Barolo apogee

After many tastings of great Barolos (Accomasso, Massolino, Bartolo Mascarello, Giuseppe Mascarello, Giuseppe Rinaldi - the last one, perfect, was yesterday and it was a Ravera Cannubi San Lorenzo 2006), I wonder about their apogee :
10 to 15 years ?
More ?

Fabio Allesandria (Burlotto) generally likes his wines after 10 years.

I must admit that i have few experience with old vintages.
I found some 1990 very good but it was in 2002 :
Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra
Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia Soprana
Roberto Voerzio Barolo Cerequio

It obviously depends on the vintage and quality of the wine, but I’d say 20-40 years for high quality producer and great vintage. A wine like the 1999 or 2001 Conterno Francia, coming from Serralunga where the wines are particularly powerful - I find those wines young right now after 20 years.

Great wines well stored from '58-'71 continue to drink very well so clearly the best wines can go 50-60 years, as well, but I’m guessing the peak of most of those wines was a decade or more ago. I can’t say from personal experience.

Rob,

I recently had some disapointment in verticales with some last vintages :

  • Giuseppe Mascarello Monprivato 1994 (too old)
  • Bartolo Mascarello 2008, 2004 (old too)
  • Burlotto Monvigliero 1997

Preferring the “not to old” wines (I could say the same for a Jamet Côte-Rôtie verticale).
I can imagine that some Barolos can age.

But I found perfect Conterno Monfortino 2002 and Giuseppe Ca d’Morissio 2003 and 2004 after 10 to 15 years of cellaring (I would not say the same for Bordeaux, generally needing 25 to 30 years).

you had a very, very odd bottle here - this was superb a few months ago and quite young. aromatics were pristine.

Probably flawed … and i have no comparison (but I have some ups and dows for B. Mascarello 2006, tasted 5 times).
I had the same symptom two days before (a lot of soy sauce) on two bottles of Gattinara Antoniolo San Francesco 2008 (another bottle was ok).

No conclusion about a weak Bartolo Mascarello Cannubi Riserva 1957 drunk in 2007 (the Pape-Clément 1957 and Calon-Ségur served with it in trio were excellent, in a brilliant apogee for a 50th years anniversary).

With 1994 Monprivato, that is not surprising given the vintage. 1997 likewise is a vintage that appears to have not aged well, although I don’t have personal experience with it. As others have said, I think for both the '04 and '08 Bartolo if you found the wine to be showing old then it must have been flawed. The '08 has beautiful aromatics but continues to show very young in my experience, and a recent bottle of the '04 was fairly shy suggesting it is also too young.

Rob,

Note that “My” 2004 and 2008 B. Mascarello were in magnum … The wine should age more slowly but a guess, winemaker in Pessac, evoked the possibility of a problem due to this specific bottling.

I have never been a fan of Sandrone and Voerzio 1997, drunk many times on différent crus (both have very high ratings). I must also say that I really prefer old style Barolo, without oak.

It’s hard to say. Some of my best experiences have been from wines from 1958, 1961 and 1964. I still reckon there are quite a few '71’s and '74’s that have plenty left in the tank. Barolo is delicious young and tends to start really showing well at 10 years of age. I don’t think there is a definitive answer.

Jeremy,

Of course, this issue is complex.
For me, Barolo (and Barbaresco as well as Haut-Piémont) turns out to be fully affordable quite young and does’nt seem to age as harmoniously as Bordeaux.

I recently tasted bright 2013 (Burlotto Acclivi), 2012 (Burlotto Monvigliero), 2011 (B. Mascarello, G. Rinaldi), 2009 (G. Mascarello), 2008 (Accomasso Rocche and Rocchette), …

The 2010 (Burloto, Massolino) will stay in my cellar for another 2 to 5 years.

2014 is a difficult vintage for Barolo (I saw that in G. Rinaldi’s cellar, less in Verduno, visiting Burlotto) and should be drunk young.
Barbaresco was less affected in 2014 :
Barbaresco Cascina Roccalini 2014 : 18/20
Barbaresco : Rivella Serafino “Montestefano” 2014 : 17/20+

Brilliantly put. I would add 1970 among the oldies
In 1964 the wines were built to last the 50+ years easily (if stored ok). My favourite vintage of the 60´s
I love young Nebbiolo/Spanna too

I pretty much agree with Jeremy. It should be noted that the Barolo being produced today is not the same as it was in the 1950s and 1960s, when (I am told) they were tannic monsters that a) required time and b) ensured a long life in the better vintages. I enjoy some right on release and have older bottles (70s/80s/90s) on occasion. For better modern examples the sweet spot seems to start between 10-15 years depending on vintage, cru, producer. So it really seems a case of preference. I enjoy very old wines when there is still some remnant of the original fruit along with the tertiary notes. Young wines show freshness and purity of fruit. Unless a Barolo is in a closed phase, I find something to be enjoyed a most stages of its life.

Yes, 1994 was not a good year, and 1997 was very warm. The '97s often showed alcohol and seemed to lack structure. I wouldn’t form any opinions about Barolo’s ability to age based on those vintages!

The '78s seem to be just entering their best drinking window (it was a great vintage), and most people say that the '89s (another great year) are still some years off. Most '96s need a lot more time, too.

I’ve been disappointed by many bottles from the 60s and 70s, but not all have been from top producers, and they were all purchased on the secondary market, so I have no idea how they were stored. But certainly in the best years, the wines can easily need 30 or 40 years to really show their best. Of course, as you (Laurent) say, it’s partly a matter of preference. But I don’t think you really see the potential complexity in nebbiolo at 10 or 15 years.

FYI, 2010 is generally seen as a vintage that will need a long time to come around. I think you might be cheating yourself if you open them that soon.

Also, be aware that Burlotto and Massolino are at opposite ends of the appellation. Massolino is in Serralunga, where the soils produce wines that are generally more structured and need more time, while Burlotto’s wines, mostly from Verduno plus from Cannubi in Barolo, are somewhat more feminine.

For sure and for other reasons Vigna Rionda is not Monvigliero …

IMO the 2010 Burlotto Monvigliero has outclassed the 2013 many times
It has not closed deep down yet but will taste even better in 2030 than now
2010 Vigna Rionda is a 2040 thing. [cheers.gif]

I´m not th biggest fan of Italian wines - so I´m maybe not the appropriate scale, but what I most enjoyed were Barolos (and Barbarescos) older than 25 years, better 35+ years … 1985, 1982, 1978, 1971, 1967, 1964, 1961 and older …

In February I had a very fine Barolo 1965 Ratti, opened for the birthday of a dear friend.

Young Barolos rather bore me, too much tannin and acidity … not much more …

In my experience, Barolo matures to a lengthy ‘plateau’, rather than a (shorter) apogee, at least with classical/old style barolo…making the issue easier to deal with. This might be different with modern, or the more recent ‘burgundy styled’ barolo, not sure.

My last tastings, at the domain in november 2015 :
Massolino Barolo Vigna Rionda Riserva 2009 : 17,5/20+
Nez racé, complet : châtaigne, accents balsamiques marqués. Bouche ample, charpentée et en même temps d’une folle élégance. Elle reste très compacte donc la patience s’impose encore.

Massolino Barolo Vigna Rionda Riserva X 2004 : 18/20
Version « gardée 10 ans au domaine » avant mise en vente. Méticuleusement servi au Coravin par notre hôte. Magnifique évolution aromatique ayant déployé des parfums de viande rôtie, de tabac, d’herbes aromatiques multiples. Bouche puissante, encore mâcheuse. Grosses saveurs. Imprégnation et fraîcheur orangée. Splendide vin de classe mondiale.

Merci beacoup Laurent
Last time I had a Massolino Rionda Riserva was a 2001 6 months ago
It was painfully young. I would wait 10 years++

It could be the same for a Conterno Monfortino …

I highly rated the Mascarello Monprivato 2009 :
DS19 - PR19 - LG18,5/19 - MS19 - FM19 - AA19 - MF18,5
Dans une série de haut niveau, ce vin s’avère réellement exceptionnel, très complexe (subtile intrication de terre, rose, framboise, kumquat,
épices, réglisse, résine, châtaigne, …), doté d’interminables saveurs fraîches. La sève et l’équilibre sont époustouflants, comme évidents
(l’évidence des vins de classe mondiale). Puissance délicate, enivrante.

No regret to drink it after only ten years … but I wish I had ten more bottles in my cellar [cheers.gif]