I’m just imagining the wailing and gnashing of teeth here, if a Barolo producer ever moves starts using American oak 
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Amphora: so traditional, it’s downright modern.
The Barolo authorities should look into it.
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Bite your tongue!
I’m pretty sure I can tell a Piemonte Nebbiolo from a Rioja, at least from my cellar. I own literally a handful of bottles of Nebbiolo that have spent any time in barrique out of the 234 bottles of Nebbiolo currently in my cellar, and I’m confident that I can tell them apart from American oaked Rioja.
How about French oak barrique-aged Rioja? 
There was a time maybe 10 years ago when someone was selling American oak in Italy. It was pretty odd tasting that dill note in Italian wine. Never tasted it in Barolo.
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Original poster here. As a follow up, I tried the G.D. Vajra Albe 2019 and the Produttori Barbaresco 2019. I thought both were excellent, especially for their price. More specifically, the Vajra was my fave of the two. I also tried a 2019 Mauro Molino which I thought was lesser than the Vajra and Produttori.
Thanks for all your feedback and insights. Learning about Nebbiolo is quite enjoyable!
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I’d expect the Albe to show better young, but I’d expect the PdB to have more upside. Stick some away if you can.
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What do you think is the ideal aging window for PdB?
IMO about 30-60 years.
Hard to say how the current releases will hold up, but I have no reason to believe they’d fall apart anytime soon.
And just to give some reference:
PdB vertical 2016-1970
PdB Riservas, pt. 1: 1978-1961
PdB Riservas, pt. 2: 1988-1982
PdB Riservas, pt. 3: 2004-1989
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Ha. Ideal aging window is a tough one with traditionally made Barolo and Barbaresco because they can last so long. As Otto says, if stored properly they can last a really long time. I think that at the least expect that after a relatively open period the wine will shut down and become rather unfriendly, then eventually, perhaps very gradually blossom again.
I recommend Giovanni Rosso Cerretta Barolo
Following up as the OP here…
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I really thought the GD Vajra Albe was a GREAT VALUE at $30. What is the drinking window for this bottle?
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What is the draw of a single vineyard Barolo and why do they seem to have a longer drinking window and cost more? Like, what is the difference between sourcing from 5 vineyards as opposed to pulling from a single vineyard?
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Tried a 2013 Sottimano Barbaresco Pajore and the tannins were there but there was virtually no fruit. Is this a closed down wine? If so, when will it open?
Thanks!
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Hi Eric
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For some it’s similar to Burgundy’s focus on terroir, terroir, terroir. Enjoying investigating the nuances. For many it’s that most (but not all) producers select the grapes for the single vineyard (often riserva) bottlings, before redirecting the remainder into a generic or village bottling or langhe nebbiolo (or blends). In theory this means better grapes.
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The only way to tell for sure is to taste the wine at the same time as you did. If closed down, then it’s as long as it takes for the tannins to drop out, or at least subside enough to reveal the fruit (ideally now more complex from the ageing). However it’s also possible that it was low level TCA, which may not have given off any wet dog aroma, but could strip the fruit (and given nebbiolo’s firm tannins, the effect can be even more dramatic).
Agreed Vajra Albe is a great value. Drinking window depends a lot on vintage. 2010/13/16/19 will probably have long lives. Other vintages less so.
Seconded.
Often single vineyard bottlings get the best fruit, regardless whether it is made into riserva or not. The regional / village bottlings tend to get lesser-quality fruit. So most likely if you are buying a single-vineyard Bar/Bar, you’re getting better stuff.
Produttori del Barbaresco is an exception. In top vintages they put top fruit from the vineyards they bottle a Riserva into a single-vineyard, the rest goes into the “normale”. However, in lesser vintages, more wine is discarded and put into Langhe Nebbiolo and all the top fruit from the best crus goes into “normale” since no single-vineyards are produced.
And as for the 2013, it is entirely possible that the wine was so slightly corked that the wine seemed dull and dead without being obviously flawed. But it’s also possible that it was just 2013: many 2013 Bar/Bars have been so lean, austere, tannic and showing very little fruit that many people have judged them to be faulty or corked whereas I’ve thought they were just sleeping and in a dumb phase now.
I had a little while ago a tasting of 2013 Bar/Bars and one of my friends left the tasting saying “I think I actually don’t like Barolo or Barbaresco” at the door. 
I guess that tells you all what you can expect from 2013’s.
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I agree with what the others have said. But I would highly suggest doing a horizontal tasting of the same vintage from different villages or single vineyards. The way the fruit and structure can show becomes clear. For me this was exemplified when I visited Piedmont, by the end of the week I was there the differences were much clearer.
You have some good replies on this already, but I figured I would add. PdB historically aged for a very long time. I had a 1983 a few months back and it has plenty to go. I have 1 more bottle and I am giving it another decade. I have had a bunch that were older than that and still in great shape. With that said, there are plenty that question whether or not younger PdB will age as well, but that is true for most Barolo & Barbaresco. Only 1 way to find out! If any, 2016 is the vintage that will do it I think.
As for the 2019 in particular, I was less fond of the PdB than GD Vajra too, and a bit uncertain on its aging potential. 20-25 years possibly? While GD Vajra just 20ish or maybe less?
It is important to recognize that vintage reports on a region are generalizations, there are winners and losers in nearly all vintages, and the region is not granular enough to really express what is going on. They are great generalizations and guides nonetheless.
Barbaresco and Barolo, do not always align on vintages. There is a ton of overlap, but for example I think 2019 is fantastic for Barolo, but less so for Barbaresco, while on the other hand 2020 for Barbaresco is pretty incredible, and it seems less so for Barolo. I have yet to try the 2020 PdB though. Sadly, it was gone before I had a chance to try it at an event recently and I have yet to go grab a bottle.
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Yes. And 2011 and 2014 were easier, more successful vintages in Barbaresco than in Barolo.
The topography is so crazy there – lots of ridges at different angles and vineyards at different orientations, and altitudes ranging from ~225 to 450 meters – that rain and hail storms can have very localized effects. On top of that, you have big soil variations and the moderating effect of the Tanaro River in Barbaresco and Verduno.
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Do you mean the regular PdB Barbaresco or does this include the single-cru PdB Riservas as well?
I really enjoyed '19 BdV (haven’t tried the other Vajra crus yet), but I haven’t had any '19 PdB yet (regular cuvee or single-cru), so I would be interested in your take. I’m hoping Galloni was just being over-the-top with his unenthusaistic appraisal of the '19 PdB Riservas.
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just the regular PdB Barbaresco. I haven’t had any of the Riservas yet. The regular bottling was good, but I may even prefer 2017 over the 2019, due to the fruit feeling more red imo.
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