2005 Barolo: A Dark Horse Emerges 

Two thousand five has never been a vintage of obvious across the board greatness in Barolo as it was in both Burgundy and Bordeaux, its two closest global peers. The weather was much more challenging, which, among other things, made the wines hard to read at the outset. Now, at ten years of age, the best 2005 Barolos are showing all of their pedigree and potential. Although 2005 is not in the same league as the truly epic vintages of the last decade or so – 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010 – it is not too far behind. 

As readers will see from these notes and from my original reviews of these wines, 2005 yielded a number of top-notch Barolos. Even so, the 2005s did not get much attention when they were first released in 2009. The global economy was struggling to get back on its footing after a historic meltdown on a scale that had never been seen before. The 2004s, wines from a vintage marked by both high quality and high yields, took time to sell through, while the promising (and much more obviously great) 2006s, were right around the corner. For more context on 2005, readers might enjoy revisiting my article Barolo 2005: Location, Location, Location.

Rocche di Castiglione, Castiglione Falletto

The 2005 Growing Season