1996 Piedmont: The Proof is in the Pudding

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | OCTOBER 19, 2017

Nineteen ninety-six occupies a special place in the hearts of Piedmont lovers. The 1996 Barolos and Barbarescos have always been thrilling. But the wines have also been very slow to develop. How are they showing at 20 years of age?

Steep hillsides and snaking contours are two of the signatures of the Rocche di Castiglione vineyard, Castiglione Falletto

The 1996 Growing Season and Wines

Piedmont was coming off a string of unimpressive years in the mid-1990s. After the boom created by the 1990s, Piedmont suffered through dismal vintages in 1991 and 1992. The 1993s were modest, but not more than that. Rain just before harvest ruined what was shaping up to be a spectacular year in 1994. The 1995s were lauded at the outset because in the context of the preceding years, the vintage looked pretty good. But hail was an issue in some spots and the wines, with a few exceptions, turned out to be rough. 

Then 1996 arrived. The cold, late ripening season yielded deep, massively structured Barolos and Barbarescos. At the time, the question was whether or not the wines had enough fruit to outlast the tannins. And that was a fair question, because the 1996s were very slow to develop. Stylistically, the closest vintage to 1996 was, and remains, 1978. The next year, 1997, a warm growing season produced rich, luscious wines in a style similar to 1990. With that, the 1996s were quickly forgotten.

In the pre-euro days, the 1996s were priced in lira. Many producers took advantage of the hype surrounding the 1997s and the strong US dollar and raised prices. I lived in Italy at the time and remember watching it all unfold. As I tasted the 1996s and 1997s on release, I gravitated naturally to the 1996s. The wines were so much more vibrant, nuanced and, frankly, interesting. They were also completely ignored in favor of the 1997s and less expensive. That said, some of the more traditionally made wines showed only glimpses of their ultimate potential and remained nearly impenetrable for many years. Today, though, the best wines have more than fulfilled the early promise they showed.