I am starting to try more and more of my 1964 Baroli and remaining Barbareschi, and I have been fortunate enough to source small quantities of some other 1964s here, including the Cappellano Barolo, the G. Mascarello normale and Riserva and a few bottles of the Produttori Barbaresco Riserva Speciale. I have (or have had) the Monfortino and G. Conterno Barolo, the Aldo Conterno Barolo Riserva Speciale, the Bartolo Cannubi and all of the Giacosas. I suppose that it would be even more useful if we add Ghemme and Gattinara to the discussion as well.
In 1991, the late and great Sheldon Wasserman, in the second and final edition of his seminal work, “Italy’s Noble Red Wines”, felt that the 1989 Nebbiolo vintage was in a class by itself (a case that some might still make, and with good authority), followed by these tiers:
1990, 1985, 1971, 1958
1988, 1982
1986, 1978, 1947
1970, 1964, 1955
1961, 1957
1979, 1967
1987, 1974
(None of the other vintages below these are of general interest, and Wasserman died without being able to taste the 1996s or any of the vintages of the new milennium that get votes for classic Nebbiolo vintage status.)
We now have over two additional decades of tasting experience for old Nebbiolo, and I think that few would agree that Sheldon’s vintage assessments have stood the test of time, although his assessments of producers and particular wines surely have in so many cases. For me, the top tier would be shared among 1996, 1989, 1978, 1971 and 1964 for sure, perhaps 1982 as well, with 1985 and 1961 near-misses, with the understanding that such lists are not particularly important to understanding great Nebbiolo. (I will let the jury stay out a while longer on 2001, 2004 and 2006, although I have bought all three vintages.) I am curious as to whether those with good experience with the 1964 vintage believe that it, too, belongs at or near the top. We know from Wasserman (again, as published in 1991) that the Marchesi di Barolo thought 1964 to be an exceptional vintage, and Renato Ratti rated it the best between 1947 and 1971, high praise indeed. (I probably agree.) Alfredo Currado said that 1964 was on a par with 1961 and 1967, and Giuseppe Rinaldi picked it as the best of the decade and on a par with 1971. I can say with confidence that it has no damn business being on the line with 1970 and 1955, and even though 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990 produced some good to outstanding wines, none of those strike me as long-haulers of the likes of 1964, 1971, 1978, 1989 and 1996. And with another two decades gone by, more 1958s appear to be shot than not today, and pre-60s bottles are pretty much a total provenance crapshoot, regardless of earlier perceived vintage quality. Based upon my experiences, it seems that 1964 has taken (or is still taking!) a lot longer to come around than either 1961 or 1971, although 1978 is generally slower still (and for me, probably the greatest vintage that I will ever taste, almost across the board).
But I digress. The real question is: how good are the 1964 Nebbioli in the grand scheme of things, with focus on complexity, comparative quality, relative maturity, potential longevity and the like? I’m verklempt. Talk amongst yourselves…
