Newly Released Barolos Including the Underrated 2014 and Older Vintages
I honestly didn’t think it was possible for 2014 to produce so many outstanding bottles of Barolo. Granted that it didn’t perform like recent top vintages, such as 2010 to 2013, in the market but it did make some solid and delicious bottles despite the climate difficulties.
The problem with the vintage 2014 was the cold and wet growing season in the summer, particularly July. I remember being in Barolo and Barbaresco in mid-July, and the weather was cold and rainy. The weather problems were almost biblical in nature with flash floods and hail storms. One storm even took the paint off my car!
James and Bruna Giacosa of Bruno Giacosa, from the village Neive in the Langhe region. Bruno Giacosa is one of the leading producers of Barbaresco and Barolo wines.
Nevertheless, it was amazing to see what the Barolo producers have bottled in 2014. Some say it is an exceptional vintage. And rumors have it that the legendary winery Giacomo Conterno is bottling all of its production from 2014 as his coveted Barolo Monfortino. “It’s an excellent year,” says Bruna Giacosa, head of the revered Barolo family. “We made fantastic wines.”
Indeed, if I had just judged the vintage on the wines of the top producers — such as Conterno (Giacomo and Aldo), Roberto Vorezio, Bruno Giacosa, Pio Cesare and Paolo Scavino — I would say that it was another excellent year. However, generally speaking, the Barolos made in 2014 are scored two to three points less than the same wines in a more highly reputed year.
“I believe it is a vintage where the purity of the nebbiolo shows its best,” says Pio Boffa of Pio Cesare. “To me, finesse and elegance are the hallmarks of this vintage and they are linked with the purity of the fruit. Very accessible and drinkable now, but with some aging potential.”
What I like about the 2014 Barolos is the balance and finesse of the wines. Some of them are very perfumed with floral and berry aromas, which follow through to the medium to full bodies with firm and silky tannins, as well as a fresh finish. And the others have a little dilution in the mid-palate or length, but overall, they show freshness and brightness.
Complex and powerful, these two 2014 Barolos scored 95+ points. Triumph for this underdog vintage.
I am interested in buying and drinking 2014 Barolos myself, as I wait for other vintages such as 2013, 2011 and 2010. On another note, I also find the 2012s, 2009s and older vintages drinking well now. There’s also something fun and exciting about drinking an underdog vintage such as 2014. The image of 2014 in the marketplace is challenging to say the least, especially when Tuscany was weak for many; so, that sets the tone for the year in Italy. Yet, for many Barolos, the reality in the bottle is, in fact, outstanding.
Don’t miss some of the late-releases, which are also included in this report. You’ll find tasting notes of special wines sold after 10 years from the vintage, too. For instance, the 97-point Roberto Voerzio Barolo Fossati Case Nere Riserva 10 Anni 2008 and riserva bottlings such as the 98-point Vietti Barolo Villero Riserva 2010. These are all amazing wines that show the transformation of great nebbiolo with aging. —CEO/Editor James Suckling