Barolo 2007: Greatness in the Making

by Antonio Galloni

The 2007 Baroli are some of the most viscerally thrilling young wines I have ever tasted. The 2007s are similar to the 2004s, but with more substance. The wines are radiant, intensely perfumed and totally seductive, yet not at all heavy, in a style that offers the textural richness of a warm vintage with the aromatics of a cool year. In 2006 and 2007 readers will find the finest back to back Barolo vintages since 1989 and 1990. This article focuses on the 2007 Baroli, but I have also included notes on a number of other Piedmont wines too.

The year started off with an unusually warm and dry winter, with virtually no precipitation. Flowers and plants went into bloom nearly a full month early. Growers had never seen conditions such as these. The summer was warm, but evenly so, without noticeable heat spikes. Towards the end of the growing season nighttime temperatures lowered, slowing down the maturation of the grapes, and allowing for the development of the perfume that is such an essential component of fine Nebbiolo. The harvest was earlier than normal, but the growing season started so early in the year that the actual length of the vegetative cycle was actually close to normal if not longer than normal by a few days. Overall yields were down an estimated 10-15%.

As noted above, the 2007s are ripe, flashy wines that are showing fabulously well young. It might be tempting to compare the 2007s to other generous, open vintages such as 1997 and 2000 but that is a dangerous proposition. The 1997s are a bit of an anomaly, as the vintage arrived during the height of experimentation with French oak, short maceration times, excessive leaf thinning and very low yields, all of which make it hard to distinguish the character of the year from choices in viticulture and winemaking. Still, it is pretty obvious that only a handful of 1997s have the potential to continue to develop gracefully. Today the 2000s are largely fading, but I will have more to say on that in the April issue. Both of those vintages are defined by what I consider to be the kiss of death for long-lived, elegant Barolo – a harvest under excessively hot temperatures, particularly at night. In 2007 the fruit was harvested under ideal conditions, but with a growing season that had essentially been moved up several weeks in the calendar from start to finish. The 2007s combine elements of cool and warm vintages to a degree I have never experienced before. It is an anomalous vintage that offers little in the way of clear-cut comparisons.