Four Decades of Barolo: Wines of the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s

A recent gathering of passionate Nebbiolo lovers in Boston
provided a great opportunity to open a wide range of wines spanning four
decades and the full gamut of styles.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The wines were critically evaluated and discussed without food after
which they were heartily enjoyed with a variety of delicious homemade dishes,
among them our hosts’ spectacular braised short ribs, which were so exceptional
they nearly stole the show.&nbsp; The wines
were decanted for several hours prior to being served and tasted blind.&nbsp;&nbsp; Given the casual nature of the evening notes
on these wines should be interpreted as impressions rather than formal tasting
notes.

1988 Angelo Gaja
Barbaresco Sorì Tildin – Medium/dark ruby.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Very pretty on the nose, showing aromas of
alcohol and macerated cherries with non-varietal notes of bell pepper and
earthiness that clearly set this wine apart from the others in the flight. On
the palate this shows great length, with plenty of dark cherry fruit and
excellent freshness on the finish.&nbsp; Some
tasters liked this less, but I find it hard to argue with this wine’s objective
level of quality, though I too would like to have seen more typicity.&nbsp;&nbsp; Well-stored bottles should last another
decade or more. 92 points, tasted 06/05

1989 Bruno Giacosa
Barolo Villero – Medium ruby.&nbsp;
Giacosa’s 1989 Villero is stunning.&nbsp;
It displays a gorgeous, complex nose of roses, sweet fruit, tar, and
spices along with more evolved notes of leather and tobacco.&nbsp; As the wine sits in the glass, layers of
ethereal, sweet fruit emerge, along with suggestions of menthol and spices that
provide a note of freshness.&nbsp; Like a fine
Renaissance sculpture, everything here is in perfect proportion and
balance.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This too should continue to
drink well for at least another decade.&nbsp;
Far and above the most impressive wine of this first flight.&nbsp; 95 points, tasted 06/05

1989 Vietti Barolo
Villero – Medium ruby.&nbsp; Vietti’s 1989
Villero come across as much more modern.&nbsp;&nbsp;
It offers a nose of spices and vanilla followed by very sweet,
concentrated fruit with good length and a very long finish.&nbsp;&nbsp; Some of the meatier flavors suggest a mature
Barolo, but the wine’s austere, somewhat lean personality make me think a few
more years of aging will be beneficial.&nbsp;
This seems to have been caught at an awkward stage in its evolution, but
it seems to offer some outstanding potential.&nbsp;
90+? points, tasted 06/05

1988 Bruno Giacosa
Barolo Villero – Medium ruby.&nbsp; The
1988 Villero is similar to the 1989, but lacks the former wine’s elegance and
supreme sense of balance.&nbsp; Still, the
1988 Villero is an attractive wine, with a mature nose of leather, dried
flowers, underbrush, and spices.&nbsp;&nbsp; This
was not the best bottle of this wine I have tasted, and although it showed a
lot of structure, it also lacked the fruit that other bottles have shown.&nbsp; Well-stored bottles will drink well for at
least another ten years, and the 1988 is closer to maturity than the 1989.&nbsp; 92 points, tasted 06/05

1988 Vietti Barolo
Rocche – Medium ruby.&nbsp; Vietti’s 1988
Rocche is a powerful, concentrated wine offering sensations of macerated
cherries, menthol, and tar, with plenty of dark, jammy fruit on a structured
frame, with a supremely long finish.&nbsp;
This wine’s best days appear to still be ahead of it.&nbsp;&nbsp; 90+ points, tasted 06/05

1989 Ceretto Bricco
Rocche Barolo Prapò – Dark ruby.&nbsp;
Ceretto’s 1989 Barolo Prapò is surprisingly evolved for the
vintage.&nbsp; It shows a mature nose of
tobacco, leather, underbrush, stewed fruits and tar.&nbsp;&nbsp; Although it is certainly a large, structured
wine, there is not enough fruit to make this compelling.&nbsp; Comes across as surprisingly advanced for a
1989 Barolo from Serralunga.&nbsp; 89 points, tasted
06/05

1978 Vallana Spanna
– Dark ruby.&nbsp; The wine’s unique nose
immediately signals that this wine is different from the others in the
flight.&nbsp; The 1978 Vallana shows very
delicate, evolved aromas reminiscent of an aged Burgundy and soft dark cherry
fruit.&nbsp; Although it is a bit lean on the
palate, this offers good length and freshness, and is excellent with food.&nbsp; Most impressively, it held up extremely well
with the wines that followed.&nbsp; Piedmont
aficionados know that the wines of Antonio Vallana are among the most quirky,
fascinating wines ever produced.&nbsp; I would
choose drink my remaining bottles of this 1978 fairly soon, but then again, a
recent bottle of the 1958 was also outstanding, and showed little, if any,
signs of being a full twenty years older.&nbsp;
90 points, tasted 06/05

1971 Fontanafredda
Barolo La Villa – Medium cloudy ruby.&nbsp;
The 1971 Fontanafredda is a beautiful, fully mature Barolo.&nbsp; It offers an evolved nose of leather,
tobacco, spices, and meat.&nbsp; The fruit has
mostly faded, and although the wine offers modest depth, it really comes to
life at the table where it offers immense drinking pleasure.&nbsp;&nbsp; I would choose to drink my remaining bottles
within the next few years.&nbsp; 91 points,
tasted 06/05

1978 Bruno Giacosa
Barolo Riserva Bussia di Monforte – Medium evolved ruby.&nbsp; This 1978 is nothing short of spectacular in
its profoundness.&nbsp;&nbsp; Although the nose
shows some evolved notes such as tobacco, there is still plenty of sweet,
perfumed fruit, which blossoms on the palate, with incredible persistence, and
a lingering note of menthol to round out the exquisite finish.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Like the 1978 Monfortino that would follow,
the 1978 Bussia appears magically young, although it is a decidedly more
delicate and medium-bodied wine. Though fully mature, this shows no signs of
fading.&nbsp; Pure magic in a bottle. 97
points, tasted 06/05

1967 Borgogno Barolo
(Library Release) – The 1967 Borgogno possesses a captivating and enthralling
nose of roses, licorice and menthol you could get lost in.&nbsp; Sadly, this wine is less interesting on the
palate, and lacks continuity, definition and fruit to balance the
aromatics.&nbsp; Nevertheless, this is an
interesting bottle that showcases the Borgogno style in its classic, austere
character.&nbsp; The tannins are quite soft,
and this is a pretty wine for current consumption.&nbsp; It shows no signs of being tired, and the way
Borgognos age, this bottling can easily last another ten or more years.&nbsp; Like all of this house’s library releases,
this wine is incredibly fresh and intact considering its 38 years. 90 points, tasted
06/05

1978 Giacomo Conterno
Barolo Riserva Monfortino – Judging from its dark impenetrable color, this
is unmistakably Monfortino.&nbsp; The 1978 is
without question on of the finest wines I have ever tasted and this bottle was
spectacular.&nbsp; It is a deep, concentrated
effort boasting a rich balsamic nose of spices and minerals along with layers
of dark ripe fruit that gradually reveal themselves, supported by a structured
frame of great length, with a final note of freshness that suggests that this
wine has a long life ahead.&nbsp; While the
1978 Giacosa Riserva Bussia is delicate and ethereal, the 1978 Monfortino
remains powerful and authoritative.&nbsp; I am
reminded of the frequently asked question: “Should a great wine be
intellectually stimulating or hedonistic?” Monfortino is both, in equal measure.&nbsp; It is a wine that completely engages all of
the senses, and needless to say, tasting the 1978 is always a real treat.&nbsp; 98 points, tasted 06/05

2001 Roberto Voerzio
Barbera d’Alba Riserva Pozzo dell’Annunziata – Inky purple.&nbsp; Voerzio’s Barbera is a wine that simply
transcends varietal with its exotic, explosive nose of spices, chocolate and
mineral notes.&nbsp; It is richly concentrated
and structured on the palate, displaying waves of dark fruit that coat the
palate with tremendous thrust, closing with a seriously long finish.&nbsp; I am once again amazed at how well balanced
this wine is given its sheer size.&nbsp; A
great effort. 93 points, tasted 06/05

1990 Bruno Giacosa
Barolo Riserva Falletto – Medium ruby.&nbsp;
The 1990 Riserva Falletto displays an irresistibly alluring nose of
roses, licorice, tar, and menthol. It offers great purity and delineation in
its sweet ripe fruit flavors, with notable concentration and terrific
persistence.&nbsp;&nbsp; Everything is perfectly in
balance here.&nbsp;&nbsp; With some air this is an
immensely rewarding bottle to enjoy now, although it is sure to age gracefully
for another ten to fifteen years and probably more.&nbsp; The most satisfying of this last group of
wines.&nbsp; 97 points, tasted 06/05

1995 Vietti Barolo
Rocche – Dark ruby.&nbsp; The masculine,
strapping Rocche is darker and meatier on the nose, with a more evolved
balsamic character and notes of spices and stewed fruits.&nbsp; It offers good length, if not much overall
complexity.&nbsp; My impression is that this
wine will not improve dramatically with additional cellaring.&nbsp; 90 points, tasted 06/05

1996 Clerico Barolo
Percristina – Dark ruby.&nbsp; This wine
offers a stark contrast to what we have tasted so far- it is our only
unabashedly modern-styled Barolo.&nbsp; The
1996 Percristina announces itself with an extroverted nose of toasted oak,
spices, vanilla, and menthol followed by masses of concentrated dark fruit that
coat the palate, with building tannins and a very long finish.&nbsp;&nbsp; This Barolo offers much harmony and balance
in its own way.&nbsp; With some air it is
approachable today, although ideally a few additional years of cellaring are
warranted.&nbsp; I have always been partial to
Clerico’s 1996s.&nbsp; 92 points/tasted 06/05

1997 Giuseppe
Mascarello Barolo Monprivato – Dark ruby.&nbsp;
Mauro Mascarello’s 1997s are among the most structured wines I have
tasted from this vintage.&nbsp; Perhaps caught
at an awkward moment, the 1997 did not enjoy a particularly strong showing,
despite having been decanted for over five hours.&nbsp; It is a massively endowed, concentrated Barolo,
packed with ripe dark fruit and fierce tannins that make it hard to fully
evaluate.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; However, this wine’s strong
track record, as well as its aging potential (see Issue 3 and 4), gives me no
cause for concern with regards the wine’s future.&nbsp; In addition, Mascarello’s 1997 Riserva Ca’
d’Morissio has been nothing short of stunning on the three occasions I have
tasted it so far.&nbsp; 90+? points/tasted
06/05

—Antonio Galloni&nbsp;&nbsp;

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