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2017 Barolo, Part 2: The Late Releases
Italy: Piedmont, featured
, Oct 2021
As always, our fall Barolo article focuses on wines that were bottled this past summer and other late releases. Two thousand and seventeen is a tricky vintage with a degree of variability that requires selection. Many wines are gorgeous, but others are disappointing.
2020 Barolo en Primeur Charity Auction
Piedmont, Italy: Piedmont, featured
, Oct 2021
I am delighted to host the first ever Barolo en Primeur Charity Auction, being held simultaneously in New York City and Grinzane Cavour on October 30 at 12pm New York time and 6pm Piedmont time. This is a rare opportunity to acquire a barrel of 2020 Barolo while supporting your favorite charity. I have created an NFT for each barrel, which will remain with the winner of each lot.
Cellar Favorite: 2001 Armando Parusso Barolo Bussia
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Italy: Piedmont
, Sep 2021
I pulled the 2001 Barolo Bussia from the cellar while thinking back to a dinner with Marco Parusso at one of New York City’s long-lost, great establishments, La Pizza Fresca, back when I worked for a major retailer. That was the first time I was fully introduced to the Parusso style, and the first time I had the opportunity to taste the 2001 among a larger lineup of wines that were there for sale.
Cellar Favorite: 2005 Vietti Barolo Castiglione
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Italy: Piedmont
, May 2021
When I purchased the 2005 Vietti Castiglione for $34 a bottle, I did so knowing that the worst-case scenario is that it would be a great Barolo to check-in over the course of ten years; but what I only realized a few years back is that this bottle, which I thought might be in decline by now, was still maturing in a positive way.
What Makes a Great Barolo Vintage? Establishing a Framework
Italy: Piedmont, featured
, May 2021
What makes a great Barolo vintage? Unlike some regions, Bordeaux being the most notable, Piedmont does not have an established framework that sets out the criteria required for a vintage to be considered very high in potential quality. What follows is my framework of objective criteria that are necessary in order for a Barolo (or Barbaresco) vintage to be considered truly great. It is inspired by the late Denis Dubourdieu and the model he developed for assessing young Bordeaux vintages and the research my colleague Alessandro Masnaghetti has done in collecting and analyzing weather, harvest dates and other data. To that, I add my 20+ years of visiting the region and all of the information I have gathered in speaking with winemakers, agronomists and other professionals over that time, plus drinking more than my fair share of the wines. As with Dubourdieu’s model, this framework addresses the growing season, and does not venture into an assessment of the wines.
2017 Barolo: Here We Go Again…
Italy: Piedmont, featured
, Feb 2021
The 2017 Barolos arrived literally as we published the last of our 2016 Barolo reviews. Time to start all over with new wines and a new vintage. In the last two decades Piedmont has become one of the most dynamic regions in the world. Keeping up with the pace of releases these days is quite a challenge, but it’s an incredibly stimulating challenge, as there is so much to discover. Interest for Barolo and Piedmont has never been higher, pandemic or not. There is plenty to like about the 2017 Barolos, as readers will see.
Conterno Monfortino Magnum Vertical: 1970-2014
Italy: Piedmont, Verticals & Retrospectives, featured
, Feb 2021
With this year’s Festa del Piemonte in full swing I thought it would be fun to revisit one of the highlights from the 2020 edition, our Rare Wine Dinner featuring a stunning vertical of Giacomo Conterno’s Barolo Riserva Monfortino spanning vintages 1970 through 2014. It was truly a night to remember.
Cellar Favorite: 2012 Vietti Barbera d'Asti La Crena
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, Italy: Piedmont
, Dec 2020
We don’t often think of Barbera as a wine that requires a decade or more to reach peak maturity; but then again, most Barberas don’t possess the potential to even last that long. However, when they can and they do, it’s a very special thing.
Barbaresco: The Highs & Lows of 2016-2020
Italy: Piedmont, featured
, Oct 2020
Readers will find a wide range of wines from Barbaresco in the market ranging from majestic, soaring 2016s to the far more variable 2017s and the first 2018 releases. With its stunningly beautiful, hillside vineyards, Barbaresco remains a terrific destination for consumers looking for site-specific, Old World wines that won’t break the bank.
Vinous in London: Cappellano 1971-2012
Italy: Piedmont, featured
, Oct 2020
This retrospective of Cappellano back to 1971, held in London for a small group of Vinous readers, was a fabulous opportunity to revisit a number of wines during what was a very different time in the world. The Cappellano Barolos remain some of the most idiosyncratic and deeply personal wines in the world.