Piedmonte vintages

[Ambrose]

Anyone have an opinion the recent Piedmonte vintages?

Just cracked a (delicious) 2014 barbaresco made by Dave Fletcher.

I note that the 14’s aren’t very well regarded but this is drinking so well as a young wine - balanced and not too heavily built. Reminds me a bit of 2014 Bordeaux & wondering if I should buy some more 14’s for early drinking - plenty still available here in oz. Or are the 16’s a better bet?

[Comte Flaneur]

Anyone have an opinion the recent Piedmonte vintages?

Just cracked a (delicious) 2014 barbaresco made by Dave Fletcher.

I note that the 14’s aren’t very well regarded but this is drinking so well as a young wine - balanced and not too heavily built. Reminds me a bit of 2014 Bordeaux & wondering if I should buy some more 14’s for early drinking - plenty still available here in oz. Or are the 16’s a better bet?

Ambrose - even though Barolo and Barbaresco are only ten miles apart they have different micro climates and you would be surprised how different they can be in a given vintage. The 2014 vintage is a good case in point. It was a difficult year in Barolo (4/10) - rain at the wrong time - but a very good one in Barbaresco (8/10). Similarly but in reverse 2010 is a great vintage in Barolo (9/10) but not so great in Barbaresco (5/10). So in 2010 Produttori del Barbaresco declassified its single vineyard crus into the generic Barbaresco blend.

The 2016s are outstanding in both Barolo and Barbaresco (9-10/10 for both). The 2015 is pretty good too in both, and a warm vintage, and there are similarities with Bordeaux in this regard for these two recent vintages. Likewise in 2017 conditions were more difficult in both regions of Piedmont because of drought like conditions and extreme heat from June onwards. The 2013 vintage is a great classic vintage in Barolo (9/10) and a good one in Barbaresco (7/10).

A really good vintage to drink now in both regions is 2011 (Barolo 7/10/ Barbaresco 8/10), which was a warm year but the wines are delightful, and accessible. The 2012 vintage is generally solid in both (6/10 in both). From what I have read the 2018 vintage is warm and accessible like 2011. The next great vintage will be 2019. I have tried a few basic Nebbiolos which have been spectacular. Great vintages seem to come every three years in Piedmont.

[AKR]

In 2010, the PdB declassified their cru's, but those grapes didn't go into all bottling runs. They had 3 runs IIRC and the latter two got those grapes. There is some way one can tell by looking at the back label, and I think my remaining bottles are from that. There might have been some politics, and economic issues going on as well.

I've had a couple of them so far, and find them still too stern, tart. Perhaps they might never come around. This is heresy on wine boards, but I'm not really all that enthused about that co-op.

[DavidG]

Arv, I'd offer to trade my Barde Haut for your Produttori, but I no longer have any BH.