2004 Barolo: The Cream Rises to The Top

Two thousand four confirms its status as one of the all-time great vintages for Barolo. The long, moderate growing season and late harvest produced a set of beautifully perfumed, layered Barolos that are built on class and finesse. 

The 2004 Growing Season and Wines

One of the key attributes of 2004 is that both quality and yields are high, two characteristics that don’t always go hand in hand. After the torrid 2003, during which the vines ceased vegetative development in order to conserve energy, the more temperate conditions of 2004 led plants to unleash all of their stored energy, which in turn produced a large crop. Diligent growers reported making several passes in the vineyard in an attempt to restrict yields, but there is only a certain amount man can impose on nature. A few wines have put on additional weight in bottle, but those are largely Barolos that already hinted at considerable volume when they were younger. I was also deeply impressed with a handful of entry-level Barolos from top growers that showed far better than I would have ever expected. So much of the wine world revolves around the importance of vintages, yet I continue to believe consumers are often best served by focusing on producer first.

A fall view from the rooftop of Conterno-Fantino’s cellar

There are, of course some disappointments. Not all growers handled the high yields well. Some wines show signs of dilution while others have been virtually killed by excessive use of French oak. On that note, time continues to prove that intense concentration and high levels of new oak are not conducive to making ageworthy Barolo. Quite frankly, that may not be every producer’s objective, and that is fine. But is increasingly clear that French oak in Barolo must be of the very highest quality (which has not always been the case) and needs to be used with the utmost of care. When it is not, wines end up with very narrow windows of maturity, as is the case with some of these 2004s. The concept that aging Barolo in French oak results in wines that drink well early is a myth. In fact, these wines are often massively tannic when young and then age quickly, something history and repeated tastings of older vintages continue to prove beyond any reasonable doubt. As always, there are a few exceptions that prove the rule, but they are, in fact, exceptions. It is hardly a surprise that larger botti (casks) have returned to many cellars.

A discussion of modern and traditional schools in Barolo is much more complex and wide-ranging than the scope of this article, and it involves many factors, not the least of which is the quality of vineyards, an area where Piedmont’s historic, established families hold a significant advantage over the newer wave of producers who began estate bottling in the 1980s and 1990s. Suffice it to say that gorgeous wines come from both modern and traditional schools, as do wines that ultimately fail to deliver the goods. Still, there is no denying that most of the wines in this report that did not show as well as they did young belong to the modern camp.

Domenico Clerico’s 2004s are stunningly beautiful

What Am I Looking For at Ten Years?