ThestargrapeinItaly’snorthernPiedmontisnebbiolo,
namedforthemistyfogthatdriftsoverthehillsatharvest
time,whenaromasofwhitetrufflesandfermentingwinefill
theair.It’stheItalianequivalenttoBurgundy’spinotnoir
andasimportanttotheregionascabernetis toNapaValley.
Nebbioloisa trickygrape,thin-skinnedanddifficultto
vinify.Tofullyripen,it requiresa longgrowingseason,which
tamesitsfamoustanninsyetletsthewineageindeliciously
complexways.Thehauntingblendoflic-
orice,cherry,andfloralaromas;layersof
complexflavors;andelegantstructureare
keytotheappealofitsmostfamouswine,
Barolo,namedafterbotha villageanda
partoftheregion.
In 2016 vintners there anticipated
a magnificentvintagebeforetheyhad
pickeda singlegrape.Forstarters,the
weatherhadbeenperfectthroughout
thegrowingseason,saysJimmyMinutella
ofRenatoRatti,whosesingle-vineyard
BaroloRocchedell’Annuziata($105)brims
witha rose-petalbouquetandglidesover
thetonguelikevelvet.
Noheatwaves,frosts,orhailstorms
interruptedtheseason.Themonthsof
JulyandAugusthadlowhumidityand
temperaturesthatwereaboveaveragebutnothotterthan
95F.Occasionalrainspreventedheatstress.September
broughtcoolereveningtemperatures,extendingthegrow-
ingseason.
Butlabeling 2016 a greatvintageforBaroloisnotonly
a reflectionoftheweather.Addtothatsomescience:The
localgovernment’sagriculturedepartmentandfacultyatthe
UniversityofTurincheckthequalityofgrapesbymeasur-
ingcomponentssuchassugarlevelsandacidityinclusters
pluckedfrom 15 strategically chosen Barolo vineyards. “We
start with data,” says Matteo Ascheri, president of the regional
consortium of winemakers in Piedmont, which represents
more than 500 producers.
To the analyses and their implications for the final product,theconsortiumaddedratingsfromproducersandcriticsata
NebbioloPrimaprevieweventinAlbaearlierthisyear,aswell
asfromglobalsommeliersandcriticslikemewhotastedthe
winesinNewYorkinFebruary.Afterwardallwereaveraged
togethertocomeupwiththefinalofficialscore,whichrang
inatanalmost-perfect99.3outof100,andwasannouncedat
thefirstBaroloBarbarescoWorldOpeninggaladinner.There
were 200 producersonhand.
“ThisisoneofthebestvintagesI’veevermade,with
35 harvestsonmyshoulder,”saidLucaCurrado,winemaker
atViettis.r.l.,whosestunningsingle-vineyardBaroloRocche
diCastiglione($200)nicelyillustratesthecharacterofthe
year:perfectbalance,alongwithexpansiveanise,mint,and
spicearomas;darkplumandcherryflavors;plush,smooth
texture;andthestructuretoagefor 30 yearslonger.
RegulationsrequireBarolostobeaged 38 months before
being released, so bottles of this exceptional vintage are just
arriving. The timing couldn’t be better. “At auction, the region
is now a hot category, with wine prices climbing 30% to 40%
in the last four years,” says Ben Nelson of Chicago’s Hart Davis
Hart Wine Co., which in July held a sale of 30,000 bottles,
including many vintages of rare Barolos, from the cellar of
New York’s Del Posto restaurant.
Robbie Stevens, senior account man-
ager at Liv-ex, the global marketplace for
the wine trade, says the 2016 release has
been “a catalyst in getting savvy collec-
tors of Bordeaux and Burgundy to look at
Barolo’s under-the-radar investment poten-
tial and value for quality and then buy
older vintages such as 2010.” You can even
find examples from the 1960s and ’70s.
Five years ago the region accounted
for only 7% of the Italian wine traded on
Liv-ex; it’s up to 27% this year. Prices of
top 2016s, released earlier in Europe, are
already rising. Luciano Sandrone’s succu-
lent, silky Barolo Le Vigne is up 13%, trad-
ing at $1,237 for a case.
That the wines are exempt from the
25% U.S. trade tariffs on French, English,
Spanish,andGerman bottles also aids Barolo’s popularity.
(The U.S. Trade Representative is debating whether to include
more countries on its list of tariffs; a decision is expected in
August.)
Many Burgundy lovers see parallels between pinot noirs
from grands crus vineyards and single-vineyard Barolos.
Traditionally, producers blended their wines from several
sites, but a few decades ago they started showcasing individ-
ual sites separately. These bottlings increased, and in 2010,
villages and the consortium legally codified 170 single vine-
yards in the region’s 11 communes.
Currado says you can taste the difference among every
one in the 2016s. “Each wine shows its personality,” he says,
“which is essential for a great vintage.” Better get in line. <BW>62
ILLUSTRATION BY 731CRITIC BloombergPursuits July 27, 2020The latest available vintage shows
Italy’s savory, silky Barolos have
never been better. By Elin McCoyWhere 2016
Was Perfect