage (in those days typically the warmer ones - nowadays it’s the hot vintages I worry about), they might start opening up again 2-3 decades after vintage, and I’ve had some wonderful experiences with 5 decades old wines (and some failures!).
In a lighter or more forward vintage, you might halve those periods.
However these are horrible generalisations, and there is significant variation, plus if aiming for the super-old, can require a degree of tolerance of some flakiness / fading, in return for that nuance. In recent times we’ve seen less harsh closing down, and I’ve had a good few 2007s that seemed destined not to. The goalposts are moving IMO.
As you mentioned Marcarini, I’d suggest looking out for something like a 1971, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989 or 1990. They’re a producer I like, being quite traditional, and this can make the wines a little four-square in youth (and I find the Brunate pretty robust in this way), but they do age very well. They’re also a producer I trust in warmer vintages (e.g.1997) and I even enjoyed a 2003 from them, which surprised me.
The further back you go, the greater the risk of absolute failure, but sometimes the reward is so great, that we are drawn to the potential over the risk. I think I’m like a moth to a flame in that respect!
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I shared Ian D’Agata’s write up in a earlier post and I think it’s quite good as it also mention other vintages. If you want more details as context, check it out but this is an extraction of what he had to said:
“ The 2019 vintage in Barolo will undoubtedly be remembered as an excellent one, if for no other reason that there was as much as a 20-25% reduction of yields with respect to 2018 as a consequence of the abundant rainfall during flowering that fatally reduced fruit set. A natural reduction in crop load that made for more concentrated wines even at those estates that aren’t normally so inclined to expend elbow grease on reducing yields. Overall, the 2019 wines will go down in history as typical of the more classic, less extreme years, wines characterized by profiles of very pure fruit, noteworthy acidity levels, and fine-grained textures, not to mention outstanding aging potential.”
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This article in Vinous by Antonio Galloni published in the Fall has a bit of a different tone regarding 2019 Barbaresco:
Certainly there are likely differences between Barolo and Barbaresco in 2019, so I’m not sure how much of the above applies to Barolo.
Not that scoring is so important, but it is interesting to compare Galloni’s scores across recent vintages for Produttori del Barbaresco:
2016 = 94
2017 = 94
2018 = 92
2019 = 91
2017 is highlighted for its “extra kick of richness that fills out its frame and adds so much immediacy”, whereas the 2019 is a “soft, understated”.
It’s an interesting comparison. I kind of want both vintages in my cellar to see how each evolves. And perhaps the 2019 will be more to my taste. I’m still kind of old fashioned and don’t want to drink much Barolo in its youth… so immediacy doesn’t necessarily mean so much. I’ve been buying Produttori del Barbaresco wines since I started an interest in wine and I feel fortunate they remain a perennial value - affordable enough to buy in quantity every vintage.
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Ken - I don’t know that Produttori is the best one to compare across vintages fwiw, because the material differs year to year, particularly when comparing a year like '18 when riservas were not made to a year like '19 when they were made.
2017 at Produttori is an interesting vintage. I like the base wine but was not impressed by the two riservas I tried, the Asili and Rabaja, usually two of the stronger wines. I think perhaps in a hot year like 2017 the blending was helpful. I honestly would rather have the 2017 produttori base wine over the 2017 Rabaja at the same price.
I was not impressed by the 2018 produttori, for what it’s worth. I think 92 is a somewhat generous score. I’m curious if I actually find the 2019 “worse” than the 2018.
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Those scores for the Bararesco are interesting, as I’ve had the NL in each vintage and the 2019 is, to me, well above the 17/18 and similar to the '16. The 17 was pleasant but forward and the 18 seems rather unfocused and with bottle variation. Perhaps more grapes of a higher quality made it into the NL somehow in '19, but I’ve really liked the wine. As a caveat, I like structure in Nebbiolo and the '19 seems a much more structured wine than the surrounding vintages without seeming at all thin on fruit, which, to me, is just about ideal. Based on these factors I’ll certainly buy the '19 Barbaresco over 17/18 despite Galloni’s comments.
The '16 Barbaresco is of course excellent. I have not had the '17 but find it hard to believe it would be as good despite the same score. I’d honestly be surprised if it was close. If I see a bottle at a decent price I’ll compare for myself but given the vintage and the going rate, not sure that will happen.
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The 2001 Brunate was drinking surprisingly well as early as 2009, with quite soft tannins and a lot of bouquet (though not yet a lot of secondary notes). Several bottles since have all been excellent, too.
But Marcarini’s vineyards are in La Morra and their wines tend to be on the lighter style – never extracted. So they’re a bit of an anomaly, very much toward the elegant end of the style spectrum.
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I’ve always been a fan of Marcarini and it’s style and you describe it very well. I prefer more velvet glove and less iron fist for Nebbiolo.
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When I first got interested in Barolo in the mid-90s, the shelves in NY stores were dominated by the Marco di Grazia producers – the modernists – and I thought Marcarini’s wines were wimpy and diluted.
Ah, the folly of youth!
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Yeah… I always considered Marc di Grazia the be the second coming of the Anti-Christ. Lucky for me, I got to enjoy a bunch of Marcarini when it was still made by Elvio Cogno.
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Did anyone with a KO subscription read her new 2019 Barolo report?
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A few 2021 Langhe Nebbiolos I’ve tried have had fantastic tannic structure with nice fruit. Notably this was after a 12h slow-ox. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come!
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Glad to see this. More stress on this is a must. The single drinking window of critics has limited the appreciation and understanding of many wines for too long and too often the start of the drinking window is almost mid dumbphase for Barolo.
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I am excited for 2019 for sure. I went very deep in 2016 and pretty wide. With 2019 I intend to be far more particular seeking out what I expect to be less than 10 different producers, in 4-6 bottle quantities. Leaning slightly more heavily traditional than other vintages and probably passing on some of my favorite everyday drinkers too.
@Michae1_P0wers & @Ken_Leiter Very interesting PdB scores indeed. I did a sbs with the 2016, 2017, and 2018 last August and as much as I love the 2017, it is not in the same league as the 2016. I am 2 bottles deep on the 2017 and I still bought 2 cases of it. The QPR is still great, but it lacks the acidity required for something like a 94 pt wine imo, and a 94 may even be harsh for the 2016. The 2018 is much more enjoyable now, and likely will be for at least a handful of years until the 2017 will likely pass it.
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In your experience in recent vintages, how many years after release does Barolo or Barbaresco stay relatively open before they start shutting down? Is it a 1-2 year window?
I’m guessing the answer is vintage dependent, but I think I have a pretty good idea when that happens with other types of wine, but I’m less sure about Barolo or Barbaresco.
Hi Yule,
I’m not Joe, but have some experience with Piedmont Nebbiolos. The general issue for bottles beyond a few years old is not shut down so much as tannin blocking. In other words, the tannins March to the forefront and stay there, making the wines a challenge to enjoy. Generally an issue with the more structured vintages (2010, 2013, 2016). Very producer dependent of course. The less structured vintages (2009, 2012) tend to have short or no shut down periods in my experience. But I still age them because I prefer to taste some of the secondary elements rather than pure youthful fruit.
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