2021 Barolo

I’m now waiting for a tasting note that will describe an Overmars wine.

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Same here but I also purchased a mix case of the 21 Barolo after our visit in May. F. Alessandria is one of our favorites.

Did you get a sense of 2024 for Barbera, Dolcetto, etc.?

Looking at my notes, it looks like I only had 24s from Sandri (which were quite excellent across the board and amazing given the vintage) and I had a 24 LN from Trediberri that was fresh, but a touch washed out. So, unfortunately I didn’t have much from 24 when I was there

I’m visiting F. Alessandria in October (can’t believe it’s getting so close)! Any standouts besides Monvigliero?

I’m also visiting Oddero, Fratelli Barale, and possibly Crissante Alessandria. Can’t wait!

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I think the whole Fratelli Alessandria lineup is great and underappreciated. The Monvigliero is surely a standout but I also love the Barolo del Commune di Verduno which is a tremendous value, and the classic wines like their Pelaverga and Barbera are also great.

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^basically this.

At some point I feel that their price will go up even more (the Monvigliero used to be criminally underrated) as the quality across the board is just so good.

@Brian_S_t_o_t_t_e_r you’ll have an amazing visit as Vittorio is a wonderful host

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Trediberri 2024s are what is in my market now. I really like their Barbera but it sounds like try before I buy.

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It was one of those things where I felt they were successful given the issues of the vintage. But, I just found it hollow

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Based off of Wine Advocate’s article on Barolo 2021 (which was exceptionally positive!), Monica Larner also addressed 2024 in the same article as a very difficult vintage with a lot of rain, and therefore mildew pressure. She was not very positive about it, and it sounds like the first year in quite awhile that as @Keith_A_k_e_r_s said, is going to be a bit hollow. I haven’t tried them, so I don’t have a right to say; but I’m a bit leery of those 2024 LNs. I’m in Cary and have seen them floating around too! :grin:

Fresh is a good word to describe the 2024 vintage based on my one first hand experience, which happens to be Trediberri from barrel. Looked back at my notes on the '24 Rocche from the tasting and “very fresh” was in my original scratch notes. While a lot can happen between now and bottling, I found the '24 Rocche a bit “exotic”, with some tropical fruit in addition to red - I called strawberry - fruit and red florals, some mint / fresh herbal notes as well. On the lighter side, yes, but I definitely liked the wine because of the vibrancy and exotic notes that were intriguing. I believe the quantities in 2024 will be limited if I recall correctly, and it was a very difficult vintage around harvest time with lots of rain, mildew issues as mentioned above. I imagine careful selection and work in the vineyards at harvest was super important in 2024 and imagine there will be a wide spectrum of quality.

Of course they scratch a different itch and the prices are not the same, but personally, if I was considering ~$30 on the Trediberri Langhe Nebbiolo, I would probably just spend ~$50 and buy the 2021 Trediberri Berri Barolo, which is really good and fairly accessible as far as the vintage goes. The '20 Berri also is awesome and that was wide open this year at La Festa, although that looks to be ~$60 on W-S today.

One takeaway of visiting Trediberri recently is the experimentation with some submerged cap fermentation in the 2023 Berri. I thought the submerged cap '23 Berri barrel, which may be blended into the final wine, was really exciting, a bit less of the primary fruit but more intrigue than the regular barrel.

Overall, my understanding is we’re in for a somewhat rocky few years in Barolo after an excellent 2021 vintage, and a pretty good stretch from 2019-2021. 2022 was extremely hot - I suspect the tannins there will be tricky and/or the wines will be on the lighter side - and there are at least a few producers not bottling single vineyards. 2023 seems pretty good based on what I’ve heard although I don’t believe it is considered to be in the category of years like 2019 or 2021. 2024 seems like a total mess, and hopefully there’ll be some good wines that come out of it but one may need to be picky.

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I just got an email from a retailer who said, “You will soon start to read and hear about what an outstanding vintage 2023 was in Piedmont.” Sounds like the hype machine in high gear.

Don’t worry, 2026 will be even more outstanding.

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I actually don’t buy any Langhe Nebbiolo, I head to Alto Piedmont for early access Nebbiolo (preferably with some Vespolina in the blend). We do, however, drink a lot of Barbera and generally buy a case of Trediberri every year. It sounds like it could be iffy in 2024 to just grab that case.

Just to follow up, Vittorio made a guest appearance but we had a different tour guide (said she was from their agriturismo business?). We had a large group with some Swedes and fellow Americans doing the cellar tour and tasting with us. The wines were all wonderful, bought a couple 2021 Monvigliero to take home in checked luggage but will look for more of these and the Comune di Barolo.




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Brian, great update. In Barolo, go to La Vite Turchese. Ask for Stefano. Tell him that Jeff Henson recommended him to pour some great Barolo.

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I was in there yesterday! Just browsing ahead of my Barale visit.

Outstanding! And go to lunch/dinner at Osteria Veglio in Annunziata. My favorite place to eat anywhere and the greatest QPR for a restaurant anywhere in my opinion. https://www.osteriaveglio.it/. And germane to this thread, there are a number of ‘21 Barolo wines available on their wine list.

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I was there for lunch yesterday :smiley:

After having been there, L’Argaj, and More e Macine, it’ll be hard to find Italian food back home that comes anywhere close to the quality unless it’s 3-5x more in price.

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