Traditional vs. Modern Barolo / Barbaresco

[Pat_Burton]

new producers added

[Tom_Wheltle]

Thanks, Pat!

[Dylan_D_Provencher]

Unbelievable thread. Thanks so much Pat. This is a mammoth project of fantastic importance.

[David_Cooper]

I would like to chime in with a thanks to Pat and all the others who have participated in this thread. I check it regularly.

[Pat_Burton]

For those who check regularly, if you find a producer not on the list, please do post and I will update.

[R_yan_C_omaz_zetto]

Not sure this is the right place to ask, but I feel it would be very complimentary to the producer discussion… what about vintages?

Is there any common wisdom to share on which vintages are truly recommended, versus the newest/current vintage for sale? I often see people recommending that there are better prices on better wines if you look at back-filling rather than buying the newest critically acclaimed vintage. I am particularly interested in anything 2001-now, where there doesn’t seem to be any premium vs something older and considered to have some age.

Also, I know there was a thread in which older vintages were discussed, where Klapp had lots to say (of course). I’ve tried to find it, but this kind of stuff is impossible to search for. If anyone can point me to a Klapp post or series of posts in which he goes in depth on older vintages, that would be appreciated too.

[Pat_Burton]

Ryan,
I know the posts by Klapp you are referring to but I don’t know where to look for those either. My take is that the even years are the years to buy: 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. 2001 is also an excellent vintage. There are variable reports on how great/good 2007 is with Klapp indicating that it is a very strong vintage. 2011 and 2012 were largely passes for me with an eye towards 2013.

[Ian_Sutton]

Hi Ryan
There are some recent threads on this subject, especially focused on 1990s, 2000s and of course lots of chat about recent vintages. Definitely worth a search for them.

Vintage assessments seem very much more a matter of opinion, especially it seems the recent pair of 2011 & 2012, and although close geographically, Barolo and Barbaresco can end up performing differently in the same vintage, ditto places higher up or lower down a slope, on different soil, and with different grapegrowers and winemakers. So definitely a very useful & interesting area, but less likely to reach concensus.

regards
Ian

[Ian_Sutton]

FEIE here’s one covering mostly older vintages

Rating the Barolo/Barbaresco vintages since 1931.

Here’s another

Barolo buying strategy re 2011.

[R_yan_C_omaz_zetto]

Ian - you are obviously much better with the search function than I am. Thanks very much.

[John_Morris]

@R yan C omaz zetto

Ian - you are obviously much better with the search function than I am. Thanks very much.

I understand he hires out if you need it.

[Ian_Sutton]

@John Morris

@R yan C omaz zetto

Ian - you are obviously much better with the search function than I am. Thanks very much.

I understand he hires out if you need it.

Are we still talking about the search function here?

[John_Morris]

Yes

[Ian_Sutton]

[James_Billy]

For me, subregionality (or whatever you want to call it) is more important than production methods - especially for wines like Barolo where long ageing is common (and differences in the results from the various technique can become blurred.)

The difference between Barolo/La Morra and the various Eastern/Southern sub region are quite apparent, at least in a vintage like 2012. Comparisons with Bordeaux’s Right Bank and Left Bank, respectively, are there to a degree.

[insert animated GIF of falling pile of bricks]

[John_Morris]

@James Billy

For me, subregionality (or whatever you want to call it) is more important than production methods - especially for wines like Barolo where long ageing is common (and differences in the results from the various technique can become blurred.)

The difference between Barolo/La Morra and the various Eastern/Southern sub region are quite apparent, at least in a vintage like 2012. Comparisons with Bordeaux’s Right Bank and Left Bank, respectively, are there to a degree.

I agree that the subregions – and altitude – are important, and I’m always surprised how little attention this gets from the critics.

That said, I wouldn’t say that’s more important than production methods. In the same village, I find a big difference in the finished wines between those who go the full modern route (short fermentations, lots of barriques) and the more traditional.

As it happens, the hot bed of modernism tends to be along the La Morra/Castiglione border (Altare, Molino, Scavino, etc.), which can skew the perception of the character of those subareas.

[Oliver_McCrum]

For me, the winemaking method determines how clearly I can taste the subregion differences, so winemaking is crucial.

[John_Morris]

Good point, Oliver.

[James_Billy]

I have tasted extensively by region and I find the the differences are big. North/West Barolos are very different to South/East ones regardless of modern/traditional winemaking. YMMV.

[John_Morris]

What producers are you thinking of? I’m curious. Examples where the village shines through different winemaking approaches?