1999 Barolo Falletto Vigna Le Rocche

These two Barolos capture one of the greatest partnerships Piedmont has ever seen. Bruno Giacosa and his then winemaker Dante Scaglione were at the peak of their collaborative powers in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The results of that era include two 1999 Barolos that capture the essence of a truly great vintage. The 1999 Barolos were fabulous from the very beginning. I have so many fond memories of drinking these Barolos when prices were low and market had not figured out yet just how great the wines were. How things have changed since then. Although the 1999s are gorgeous today, I must add that readers who did not taste the wines when they were young, perhaps out of fear of opening wines that weren't ready, missed out glorious drinking during those years. The 1999s are terrific today, but I am not sure they are meaningfully better than they were at the outset; just more mature.

Two Piedmont favorites are fabulous with the porchetta.

This wine was tasted over dinner at Bar Boulud in New York City, Oct 2010.

For Bruno Giacosa vintage 1999 was more successful in Barolo rather than Barbaresco, where climactic conditions proved to be very challenging. “Our Barbaresco vineyards got hit by hail four times in 1999,” explains long-time enologist Dante Scaglione. “The most severe hailstorm came in August, so at least in some places the vines had time to recover before the harvest, but nevertheless it was a difficult vintage.” In Rabajà the damage was so extensive that a wine from this plot was not released. In Asili the conditions were less severe, although the wine does show the effects of the compromised fruit in its evolving color and flavors. Santo Stefano was also a victim of hail but seems to have been less adversely affected. Fortunately weather conditions were much more favorable in Barolo where Giacosa produced three excellent Barolos in 1999. The estate's Barolo normale comes from the youngest vines in the Falletto vineyard, where the plants average 6-7 years in age. “When Nebbiolo vines are young they tend to produce slightly bitter, astringent tannins. Even though we prune the vines and green harvest, those plants simply aren't old enough to be used for the more important Barolos, so they go into the normale,” says Scaglione. These younger vines tend to be planted in spots that have a southwest orientation, meaning they receive mostly the afternoon sun, as opposed to the more south-facing center portion of the vineyard which is used for the Barolos Falletto and Le Rocche del Falletto. Le Rocche del Falletto, made from the heart of the vineyard, is a “cru within a cru” and is one of Barolo's most legendary wines. It is here that the vines have the best exposure. Although the older age of the plants gives naturally low yields, Giacosa has historically preferred to maintain a more moderate approach to crop-thinning and his yields have never been among the lowest in the region. The discussion around Red Label Riservas and White Label Non-Riservas is always a hot topic of conversation. “To be honest, like many people we got a little carried away with the enthusiasm surrounding vintage 2000,” says Scaglione. “We already had plans for a Red Label Santo Stefano (the 1998) and Red Label Barolo (the 2000 Le Rocche del Falletto) and we probably overlooked the 1999 Le Rocche del Falletto. To me it was always a wine worthy of the Red Label. I think of it as a slightly lesser version of the 1996 Riserva Falletto (Red Label), and very much in the same mold stylistically.” [Editors Note: The 1996 Riserva Falletto was made from the plot now known as Le Rocche del Falletto.] Many observers have noted that Giacosa's wines have become more approachable over the last few years. This is no doubt due to several factors, including warmer vintages (1997, 1998, 2000) and the replacement of many of the estates older barrels beginning in 1997. His 1999 Barolos, however, are a throwback to a more traditional style and will appeal to those who appreciate classically structured wines. I left my bottles of the 1999 Barolos Falletto and Le Rocche del Falletto open for days and the wines were still outstanding nearly a week after having been opened. “The growing season was quite favorable,” says Scaglione. “Summer was hot although it never got too hot, and into the fall we had the cool nights which are so essential for Nebbiolo. We did about 12-15 days fermentation after which the wines completed their malolactic fermentations, mostly in steel. The malos were finished largely by the end of the year, with a few barrels taking until January. [Editors Note: In 2004 the malos went well into the following spring.] We had good acidity after the malos, ranging from 5.5% to 6%, compared to the roughly 5% we had in vintages like 1997, 2000 and 2003. The wines then went into large barrels of either 55 to 110 hectoliters where they completed their aging for roughly 30 months for the Barbarescos, 32 months for the Barolo normale and 36 months for the Barolos Falletto and Le Rocche del Falletto.”

Bruno Giacosa is known for his stone-faced mien, but as I tasted through his line-up of 2000s I had a hard time keeping a stupid grin off my face. Those who consider 2000 to be an outstanding vintage for Langhe nebbiolo must surely have tasted these wines. Giacosa has scored big-time in this vintage. Increasingly, it seems to me that the great traditional producers of Barolo and Barbaresco of the '70s and early '80s are no longer quite so obviously in a league of their own. But Giacosa has not missed a step. At the same time, in recent superripe vintages like 2000 and 2001, Giacosa's Barbarescos and Barolos strike my palate as a bit less austere than previously, with a decadent sweetness that's hard to find elsewhere in the zone. This is hardly a complaint!

I found it at least slightly surprising that ultra-traditionalist Giacosa prefers the 2000 vintage to 2001. "It's best when a vintage is great and easy, like 2000," he told me, adding that 2001 produced a tougher style of wine. "Two thousand is similar to 1998, which is easy to drink now or in the future but has better acidity than 2000. In fact, 1998 combines the best traits of 1996 and 1997. Nineteen ninety-nine, in comparison, is difficult to drink now and needs aging. Sugars were actually a bit lower than those of 2000 and 1998, but this vintage is the deepest in terms of coloring matter." At the time of my visit, Giacosa did not expect to be able to make Barolo or Barbera in 2001 (unlike most of his colleagues in the Langhe, Giacosa has never been loath to express reservations about a vintage): "Even before the hail, the season was terrible. We had no warm sun since the beginning of June and we had a lot of rain for a full month during the middle of summer."