2006 Barolo: A Modern-Day Classic in the Making

by Antonio Galloni

One of the most fascinating aspects of Nebbiolo is its ability to express an extraordinary amount of information with regards to vintage, site, microclimate, terrain and a host of other variables. That seemed to be the overwhelming takeaway from my tastings of the 2006 Barolos. To gain as much perspective as possible, I tasted the 2006 Barolos next to vintages 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009 (where the wines were through malo) at a number of estates including Giacomo Conterno, Altare, Clerico, Brovia, Conterno-Fantino, Bartolo Mascarello, E. Pira, Sandrone, Scavino, Vietti, Roberto Voerzio and others; while at a handful of addresses time constraints allowed for a comparison with just 2005 and/or 2007. I was struck by how distinct each of these vintages is, but most importantly my tastings emphasized a point I think is crucial when it comes to making purchasing decisions; in the vast majority of cases readers will be best served by focusing on the finest producers over vintage characteristics, which by nature are always generalized. All of the wines in this article were tasted between November 2009 and January 2010. I will provide notes on the later-released 2006 Barolos in the October issue. A number of wineries and importers had not set prices as we went to press, but generally readers should expect prices that are in line with the 2005s, if not a touch lower.

To be sure, getting a handle on recent vintages in Piedmont is no easy task. Since 2004 every harvest has been at least above average and in some cases utterly profound. Vintage 2006 is probably the hardest of the current vintages in the pipeline to get a grasp on. For starters, hail was an issue in many places, most dramatically in La Morra, where parts of Arborina were devastated. Bruno Giacosa’s decision to not bottle his 2006 Barolos and Barbarescos (which I addressed in depth in Issue 185) caused a great amount of consternation among producers and was a popular subject of discussion in my visits with growers. It’s worth taking a moment to remind readers that Giacosa’s decision not to bottle his 2006s is largely the result of what was a very difficult year for him personally, rather than an indictment of the overall quality of the vintage.