With our Great Wines of Italy wine tasting event coming up next month across the USA, we look back on what producers said about the 2010 vintage in Barolo. Is it one of the best ever for the region?
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From 2014:
The 2010 vintage was a big one for Barolo. Much was said about it in the press. It definitely was an outstanding vintage that is well above, in terms of quality, many of the top vintages of our young century. However, is it the best ever?
Well, in order to answer that question, we interviewed owners and enologist of some of the top estates in Barolo. The lack of any climatic excesses during the 2010 vintage produced balanced and drinkable wines almost across the board. And although all agree that it is an outstanding vintage, it is too early for consensus.
One defining feature of this vintage is the variability and definition of the different vineyards. The 2010 vintage is an irregular one – wines are of excellent quality, but not completely across the board. As James mentions, some of the better vineyards were La Serra, Brunate and Rocche dell'Annunziata among others. But as one cannot judge the quality of a film by a single element of production, one cannot judge the quality of a vintage by certain parts of the appellation.
But going back to the initial question: Is 2010 one of the best Barolos ever?
Watch some of the top Barolo producers speak on the subject and pay attention to James' concluding remarks.
