2004 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione

Vietti is one of Italy’s most historic wineries. Husband and wife Alfredo Currado and Luciana Vietti (Luca Currado’s parents) were pioneers in so many ways. They were among the first producers to bottle single-vineyard Barolo and to promote Piedmont and its wines abroad, especially in the United States. Alfredo Currado is also widely credited for rescuing Arneis from total obscurity in the 1960s. This wine was tasted as part of a vertical spanning 17 vintages held in May 2016.

Vietti's 2004 Barolos are absolutely stellar. I remember tasting these wines from barrel and then just after bottling. They are every bit as superb today. As is often the case, the Rocche is the flagship. I found the Brunate a bit more delicate than I expected, while the Lazzarito, which was a much more modern, French oak-influenced wine than the other Barolos in the range during this era, was more complex than at the outset. The Villero is superb, but I don't think it is Vietti's best site. If it were, Vietti would probably bottle this wine in every vintage, Riserva or not.

A simple, informal dinner at Becco, in New York City's theater district, provided an incredible opportunity to survey a broad range of vintages of Vietti's Barolo Rocche. Vietti is one of Barolo's historic properties. Husband and wife team Alfredo Currado and Luciana Vietti were pioneers in the 1960s. They were among the first producers to recognize the unique qualities of their vineyards, many of which are among the finest in the region, even today. Their 1961 Barolo Rocche was among the earliest Barolos to be made from a single vineyard rather than from a blend of plots as was the prevailing custom at the time. Vietti was also one of the first estates to export a significant amount of their production to overseas markets, especially to the US. In fact, I remember that when I lived in Italy a few years ago their wines were always easier to find in the US than locally. Today, the estate is run by brothers-in-law Luca Currado and Mario Cordero. While the quality of the Barolos continues to be very high what impresses me most about Vietti is the quality of all their wines, from top to bottom. The Rocche vineyard is located in Castiglione Falletto, not too far from the winery. The hallmarks of this site are perfumed fruit, finessed, silky tannins, and a sweetness to the fruit that makes the wines accessible at a relatively early age for Barolo, all qualities that were on full display in the wines. The atmosphere in the room was electric as we worked our way through this breathtaking array of wines, which we enjoyed alongside Becco's traditional Italian fare. The food was delicious, but on this night our attention was understandably focused on the wines. Special thanks are due to collector Greg Dal Piaz who organized the dinner and contributed all of the wines except for the 2003 and 2004, which were brought by Luca Currado.

Like his colleagues, Luca Currado's biggest challenge in 2004 was dealing with abnormally high yields. (Despite doing several aggressive green harvests we still ended up with more fruit than we would ideally like,( says Currado. (We performed a number of saignées to get the wines to a more optimal balance.( The estate's 2004 Barolos have been impressive on every time I have tasted them from barrel and the bottled wines are just as exceptional. These are without question the most complete young Barolos I have tasted at Vietti, yet they are also the most concentrated are likely to require patience.

Following its recent purchases of more barbera in the Asti area, the Currado family now owns 43 hectares of vines. Luca Currado noted that this entitles Vietti to make 650,000 bottles per year, but in fact their actual production is less than 200,000-a testament to careful control of yields and strict selection for their top bottlings. According to Currado, "2004 and 2001 are two of the best vintages of the century," and I assume by that statement he was trying to say something stronger than merely "two of the best vintages of the past seven years"-particularly as I recall him describing 2001 as a "100-point vintage" a year after the harvest. "The dry, warm fohn wind in 2003 made for a lot of amarone-style wines in Piemonte," Currado added. "We were lucky to pick very early that year. " Incidentally, Currado told me that he ages the sheets of bark from which his corks will be made outdoors for two years. "This tightens the grain of the cork and kills the bugs, but it costs us up to 25% in lost volume. "