I’m having a crazy week and don’t know when I’ll have time to post notes.
Galloni likened the vintage to a hangover from the difficult 2017, and said “the market will soon be awash with … weak, emaciated 2018 Barolos.”
Hangover from 2017. Interesting. 2017 was an incredibly dry year. I wonder if we are going to have a similar experience with 2022 and 2023. 2022 was another significantly dry year in the Langhe, with record droughts in the Po River Valley just to the north. And there has been very little snow fall this winter to date.
You’d have to know localized rainfall figures and temperatures to know if there’s is any parallel in later years. Evidently 2017 was both very dry and very hot, so the vines overproduced in 2018 after a wet winter. There was something like this in Bordeaux one year back in the 1980s. I think it was 1984 – a bad frost in the spring followed by prolific production by the vines in '85.
So a little update.
I had a tasting today with Francesca Vaira and asked her about 2021 vs others. She had plenty of different vintages to sell at the tasting and played it a bit coy but her eyes lit up and she said all the collectors are already circling around 2021, which might be partly due to this thread of course.
What was more interesting is what she added after. She said that 2021 was the first time in her experience that the Nebbiolo juice had smelled so potently and so good during crushing and fermentation. She said Nebbiolo is normally a shy grape at that point in terms of smell.
She also added that in 2022 the same smell thing happened. She wasn’t sure about the 2022 alcohols though and water management was a big issue in 2022 so I’d expect a spottier performance with high highs but potential pitfalls.
So my expectation right now, based on the analysis above and this new input, is that 2021 might even be better than 2016 and 2010. A real back up the truck vintage. I even hesitated before posting this.
On a separate note, she was also waxing poetic about Conterno’s Sensory glass. Said it is bar none the best for Barolo and specifically said it’s way better than Zalto which in her opinion was the prior best.
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Thanks for the notes. I’m attending a dinner with her next week in LA.
For Zalto was she previously recommending the bordeaux or burgundy glass?
She didn’t say. I’d presume Burgundy.
Does anyone have any further information regarding 19-20-21? Curious how things are shaping up!
Nothing too serious, but a trio of my friends went to Langhe this fall and told me that 2021 is shaping up to be very promising indeed. Although they said 2019, 2020 and 2021 were all much better than 2017 and 2018, it was 2021 that seemed to hold most promise.
They’re going to throw a tasting of 2021 Langhe Nebbiolos in the near future, so we’ll see if they are good - and if they are, hopefully it’d be an indication of high quality for the BarBars.
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I’ve had quite a few wines from amongst the three vintages at this point, mostly Nebbiolo Langhe but some Barbaresco, Valtellinas, Alto Piedmonte, etc., and just a couple of Barolos, I’d say they’re shaping up pretty much as initially described. 2019 is very structured and the most classical. Definitely not a vintage for showing a lot of fruit early. 2020 is the most forward, but very fresh and really quite easy to love; I like it more than I’d expected and think it’s much fresher and more vibrant than 2015, for instance. 2021 I’ve obviously tried the least of, but from limited sampling they seem, as advertised, like a hypothetical blend of the qualities of the other two. I will continue to buy all three. I anticipate the '20s and '21s will provide more early enjoyment. In comparison, the 19s seem austere, but should age well.
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As Otto says, it seems like the most common narrative is that they are all promising, but 2021 is the best. I heard mixed things from winemakers on a trip over the past few weeks, and everyone also has their own particular circumstances where maybe one vintage is favored over another for something unique to the winery.
I am personally very attracted to the 2020s, even if it’s possible the '19s are going to be better in the long run. The '20s have radiant, sweet fruit that’s not overripe and it seems to be kind of a more elegant vintage in terms of the texture of the wines from my (limited) experience. A good winemaker referred to '20 as the vintage of the three that you would probably like best if you tend to gravitate towards Burgundy.
2021 is clearly a dense, powerful vintage. One winemaker preferred their '22 over their '21 because they thought it had more site character, although I preferred the '21 barrel myself.
2022 seems to be a solid vintage based on two barrel samples, better than I’d have thought given the weather conditions.
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I. Interested in the 20s for the long haul, though some have noted that may not be the way to look at them. Hoping thats not the case and they can go the distance!
I see no reason why any of these three vintages shouldn’t age perfectly well. If I was betting on being particularly long-lived I’d choose one of the other two vintages, likely '19. That does raise the question of what we mean by “going the distance” with Piedmont nebbiolo? Unless you’re socking these away for your children or grandchildren, I suspect any of these vintages should age satisfactorily, assuming good producers and good storage.
Fwiw
Roberto Conterno: “We hereby would like to inform you that the vintage 2019 - for our winery - has been one of the best ever…”
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I only had a few 2019 Barolo and Barbaresco so far. Yes they will require some time, but I enjoyed all of them and are pretty sure they will age well.
Had a 2019 Cascina Fontana three weeks ago… absolutely stunning wine!!!
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This is all very hopeful. Three excellent quality vintages in a row would be unprecedented in Piemonte. Perhaps one could compare the run of 2006-2010, or 2015-2017. Regardless, more good quality and choices would be great for all concerned.
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Based on what I’ve tasted and heard 19-21 should prove a more successful run than either of those you mention.
I believe each should be better than '15. Overall, I think that '17 is uneven, and definitely not excellent. Only time will tell which, if any, of the recent three may equal '16.
As for the earlier run, I don’t have as much experience, but I certainly don’t know that they are all excellent. The '09s I’ve had suggest a mixed vintage. '06 to '08 seem good vintages, but the '07s perhaps a bit ripe. Someone with more experience than me would have to give more insight.
Personally I am stocking up on 2019-2021. I can then kinda dismiss 2022 and 2023 which doesn’t sound as promising as this current run. Did the same with 2016. Bought a lot and then I skipped most in 2017 and 2018.
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I’m not sure there has ever been a trio of really acclaimed vintages before. Maybe '04 - '06, '06 - '08 or '99 - '01, but '00 and '07 are not so well viewed with the benefit of hindsight and the '05s are very good but it’s not an acclaimed year.
It does feel to me like the market has slowed down for Barolo with the '19s. Not that the prices are that low, but outside of maybe Burlotto I feel you can pretty much buy anything you want. Even Giuseppe Rinaldi, you just have to pay the price but the wines are out there in big quantities. Bartolo has really hung on the market at low (relative to '16) prices. Vietti Ravera is an insanely good wine in '19 and has lingered on the market in the mid-$200s. With two more very good years coming up, it currently feels like a buyers market, with plenty of great wines lingering <$100 like Vajra/Baudana, Grasso, Francesco Rinaldi, Fratelli Alessandria, Trediberri, Giacomo Fenocchio, etc.
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I have so much of this wine!
I love the structure of the 2019s. Very, very promising (though universally austere – even the more modern, fruit-forward Barolos). The '20 Langhes that I’ve tried so far have also been very delicious and forward – I’m just wondering whether the '20 Barolos and Barbarescos will have the structure to age – waiting to see for myself when they get released in the US .
If anything, I feel like there are almost too many good vintages to choose from. I’ve been back-filling '13s and '16s for the past couple of months, and have just started acquiring '19s (I’ve really only bought Burlotto, Vajra, and Trediberri at this point – glad to read the note that other '19s are still readily available). I’m actually wondering whether the ‘19s’ austerity is keeping folks from purchasing them – at tasting, I’ve heard several people complain about how unapproachable the wines were.
I try not to be a vintage cherry-picker, but considering how many '13 and '16 Barolos and Barbarescos are still out there (at least in the secondary market) and with the release of the '19s, I just don’t feel a huge desire to chase down '17s (which I haven’t cared for) or '18s (which I have bought selectively only after tasting).
I am actually thinking of buying rather selectively for '20 and waiting to see how the '21s turn out when they get released.
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