Getting into Barolo

WINE TALK
41

Young Barolo can be amazing. Just make sure to let them breath and follow it over some time (I usually open them in the morning and let the bottle stay in my cellar without being corked, if it doesn’t show a lot on the nose initially).

I personally buy these in all good vintages currently:

Cascina Fontana Barolo
Elio Sandri (both the base and riserva)
Olek Bondonio Roncagliette (Barbaresco)
Trediberri Rocche dell’Annunziata.

And then I add a bit from Fratelli Alessandria, Vietti, Brovia and Massolino when it makes sense for me.
Trediberri’s base Barolo is becoming better by the vintage and is a great short-term Barolo.

42

I think the fear of drinking Barolo too young is overblown – I’ve never really regretted opening a young Barolo and seen it as a waste. It’s “middle-aged” Barolo you got to be careful of. Even then, what’s the worse that is going to happen – you get a mouthful of tannins, but a lot of learnings out of the experience.

I would actually drink recent releases of 2018 because they are still open, very transparent, and will give you a good idea of the winemaking style of the producer. They don’t have a lot of amplitude and can come across as wimpy, but for educational purposes, they are very useful (and two single-cru '18s I’ve had in recent months have had incredibly aromatic noses).

Opening '19s now would be ok, but its a tannic vintage. I like firm tannins, but even for me, it’s a bit rough.

If you can wait until '20, those will probably show well young (though due to the warmth of the vintage, they may not be as transparent to the terroir as the '18s and '19s are. We shall see).

But, if you are shooting for below $75 Barolo, you are going to have to stick with the Classicos (aka “normales”) because I’m seeing most single-cru Barolos north of $100 now. Perhaps single-cru Barbarescos will fit that price range.

For guidance on the Classicos, Gregory dal Piaz upthread has a good list.

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43

I agree with some/much of what you say here, but strongly disagree about the '18s giving a good sense of style. I haven’t had many, but of those I’ve had they don’t speak strongly to producer style, being too simple and dilute. I’m sure there are exceptions, this is just my observation.

I don’t agree with this either. If you shop around you can find many, many good cru Barolo for under $75, though obviously not from the top producers, and often not the top cru made by solid producers, e.g., F. Alessandria’s Gramolere or San Lorenzo can be found under $75, but not the Monvigliero.

44

Agree to disagree on ‘18s. Not a great vintage, highly variable, but for a newbie, they are more approachable than ‘19 and less anonymous than ‘17. And some of the '18s have been pretty good and are not dilute at all. Depends on what you’re drinking.

Also, I wouldn’t say there are “many” single-crus below $75. Even the Alessandrias you cite, per Wineseacher, average $85 (though you can get it for $70 from some retailers). I’m guessing Marcarini and Brezza may be sub $75. But not too many other than that.

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45

I’ve actually had just as good of luck with '17s as 18s, but not found either exciting. Admittedly, there’s probably no Barolo I’ve had in both vintages, which would certainly be helpful for comparison. I have just avoided both vintages for the most part, with so many good vintages to choose from or soon to be released.

I still find plenty of crus for under $75, but yes, that is based on W-S low, not averages. At that level, where the wines aren’t particularly hard to find, I don’t know why I’d pay more than the lowest available price all-in. If the discussion is based on average retail pricing that is a different story entirely.

Producers I’ve recently seen under $75, just off the top of my head: G. Manzone, G. Negri, Baudana, Azelia, Natale Fantino, Cavallotto (BB is cru but also the normale I guess), F. Alessandria, E. Grasso.

Then, to pull the list of just one retailer which has good pricing, Saratoga, I see crus under $75 from some of those same producers, as well as: Fenocchio, Porro, Massolino, Spinona, Pira, Vajra, F. Rinaldi, and many more. Some offers may be the less desirable 17/18, others may be prearrival and/or require purchase in 6 pack (less help to someone exploring). Worth mentioning though that there are some attractive recent back vintages in that list as well. And again, this is also just one retailer and expanding to others the list would only grow. That is to say nothing of sales, deals, or coupons, all of which open up a wealth of options.

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46

If you’re willing to buy 6-packs on pre-arrival, find closeouts on 17/18, use codes and coupons, yes, you can find a lot of single-crus for under $75. I’m not sure how willing OP is to put in the legwork, but yeah, sure. However, if OP wants to get a broad education on Barolo styles and producers, just do the Classicos. He’s just starting off, after all.

47

That list of Classico Barolo represent some of the great wine values out there - terrific wines made by excellent producers. You could really stock your cellar with these recommendations and drink splendidly for a long, long time.

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48

I don’t disagree with that, I’m just saying that, as a general matter, many cru Barolos can be found for less than $75. FWIW, I don’t typically buy these in 6 pack or pre-arrival, but wanted an example with a large selection. I am more likely to be buying from individual offers or from sale offerings or just whenever I find a deal I like. That said, there are a lot of tempting offers there and if I was looking to stock up it would not be a bad place to start. I’ve never bought pre-arrival from Saratoga but they are generally very reliable.

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49

Just to confirm, in almost all vintages Cavallotto’s Bricco Boschis is their least expensive Barolo, but it is a cru.

Their Langhe Nebbiolo meets the minimum aging requirement for Barolo in many vintages, however.

(I import Cavallotto for some US markets.)

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50

Thank you. This was my suspicion.

51

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this was earlier today at a local store. Far less than anything available in NY on wine searcher. I considered buying it as an investment, but held off. Terrifying what scarcity does once a wine becomes famous. I haven’t had the 2016, but I am sure it is incredible, and will age for decades. However, that is also true for many other 2016 Barolo.

52

Very good price, as far as these things go. I’d be very tempted to buy.

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53

You have a ton to work with here, but if you are very interested in learning the region’s Barolo and Barbaresco, I highly reccomend Kerin O’Keefe’s book ‘Barolo and Barbaresco: The King and Queen of Italian Wine’

Below is another list of wines worth trying that should all be under $100. The idea was to go a little wider in style so you can get an idea of what you are into. The first 6 are much more affordable than most. Roero has some values, but Valmaggiore is where the best wines are from in Roero imo. I starred some of my favorites, but there are plenty more worth trying than what is below. Start wherever intrigues you the most and with a bit of curiosity you will find your own path.

G.D. Vajra Barolo Albe
Vietti Barolo Castiglione
Poderi Aldo Conterno Il Favot
*Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco
Pelissero Barbaresco Nubiola
*Bruno Giacosa Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d’Alba

Barolo
*Margherita Otto Barolo
Bruna Grimaldi Barolo Camilla
*Cavallotto Bricco Boschis
Paolo Scavino Barolo
Oddero Barolo
Schiavenza Barolo del Comune di Serralnga d’Alba
Conterno Fantino Barolo Sori Ginestra

Barbaresco
*Poderi Colla Barbaresco Roncaglie
Lano Barbaresco Rocche Massalupo

Roero
*Valfaccenda Roero Rosso Riserva Valmaggiore
Cascina Chicco Roero Valmaggiore Riserva

Lombardy
*AR.PE.PE. Valtellina Superiore Il Pettirosso

Gattinara
Antoniolo Gattinara Osso San Grato

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54

Any thoughts on how the 20s will age? Trying to decide between stocking up on some more BDX for wedding vintage versus adding some Barolo.

55

I agree. You’re not really in position to build a 100 bottle cellar until you’ve drunk 1000 potential wines.

56

Bit hard to say I guess. I’ve only had Nebbiolo Langhe, no Barolo yet. I’m sure there are people here, particularly who live in Europe or have recently visited the region, who know better than me. Before I had any wines from the vintage, my initial fear was that the 20s, with their reputation for fruitiness and the warmth of the vintage, might arrive slightly overripe or simple. They haven’t been. The ones I’ve had have been great, if more accessible than I’m used to with young nebbiolo. Even so, they’ve had sufficient acidity and that clench of tannin on the finish. I don’t see why they shouldn’t age well, and might remain open for quite some time. 2019 and 2021 could be candidates for longer aging, but I have been more impressed than expected with the 20s.

Between that and BDX, I’d buy Barolo, but that’s generally my preference anyway. I’ve read some suggesting 2020 BDX lacks some acid and is a bit too ripe, while others here have said it is great. I don’t really care for young BDX at all and don’t think I’ve had any 20s.

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57

Wow! Great deal (if we can say that about a $300 wine). Cheaper than what I paid for the '19s.

(though I remember when one of my local shops in DC sent out an offer for '07 Burlotto Monvigliero for $69.99 per bottle – speaking of sub $75 Barolos. Now those were the days).

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58

Ive been hearing more and more positive things about the 2020 BDX. Think Ill wait on the pro reviews of the 2020 vintage to make a final decision…

59

One of the '18s I was talking about that had an absolutely stunning aromatic nose was the '18 Bricco Boschis that Alfio was pouring in SF last week. (The other '18 was the Principiano Ravera di Monforte). '17 Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe seemed a little mute and shut down in comparison.

And the '21 Langhe Nebbiolo really did seem like a baby Barolo – sharp, aromatic nose of archetypal “[pine] tar and roses” that just screamed Nebbiolo. '21 really does seem like a very promising vintage – firm structure, but accessible, if this wine is any indication.

Though perhaps my favorite wine Alfio poured was the '21 Barbera Vigna Cucolo. Rich and bright red fruit married with crackling acidity – Wowza.

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60

Pretty sure Galloni already has an article out about 2020 Barbaresco. I recall him being more excited about them than he was the 2019s from Barbaresco.