Barolo 2018-2021 Vintages Technical Information Dump - Super Geeky

[Guillermo_M]

Adding Shan’s visit notes here to keep it all in one thread.

@Shan_A

2018 has great wines, just earlier drinking ones. I honestly came into my trip a little disappointed to try 2018s given its poor reputation, but I learned a lesson to just taste oneself (when one can!). 2018s reminded of what many said they liked about the 2017 Burgundy vintage in youth: expressive, charming, with approachable tannin. However, the 2018s aren’t agers and seem ready to drink in 3-10 years. Accordingly, 2018s will be good to buy off restaurant wine lists, as a young vintage that is actually drinkable in youth! If you want some Nebbiolo to enjoy in youth with rich and gentle red fruit (very red!), without mouth puckering austerity – this is the vintage for you. Some called it a ‘gentle vintage’. The 2018s still have structure, but the intensities are dialed down a small notch: the fruit is red, rich and ripe without being powerful/overly concentrated, the acids aren’t overbearing, and the tannins are gentle.

None of the winemakers I spoke to referred to 2019 as a great/legendary vintage (for example with the same reverence given to 2016). Although it does sound like a pretty good vintage. 2019 seems to be a lower alcohol (0.5% in many cases) and more structured than 2018. While 2018 is rich and charming, I’m expecting 2019 to be cooler and more classic. I will personally seek out wines I thought were too rich for my taste in 2018, as I expect their 2019 renditions to have more precision and structure.

I did not get much information on 2020 or 2021. Some producers called out 2020 as a better vintage than 2019. However, this sample set was small and idiosyncratic. For example, Cogno continues to evolve his process in Ravera, Gulia Negri’s vines are reaching maturity, etc. Overall, I didn’t walk away with consensus 2020 was wildly better than 2019, although the measured description of 2019 leads me to think this may be the case.

This seems to confirm some of what we had been discussing early in the thread last month.