### Piedmont Report: Checking in on the 2001 Baroli

**By**

**Antonio Galloni**

**I** first reviewed the 2001 Baroli in my journal, _Piedmont Report_ in late 2006. The 2001s have always held special meaning on a personal level because it was one of the first vintages I followed literally from the time the fruit was picked until the wines went into bottle. It was illuminating to go back to the 2001s and see how things were shaping up. I tasted most of these wines during a trip to Piedmont in November 2011, and followed up with subsequent tastings from my cellar in New York.

Overall, I am quite pleased with the way the 2001s are developing. Of course there are surprises, both positive and negative. But one thing that can be stated unequivocally is that the wines are maturing evenly and with a sense of proportion, something that was not at all the case when I tasted through the 2000s a year before.

From the outset, it was clear 2001 was a vintage of medium-weight Baroli, and that is certainly the case today. Although the 2001s are aging well, this is not a vintage of heroic, epic wines that are going to last 50 years. Readers who appreciate very long-lived Baroli will have to look to vintages such as 1996 and 1999 for that style of wine. Speaking of 1999, which I consider one of the most underrated Barolo vintages ever, in 2006 I wrote: “_Compared to the larger-scaled 1999s, the 2001s feature finer and more elegant tannins. They are wines of greater finesse and today my impression is that they will reach maturity sooner than the 1999s_.” I feel the same way today. While the 2001s may not be the most long-lived of Baroli in broad terms, I did run into quite a few wines that are completely shut down right now. It is always difficult to assess vintages, but I did sense a number of wines are going through a period of stubborness, which is not at all out of character for Nebbiolo. On a parallel note, I recently tasted a number of 1997 Baroli that were absolutely singing, and 1997 was a very hot year where the concern was ageability! My notes and drinking windows should be taken as a guide, but as always the best palate is yours. My own view is increasingly to focus on producer over vintage.

![](https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1378417739026-Barolo+-+Copy.jpg)

_Early morning dew in Serralunga_

**The Problem With Cork**

I would be remiss if I didn’t address cork. At virtually every estate I visited I ran into wines with slight cork defects. In many cases the flaws were small, but I have known these wines intimately since they were born, and honestly my expectation is that bottles be fully representative. It is hard to know the exact percentage of flawed bottles I encountered, as wines were opened and decanted ahead of time at a number of estates. Suffice it to say the overall percentage of cork taint I ran into was in the high single digits, which is to say far, far greater than is acceptable.



Piedmont Report: Checking in on the 2001 Baroli

Piedmont Report: Checking in on the 2001 Baroli (Apr 2012)

ConstantScore(-article_id:{312 381 422 466 735 1092 1114 1146 1208 1209 1210 1231 1235 1241 1242 1245 1249 1258 1261 1276 1283 1298 1302 1312 1321 1325 1338 1601 1734 1980 1998 2164 2193 2198 2268 2425 2529 2566 2825 2994 3120 3140 3371 3977 4341 4519 4522 4523 4524} #producer.id:3177 #article_id:[41 TO 41])

DocValuesFieldExistsQuery [field=_primary_term]

Mauro Veglio

2001 Barolo Arborina

2001 Barolo Gattera

2001 Barolo Castelletto

2001 Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata

Content

Engage

Vinous

Social