Barbaresco:
The Stellar 2021s &amp; Surprising 2022s

BY ANTONIO GALLONI |&nbsp;OCTOBER 29, 2024The 2021 and 2022 vintages show two very different sides of
Barbaresco. Now that most of the wines have been released, the early promise of
2021 is no longer a question of potential but of reality. These are vivid,
exceptionally beautiful wines that show the heights Nebbiolo can reach.
Conditions were much more challenging in 2022, and yet the first wines I have
tasted suggest there may be some surprises in store. We will see.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1730209738455-Rivella_Barbaresco+2024.jpg">Teobaldo and Maria Rivella turn out gorgeous, classically built
wines in their small cellar in Barbaresco’s Montestefano district. 

The 2021 Growing Season &amp; Wines

Two thousand twenty-one was marked by a cold and rainy winter.
Spring was quite cool, leading to a delayed bud break. There was a bit of frost
damage on April 8. The early part of summer remained cool, with some rain in
mid-July that was well-timed. Hail on July 31 affected some areas. Heat picked
up in earnest around August 11. Until this point, the vintage had been tracking
late, but then heat through September brought the ripening window back to a
super-classic mid-October time frame. Rain episodes around harvest do not
appear to have been problematic. Relative to 2020, 2021 saw higher highs and
lower lows, with a longer growing season vis-à-vis 2020 and strong diurnal
shifts during the final phase of ripening that are one of the signatures of
this great Barbaresco vintage.

Many producers turned out superb 2021s. The wines are aromatic,
deep and structured. In other words, classic Barbaresco. Next to the 2020s, the
2021s are more austere, tightly wound and in need of time. In some cases, though,
that youthful austerity might remain. There are some estates where the 2020s
appear to have the upper hand over the 2021s. Top producers turned out
compelling wines in both vintages that will be fascinating to compare for years
to come. I would be hard-pressed to cite consecutive vintages of such high
quality.

It is no secret that the wine market is seeing a period of
softness, which makes this a great time for savvy consumers looking to build
their cellars for the future. Barbaresco remains a superb value in the world of
artisan wines of place.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1730209753106-Albino+Rocca_Barbesco+2024.jpg">The team at Albino Rocca, led by Monica
Rocca, Carlo Castellengo and Daniela Rocca, made some
of their finest Barbarescos ever in 2021.&nbsp; 

What Makes a Great Barbaresco Vintage: An In-Depth Look at 2021

Over the last few years, I have shared a template for a model of
what I think makes a great vintage in Barolo and Barbaresco. It is, of course,
the sum of everything I have learned from many people, organized in a way that
I think makes sense. Unlike Bordeaux, Piedmont does not have an established
framework for what constitutes a high-quality, important vintage. Clearly, many
people have views, but I have never seen them codified. What follows is my set
of objective criteria necessary for a Barolo or Barbaresco vintage to be
considered truly great. This framework is inspired by the late Denis Dubourdieu
and the model he developed for assessing Bordeaux vintages. To that, I add my
20-plus years of visiting Piedmont and all the data I have collected in speaking
with winemakers, agronomists and other professionals over that time, plus
drinking more than my fair share of the wines. As with Dubourdieu’s model, this
addresses the growing season and does not venture into an assessment of the
actual wines.

Indeed, this model was created in the present day. It won’t apply
as well to vintages from previous eras, especially vintages from the
1950s-1970s. At that time, warm weather was considered quite favorable because
grapes struggled to ripen. The warmest vineyards, those that faced due south,
the famous sorís, were the most coveted. Today, in our
climate-change-challenged world, you would be hard-pressed to find a producer
who believes that south-facing vineyards are the most ideal. Last but certainly
not least, with its varying elevations, myriad exposures and different soil
types, Piedmont is inherently complex. In short, Piedmont is not a region that
is intrinsically well-suited to generalizations. Even so, some information is
better than none.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1730209767413-Produttori_Barbaresco+2024.jpg">Tasting the full range of wines with Aldo Vacca and Luca
Cravanzola at Produttori del Barbaresco. 

1. A Long Growing Season – A long growing season, defined as the
period from bud break to harvest, is essential for achieving full physiological
ripening of the fruit, skins and seeds. Since Nebbiolo is already a very tannic
grape, less than full physiological ripeness is heavily penalizing. The 2021
growing season was fairly regular and mostly within the parameters that are
required for the full ripening of fruit. Harvest took place in early October,
perhaps a bit earlier than ideal, but not meaningfully. Therefore, the first
condition is mostly met.

2. Diurnal Shifts – The final phase of ripening must be
accompanied by diurnal shifts, in other words, swings in temperature from warm
days to cool nights. Diurnal shifts create aromatic complexity, full tannin and
flavor development and color. Evening temperatures cooled down markedly in the
weeks leading into harvest, resulting in wines with deep color, aromatic
presence and fully ripe tannins. Thus, the second condition is met.

3. The Absence of Shock Weather Events – Frost and hail can
severely and irreparably damage the crop. Similarly, periods of uninterrupted
elevated heat can block maturation. In 2021, conditions were consistently
warm and dry, with well-timed rains. Frost and hail events, almost always
present in Piedmont to some extent, were limited. There were no heat spikes or
other widespread shock events. The third condition is mostly met.

4. Stable Weather During the Last Month – The last month of the
growing season makes the quality of the vintage. Weather
during this critical period was stable. There was some rain during harvest, but
not enough to have created widespread problems. Thus, the fourth condition is
met.

5. A Late Harvest – Harvest must take place in October (possibly
late September in some areas), with the final phase of ripening occurring
during the shorter days of late September and October, as opposed to the
longer, hotter days of August. Most producers picked in October late
by present-day standards. As always, there is a level of variation, with some
producers starting harvest in late September and others picking into late
October. The fifth condition is met.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1730209779090-Roagna_Barbaresco+2024.jpg">Tasting the full range at Roagna is a fascinating journey through
a collection of top sites in Barbaresco and Barolo. 

In conclusion, all the conditions required for a good to great
vintage were met. Not surprisingly, the average quality of the wines is
exceptionally high.

The 2022 Barbaresco: First Impressions

So far, I am impressed with the 2022s, given what looked like dire
conditions during most of the year. Unrelentingly hot, dry weather pushed vines
to their maximum. I find the 2022s texturally light as if ripening just
stopped at some point. At the same time, the tannins are pretty soft and much
less forbidding than I had expected, given the weather. Unripe tannins are
always the fear with very hot years in Piedmont. Perhaps growers have become
more accustomed to extreme heat and drought. Yield management was another issue
growers had to confront. "The
key in 2022 was dropping fruit. Otherwise, the vines would not have been able to
ripen their crop," Teobaldo Rivella explained. It will be
interesting to see how things eventually turn out when the entire vintage is
released.

One thing that is certain is that approaches to farming are
constantly developing in a world threatened by climate change, which in
Piedmont is manifested through much stronger sun and less water. “While it is
warmer today, it is really the end of the growing season that has changed the
most,” Aldo Vacca shared at Produttori del Barbaresco. “We deleaf less
aggressively than in the past,” Andrea Sottimano told me. “But we deleaf
earlier in order to help the grapes get used to the sun earlier in the year.
There is no question the sun is much stronger today than it once was.”

Many 2022s saw less time in oak and were bottled on the early
side. I don’t think we will see too many Riservas or high-end bottlings.
Overall, 2022 looks like a vintage for near to medium-term drinking.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1730209814801-Great_Barbaresco+2024.jpg">Alessandro, Ludovica and Alberto di Grésy make wines of grace and
understatement at their estate nestled between Martinenga, Asili and Rabajà. 

About this Report

I tasted all the wines in this report during a visit to Barbaresco
in September 2024, along with a few follow-up tastings in our New York offices.
Because of the structured style of the 2021s, I tasted many wines more than
once. This report includes entry-level wines from a number of properties,
something I have started to do to provide a complete look at top estates rather
than culling out entry-level wines for a separate article. Dolcetto, Barbera,
Langhe Nebbiolo and other wines are obviously not perfect substitutes for
Barbaresco, but the best wines offer superb value and character to match. Many
of these wines are from the 2023 vintage, a hot, dry year, but one that saw
just enough rain to offer better overall balance than 2022, even if some
early-ripening varieties were impacted by rain before harvest. Readers will
find much more specific context within the accompanying reviews and producer
commentaries.

I tasted all the wines in this report during a trip to the region
in September 2024.© 2024, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.<hr> You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/barbaresco-s-soaring-2020s-2021s-oct-2023">Barbaresco’s Soaring 2020s &amp; 2021s</a>, Antonio Galloni, October 2023<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/piedmont-within-reach-dec-2022">Piedmont Within Reach</a>, Antonio Galloni, December 2022<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/focus-on-barbaresco-a-close-look-at-2019-2020-oct-2022">Focus on Barbaresco – A Close Look at 2019 &amp; 2020</a>, Antonio Galloni, October 2022<div><a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/2018-2019-barbaresco-take-center-stage-feb-2022">2018 &amp; 2019 Barbaresco Take Center Stage</a>, Antonio Galloni, February 2022</div>

Content

Engage

Vinous

Social