I recommend Giovanni Rosso Cerretta Barolo
Following up as the OP here…
-
I really thought the GD Vajra Albe was a GREAT VALUE at $30. What is the drinking window for this bottle?
-
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?
-
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!
1 Like
Hi Eric
-
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.
-
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.
3 Likes
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.
2 Likes
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.
7 Likes
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.
1 Like
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.
1 Like
Reviving this thread - which I have found helpful - to ask what I know is a general point of conversation in wine regions/varietals across the globe and am wondering how it may apply to Nebbiolo/Piedmont.
To sample/explore Barolo and/or Barbaresco, would people recommend picking up bottles from more heralded producers in lesser vintages…or from solid but not quite top tier producers in universally acclaimed vintages?
Also note that at this point I’d be looking more towards vintages in the 2010s (which I realize many would consider far too young, but is kind of where I am) - not sure if that would have an impact. PdB crus come to mind as good bottlings to target as I’ve enjoyed ones that I’ve had.
I’d suggest identifying producers you’re interested in, and trying their Langhe nebbiolo. It’s not always a sure guide to the Barolo/Barbaresco style, but allows you to get useful insight faster.
Good vintage? I think it helps to first understand what good looks like to you. Is it:
- approachable?
- bold?
- austere/sinewy?
I’ve seen some US critics heap praise on hot vintages that produced wines that were rarely to my tastes.
Previously I generally wanted wines to cellar, so I’d tend towards the firm/austere style. However if I liked a wine from a warmer more open year, then I’d still be happy buying it. It might get opened and enjoyed earlier.
As for a general buying strategy, vintage variation is generally not priced in at the outset, as happens with classed growth claret. Over time the secondary market factors that in (and sometimes gets a little too focused on vintage). So I don’t see much reason to buy vintages that maybe aren’t your style at release (there are unlikely to be cut-price bargains), but if you tasted a wine and liked it, that’s a very different matter - buy with confidence.
Get understand the vintage variation, but don’t be a slave to what’s written. Contradictory wines abound.
Best ways to sample? Given the length of time these wines can cellar for, I’d suggest:
- Don’t be afraid to buy young and open young, and drink with a roast or meaty dish or meaty pasta i.e. substantial food to absorb the tannins. The wines don’t seem to close down as hard as they used to, but there’s still a lot of sense in drinking young, or older, but not ~10 YO
- Buy older / mature wines. There seems to be a market for these in the US. Prices may be a little high, but it’s vital to understand what these wines can become, to work out if you really want to cellar them.
- Get out to the Langhe. It’s a lovely part of Italy, and there’s great food and superb walking (through the middle of the vineyards you’ll get to know). It’s a great way to compare wines from different producers and work out which appeal to you. It also helps understand the food that works with the wines (and maybe when NOT to drink Barolo/Barbaresco).
Try to avoid buying too much blind on the recommendations of strangers, be that critics, or us lot here.
4 Likes
A few general observations.
Barolo and Barbaresco to me are quite approachable as young wines these days.
I don’t see the value in the heralded producers as much as the second tier.
Agree with poster above that there are some exceptional Nebiolo d’Alba and Langhe Nebs to be had that gives you a good handle on producer style.
Some producers that I am enjoying at the moment that won’t break the bank:-
Massolino
Cascina Luisin
Marcarini
Brezza
Albino Rocca
Marengo
Fratelli Revello
GD Vajra
Bruno Rocca
4 Likes
I’d add Roagna and Giacosa Valmaggiore.
Great advice here. I would add this -
-
It is a good idea to buy a few bottles of the same 2021s which are on the shelves now - great vintage - and then stagger your consumption for every couple years to see how they age.
-
This may be just my experience, but my “miss” rate at auction with aged Barolo is extremely high. The number of bad, tired, past prime, oxidized etc. Barolo bottles I have purchased at auction is far greater than from other regions.
-
Some people think Barolo has to be extremely old to drink and scoff at opening any bottle less than 10 years old. However, when a specific bottle is drinkable - or when it is in its prime – is highly dependent on the producer, the vintage, and the site where the grapes come from.
1 Like
Don’t just focus on the grand vintages. For example, in general 2012’s are drinking better than 2013’s right now. 2018’s are beautiful and far more enjoyable than 2019’s at this juncture.
3 Likes
Agree with above. You can still find fair pricing on 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2017 from good producers, and I’ve had examples from all recently that showed well.
2017 was more variable, so producer and site matter more there, in my opinion.
2014 is worth a look too—not a powerhouse vintage, but many are beautifully aromatic, lifted, and classic in style.
If you’re just trying to get a feel for Barolo, I probably wouldn’t start with 2010, 2013, or 2016. Those vintages are very structured and unforgiving at this stage…unless you happen to enjoy that salivary gland pain like I do 
2 Likes
Roagna is great but it’s in the upper echelons of pricing.
Advice re vintages is spot on. Although I bought quite heavily in 10,13, 16 and 19, there’s lots of delicious wines in the other vintages!
Same. 2010 is our anniversary year. While 2016 may be uniformly “better” because average quality is so high (and I have a lot of it), there is something about 2010 that is more stern, severe, and holding something of a gravitas that may give the better producers a higher ceiling. At least that’s what I’m gonna say at my 30th, 40th and 50th wedding anniversaries…
You didn’t taste the grapes before marrying?
1 Like