2001 Barolo Riserva Vecchie Viti dei Capalot e delle Brunate

Contrary to the vast majority of growers, Roberto Voerzio has always maintained that 2000 was a better vintage for him than 2001. After having tasted both vintages extensively over the last few years, its pretty clear Voerzio is right. The 2001s haven't held up as well as the 2000s I reviewed last year and are developing at a faster pace. Not surprisingly, both of the Baroli Voerzio bottles only in magnum have developed particularly gracefully.

I tasted here with assistant Cesare Bussolo, who was happy to show me the estate's 2003 Barolos but only gave me a taste of the young 2004s, which had been bottled in August. He was also unable to find a bottle of the 2003 Barolo Capalot, which will be released in 2008. But I did see the 2001, and it was a stunner. I ran into Voerzio afterwards in the village, his arm in a sling, having broken his shoulder in a fall. Voerzio clearly considers 2004 one of his greatest years: as is usually the case here, owing to very low crop levels and early ripeness, he picked earlier than most of his neighbors. But, again, he told me he thought the wines were still shocked from the recent bottling and not ready to be evaluated. Nebbiolo here gets at least three weeks of cuvaison in vertical stainless steel tanks, with a short pumpover three times a day and some manual pigeage toward the end.

Roberto Voerzio's philosophy is all about the vineyard, where he maintains what are by far the most dramatically low yields to be seen in the Barolo zone. Although Voerzio prefers barriques for aging his wines, vinification remains fairly traditional with fermentations lasting 15 days or so. After the alcoholic fermentation is complete the wines are racked into stainless steel for their malos, which Voerzio prefers for its cleanliness. The cellar is warmed to induce the malolactic fermentations and the malos are usually completed by the end of the fall. The wines are then moved into barriques where they age prior to being bottled without the aid of fining/filtration. Pure and expressive in a style that is neither modern nor traditional, these are wines that reflect the highly individual style of their maker as well as the profound voice of La Morra's finest sites. Voerzio is one of the few producers who prefers hotter vintages, saying “for me 1997, 2000, and 2003 are the best vintages of the last ten years.” That said, I prefer his 2001s, as I find the more as well as complete. The wines have livelier color, and more freshness, complexity and length, although they are also less immediate than the 2000s. Voerzio's 2001 Barolos will require patience, and the more approachable wines should start to drink well around age eight to ten.

Roberto Voerzio's philosophy is all about the vineyard, where he maintains what are by far the most dramatically low yields to be seen in the Barolo zone. Although Voerzio prefers barriques for aging his wines, vinification remains fairly traditional with fermentations lasting 15 or so days. After the alcoholic fermentation is complete the wines are racked into stainless steel for their malos, which Voerzio prefers for its cleanliness. The cellar is warmed to induce the malolactic fermentations and the malos are usually completed by the end of the fall. The wines are then moved into barriques where they age prior to being bottled without the aid of fining/filtration. Pure and expressive in a style that is neither modern nor traditional, these are wines that reflect the highly individual style of their maker as well as the profound voice of La Morra's finest sites. A bottle of the 1992 Cerequio, from a vintage most people would describe as abysmal, was still in great shape when last tasted in 2004. This set of 1999 Barolos is breathtaking. “The weather during 1999 was just perfect, very much like 1989,” says Voerzio. “As opposed to warm vintages like 1997 and 2000, where the summertime evening temperatures didn't go down too much, in 1999 we had greater alternation of temperatures and more stable weather overall. The resulting wines have higher acidities which will allow them to age extremely well. The wines are very structured and are just now beginning to open up a little.” Sadly, there are no 2002 Barolos from this estate.