2018 Barolo Bricco Rocche

My fall tasting at Ceretto encompassed a wide range of new releases. Alessandro Ceretto shortened macerations for his 2022 Barbarescos, wines that turned out beautifully. The 2021 Barolos, wines from a more important vintage, saw longer time on the skins. Other than that, the approach remains unchanged over the recent past. The wines are picked on the slightly early side for freshness. Malolactic fermentations are done in barrique, after which the wines are racked into cask for aging.

Alessandro Ceretto is among the producers who harvested his 2020s before the October rains. All the Barolo fruit was picked over just two days in late September. That's quite a difference from the more typical 7-10 days that are usually required to harvest these sites. It was the fastest vintage ever at Ceretto and also the earliest up until then. The wines spent 20 days on the skins. Aging was one year in barrique and two in cask. In tasting, the 2020s are slightly nervy, tense wines that need time in bottle to soften a bit.

Alessandro Ceretto presented a compelling set of 2020 Barbarescos and 2019 Barolos. These are some of the most impressive wines I have tasted in 20+ years of visiting. The Barbarescos are super-classic wines built on gorgeous aromatic presence and elegant, mid-weight structure. I admire the Barolos for their transparency and expression of place. Harvest occurred between October 3 and 8, placing Ceretto among the earlier pickers in this vintage. The wines spent about 25 days on the skins. Malolactic fermentations were done in neutral French oak where the wines spent about nine months before being racked into Stockinger casks for aging.

Alessandro Ceretto's 2016 Barolos have turned out beautifully. Gracious and elegant wines, the 2016s capture the personality of the year and of each site. Ceretto describes 2016 as a year with very even weather and a regular ripening pattern. The approach remains as it has been for the last few years. Sustainable farming, spontaneous fermentations and two years in wood are the norm for wines that are now much more translucent and classic in feel than they were some years ago.

Alessandro Ceretto's 2015 Barolos and 2016 Barbarescos are built on the work he and his team have done over the last few vintages. The wines are super-expressive, finessed and full of Nebbiolo translucency. These days Ceretto favors long-ish fermentations of 25-30 days on the skins. The wines spend a year in French oak and finish their aging in cask. All of these wines are gorgeous.

Ceretto's 2013 Barolos are every bit as impressive as they were when I tasted them last fall. The wines have started to shut down a bit in bottle, but that is not at all surprising. Put simply, 2013 is a terrific vintage for Ceretto in which the wines have begun to show a distinct leaning towards a more classic style.

I was blown away by the wines I tasted at Ceretto during my most recent visit. The 2013 Barolos are off the charts, while the 2014 Barbarescos are just as impressive. Small changes in the use of yeasts during fermentation and a move towards earlier picking are among the decisions that Alessandro Ceretto made in 2013 that paid off big time. The 2013 Barolos spent approximately abut 25 days on the skins, followed by 9 months in barrique and two years in cask. The malos are all done in barrique. These wines are a big step up after the irregular 2012s. Hopefully Ceretto will be able to build on this level of quality going forward.

Ceretto's 2012 Barolos show the lighter side of the vintage and give the distinct impression they will mature sooner rather than later. In 2012, Ceretto did not make their Barolo Prapò.

Ceretto's 2011 Barolo show very much in line with previous tastings. The wines are open and racy in style, as one might expect in this vintage. In my view, the Prapò is the least marked by the year and is the wine that retains the most individuality. In recent years, Alessandro Ceretto has largely converted his vineyards to biodynamic farming and refined his approach to cooperage, both pretty significant changes that will take time to show clear results, although the early signs are quite encouraging.

Ceretto's 2011 Barolos are highly representative of the year. Today, the Brunate appears to be the most marked by the year, while the Prapò and Bricco Rocche are both a bit more faithful to site. I tasted all of Ceretto 2011s just before bottling, and then a few weeks after, both delicate moments in time for Barolo, so I have opted to leave in my original scores from barrel until the wines have settled a bit in bottle.

Alessandro Ceretto shows a surer hand and increasing confidence with each passing vintage. These are his best wines yet. Biodynamic farming, native yeasts, minimal rackings and shorter time in barrel are all cornerstones of the approach at Ceretto today, and a big departure from the recent past. The 2010s spent approximately 18 days on the skins before being pressed, followed by 12 months in French oak (15% new) and about 15 months in cask.

Under the winemaking leadership of the young Alessandro Ceretto, many changes have been made at this major estate in recent years.From 2006 to 2011, for example, Ceretto quickly evolved from using 100% new oak for their Barolos and Barbarescos to just 10% to 15%.And with the 2012 vintage, they began using some botti at the end of the elevage."Five vintages ago I was stirring the lees," Alessandro told me in September."I was getting more fat in the wines but losing acidity, and the act of opening the barrels weekly for three months was oxidative.At a certain point, I got sick of the fatness of our wines made between 1996 and 2001."There was an awkward transitional period here during which some wines seemed too advanced in bottle--due not only to the lees stirring but to possible cork problems and insufficient sulfur additions.But the wines I tasted in September indicate that Ceretto, a major owner of prime vineyards in both Barolo and Barbaresco, is back on track.Alessandro Ceretto describes the 2010 vintage as "classic, elegant, but with less muscle," while 2011 is "concentrated, soft, very round and immediate, with baby fat currently blocking terroir character."He considers 2009 to be "a strange vintage.You need to consider the cru and the producer," he explained."We initially compared 2009 to 1990 but the '90s had a different acid structure and significantly lower alcohol.Two thousand nine was a good year for late-ripening sites, but a lot of young vines experienced stress when they lost their leaves."

Under the winemaking leadership of the young Alessandro Ceretto, many changes have been made at this major estate in recent years. From 2006 to 2011, for example, Ceretto quickly evolved from using 100% new oak for their Barolos and Barbarescos to just 10% to 15%. And with the 2012 vintage, they began using some botti at the end of the elevage. "Five vintages ago I was stirring the lees," Alessandro told me in September. "I was getting more fat in the wines but losing acidity, and the act of opening the barrels weekly for three months was oxidative. At a certain point, I got sick of the fatness of our wines made between 1996 and 2001." There was an awkward transitional period here during which some wines seemed too advanced in bottle--due not only to the lees stirring but to possible cork problems and insufficient sulfur additions. But the wines I tasted in September indicate that Ceretto, a major owner of prime vineyards in both Barolo and Barbaresco, is back on track.Alessandro Ceretto describes the 2010 vintage as "classic, elegant, but with less muscle," while 2011 is "concentrated, soft, very round and immediate, with baby fat currently blocking terroir character." He considers 2009 to be "a strange vintage. You need to consider the cru and the producer," he explained. "We initially compared 2009 to 1990 but the '90s had a different acid structure and significantly lower alcohol. Two thousand nine was a good year for late-ripening sites, but a lot of young vines experienced stress when they lost their leaves."

I tasted the 2009 Ceretto Barolos twice, several months apart, and found the wines on the fragile side both times. The estate began its conversion to biodynamic farming in 2009, and perhaps that had an effect on the wines. Over the last few years Ceretto has made important strides in improving quality. My hope is that the 2009 Barolos are just part of a transition that has largely been positive in recent times.

Once the poster child of all things modern, Ceretto continues to impress with an approach that combines the best of innovation and tradition. Today macerations are longer, the wines spend less time in oak and new oak levels are lower than in the past. The 2008 Nebbioli were picked from October 5 to 10. The wines saw on average 25 days of contact with the skins. Malolactic fermentation took place in oak, and the wines were aged in barrel for 24 months, 50% new and 50% one-year-old. Starting with 2009, the Baroli are made with natural yeasts, which encourages longer and more drawn out malolactic fermentations. I have to say I am very intrigued by what is happening at Ceretto.

This is a truly impressive set of 2007 Baroli from Ceretto. I can't remember the last time I tasted young wines here with such lovely balance. The French oak seems far better measured than was the case just a few short years ago.

I came away impressed with the wines I tasted at Ceretto this year. Like many estates in Piedmont, Ceretto is moving back towards a greater use of large casks. The 2006 Barolos were fermented 10-15 days in stainless steel, followed by malolactic fermentation and anywhere from 24 to 30 months' aging in French oak. Beginning with the 2007s, the Barolos spent about 16 months in French oak followed by a full year in cask. I also had a chance to taste Ceretto's new Barolo from the storied Cannubi vineyard, a tiny production of just 550 magnums per year from a parcel of a quarter of a hectare the family purchased in 2002. At press time prices for the 2006 Barolos had not been determined.

Young winemaker Alessandro Ceretto, the son of Marcello Ceretto, has had a hand in some important changes here in recent years, some of them influenced by his previous work experience in Bordeaux, Australia, California and South Africa. For starters, he doesn't heat the must at the crush, and the fermentations typically take three days to start. No rotofermenters are used here; maceration times were 18 to 20 days for the 2006s and Alessandro prevents the fermentation temperature from exceeding 31oC. He has also cut back on the number of rackings to preserve the wines' fruit and freshness. Beginning with his 2006 Barolos, he has reduced the time the wines spend in barriques to 12 to 16 months, after which he moves them into 2,500-liter oak vats to avoid drying them. He has also cut back to 50% new oak because he's trying to make wines "that taste like their vineyard, not like their winemaker." (He admitted to me that the family's 2001s were overoaked.) Ceretto is a fan of 2005 in Barbaresco and Barolo. He believes that these wines are as good as the 2004s, which he described as rounder and more balanced in their youth, and longer and more complete than the 2006s. Ceretto considers the 2006s to be good but not outsized. "They're in a more elegant, European style," he explained. "For me it will be a strong year, but today you feel the tannins. We had high temperatures late in the season and that's why we'll have to wait three or four years for the tannins to harmonize-unlike with the '04s, which were perfect at the beginning. (Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA) Also recommended: 2005 Barbaresco As (86).

Ceretto's 2005 Barolos are in various stages of early maturity. The Barolo Prapò is the most vibrant of the four Barolos, which is not surprising given its Serralunga origins.

Young winemaker Alessandro Ceretto, the son of Marcello Ceretto, has had a hand in some important changes here in recent years, some of them influenced by his previous work experience in Bordeaux, Australia, California and South Africa. For starters, he doesn't heat the must at the crush, and the fermentations typically take three days to start. No rotofermenters are used here; maceration times were 18 to 20 days for the 2006s and Alessandro prevents the fermentation temperature from exceeding 31oC. He has also cut back on the number of rackings to preserve the wines' fruit and freshness. Beginning with his 2006 Barolos, he has reduced the time the wines spend in barriques to 12 to 16 months, after which he moves them into 2,500-liter oak vats to avoid drying them. He has also cut back to 50% new oak because he's trying to make wines "that taste like their vineyard, not like their winemaker." (He admitted to me that the family's 2001s were overoaked.) Ceretto is a fan of 2005 in Barbaresco and Barolo. He believes that these wines are as good as the 2004s, which he described as rounder and more balanced in their youth, and longer and more complete than the 2006s. Ceretto considers the 2006s to be good but not outsized. "They're in a more elegant, European style," he explained. "For me it will be a strong year, but today you feel the tannins. We had high temperatures late in the season and that's why we'll have to wait three or four years for the tannins to harmonize-unlike with the '04s, which were perfect at the beginning. (Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA) Also recommended: 2005 Barbaresco As (86).

These new releases from Ceretto are the finest wines I have tasted from this estate in many a year. The oak seems to have been dialed back, and the wines show more purity of fruit while staying faithful to the house style. Simply put, this is an impressive set of wines from a historic property that has been an underachiever in recent years. I can only hope that these 2005 Barolos signal a return to the level of quality that brought Ceretto the recognition the estate enjoys today.

Ceretto can be best defined as a work in progress. In my tastings of the 2004 Barolos the estate's wines stood out for their intense oakiness and sweetness. Alessandro Ceretto is experimenting with less new oak and giving the wines a more conventional 24 months of oak aging rather than the current 30 months. The 2005 Barolo Bricco Rocche I tasted suggests that the quality of the estate's future releases may well be on the upswing. As has been the case in recent vintages though, I often leave my tastings with the feeling there is a lot of unrealized potential from the top vineyard sites the family is fortunate to own.

Ceretto's 2001s have fared quite a bit better than the 2000s. I remember tasting the 2001s when they were about to be released. At the time the wines were quite sleek and oaky. Since then, the estate has backed off considerably on the new French oak, as I detail in my article on the 2008 Barolos.

The Ceretto style aims to incorporate aspects of both traditional and modern winemaking. Fermentations last 12-14 days and aging is done in 300 liter French oak barrels. While the use of oak remains noticeable, these are wines of great overall balance and harmony.

"The '98s are elegantly styled but less concentrated and powerful than the '99s," says Alessandro Ceretto, who has put his stamp on these wines since taking over winemaking duties in '99. "Two thousand was a very warm, dry year, similar to '97 but a bit less hot. The wines are fresher than the '97s but they're not like the '96s. The tannins are ripe but the acids fell during the warm late summer weather. Two thousand one may be great; the wines are more concentrated than the 2000s and they're getting sweeter and sweeter in the barrel. We started with lower yields than in 2000 but better acidity; a cool second half of September gave longer hang time, allowing the ripeness of the skins to catch up with the sugars." Ceretto emphasized that the house does not like alcoholic wines. "Acidity and pH levels are more important than high grape sugars, as is getting mature tannins. Fully ripe tannins give rounder wines with more flavor and aromatic complexity." He pointed out that Ceretto is doing much more serious green harvesting today than previously. "In 2001 we had 40% less crop than we would have had under the same conditions five years ago."

The late 1990s will be remembered as a time of transition at Ceretto, where quality was inconsistent. At the time, the wines were made in a much more forced manner. New French oak levels were high and the wines also spent longer in barrel than they do now.

The Ceretto family owns some of the best plots in the zone from which it bottles four Barolos. The Zonchera is produced from a vineyard which the family leases and is marketed under the Ceretto label while the single-vineyard wines are made from estate-grown fruit and are marketed under the Bricco Rocche label. The estate prefers 300 liter barrels for the aging of its single-vineyard selections, with the Brunate and Prapò seeing 30% new oak while the Bricco Rocche is aged in 100% new oak.

"The '98s are elegantly styled but less concentrated and powerful than the '99s," says Alessandro Ceretto, who has put his stamp on these wines since taking over winemaking duties in '99. "Two thousand was a very warm, dry year, similar to '97 but a bit less hot. The wines are fresher than the '97s but they're not like the '96s. The tannins are ripe but the acids fell during the warm late summer weather. Two thousand one may be great; the wines are more concentrated than the 2000s and they're getting sweeter and sweeter in the barrel. We started with lower yields than in 2000 but better acidity; a cool second half of September gave longer hang time, allowing the ripeness of the skins to catch up with the sugars." Ceretto emphasized that the house does not like alcoholic wines. "Acidity and pH levels are more important than high grape sugars, as is getting mature tannins. Fully ripe tannins give rounder wines with more flavor and aromatic complexity." He pointed out that Ceretto is doing much more serious green harvesting today than previously. "In 2001 we had 40% less crop than we would have had under the same conditions five years ago."

"The '98s are elegantly styled but less concentrated and powerful than the '99s," says Alessandro Ceretto, who has put his stamp on these wines since taking over winemaking duties in '99. "Two thousand was a very warm, dry year, similar to '97 but a bit less hot. The wines are fresher than the '97s but they're not like the '96s. The tannins are ripe but the acids fell during the warm late summer weather. Two thousand one may be great; the wines are more concentrated than the 2000s and they're getting sweeter and sweeter in the barrel. We started with lower yields than in 2000 but better acidity; a cool second half of September gave longer hang time, allowing the ripeness of the skins to catch up with the sugars." Ceretto emphasized that the house does not like alcoholic wines. "Acidity and pH levels are more important than high grape sugars, as is getting mature tannins. Fully ripe tannins give rounder wines with more flavor and aromatic complexity." He pointed out that Ceretto is doing much more serious green harvesting today than previously. "In 2001 we had 40% less crop than we would have had under the same conditions five years ago."

The Ceretto Barolos and Barbarescos are considerably improved in the last decade, due in large part to more serious green harvesting, which, according to export manager Federico Ceretto, has reduced production from 8,000-9,000 bottles per hectare to barely 5,000. The house Barolos and Barbarescos remain on their skins for 24 to 28 days, including up to two weeks following the end of the sugar fermentations. Actually, says winemaker Alessandro Ceretto, "we don't just pick on alcohol and acid levels but look for riper anthocyanins, so we really need less maceration than before. The biggest difference now is in the riper tannins we get." x000D x000D Vinification takes place in temperature-controlled vertical stainless steel fermenters that perform automatic pump-overs for five minutes every two hours to keep the cap wet. A delestage a process whereby the juice is drained from the tank, then poured back over the solids] is done every two days to break up the cap. These methods result in less contact between the skins and the air, and therefore lower levels of volatile acidity. Ceretto's Barolos spend 30 months in wood, the Barbarescos 18 or 19, followed by at least a year of further aging in bottle prior to release. I tasted the following wines at Ceretto's vinification facility for Barolo in Castiglione Falletto, on top of which sits a giant glass cube that serves as a tasting room and provides a 360-degree view of the best Barolo hilltop sites.

The Ceretto Barolos and Barbarescos are considerably improved in the last decade, due in large part to more serious green harvesting, which, according to export manager Federico Ceretto, has reduced production from 8,000-9,000 bottles per hectare to barely 5,000. The house Barolos and Barbarescos remain on their skins for 24 to 28 days, including up to two weeks following the end of the sugar fermentations. Actually, says winemaker Alessandro Ceretto, "we don't just pick on alcohol and acid levels but look for riper anthocyanins, so we really need less maceration than before. The biggest difference now is in the riper tannins we get." x000D x000D Vinification takes place in temperature-controlled vertical stainless steel fermenters that perform automatic pump-overs for five minutes every two hours to keep the cap wet. A delestage a process whereby the juice is drained from the tank, then poured back over the solids] is done every two days to break up the cap. These methods result in less contact between the skins and the air, and therefore lower levels of volatile acidity. Ceretto's Barolos spend 30 months in wood, the Barbarescos 18 or 19, followed by at least a year of further aging in bottle prior to release. I tasted the following wines at Ceretto's vinification facility for Barolo in Castiglione Falletto, on top of which sits a giant glass cube that serves as a tasting room and provides a 360-degree view of the best Barolo hilltop sites.

The Ceretto Barolos and Barbarescos are considerably improved in the last decade, due in large part to more serious green harvesting, which, according to export manager Federico Ceretto, has reduced production from 8,000-9,000 bottles per hectare to barely 5,000. The house Barolos and Barbarescos remain on their skins for 24 to 28 days, including up to two weeks following the end of the sugar fermentations. Actually, says winemaker Alessandro Ceretto, "we don't just pick on alcohol and acid levels but look for riper anthocyanins, so we really need less maceration than before. The biggest difference now is in the riper tannins we get." x000D x000D Vinification takes place in temperature-controlled vertical stainless steel fermenters that perform automatic pump-overs for five minutes every two hours to keep the cap wet. A delestage a process whereby the juice is drained from the tank, then poured back over the solids] is done every two days to break up the cap. These methods result in less contact between the skins and the air, and therefore lower levels of volatile acidity. Ceretto's Barolos spend 30 months in wood, the Barbarescos 18 or 19, followed by at least a year of further aging in bottle prior to release. I tasted the following wines at Ceretto's vinification facility for Barolo in Castiglione Falletto, on top of which sits a giant glass cube that serves as a tasting room and provides a 360-degree view of the best Barolo hilltop sites.

I tasted these 1989s and 1990s during a visit to the winery in November 2009. I was struck by how fast the 1990s have developed and am tempted to think those wines were not stored perfectly for their entire lives, as I have tasted far fresher examples in the US. The 1989s were more satisfying.

I tasted these 1989s and 1990s during a visit to the winery in November 2009. I was struck by how fast the 1990s have developed and am tempted to think those wines were not stored perfectly for their entire lives, as I have tasted far fresher examples in the US. The 1989s were more satisfying.

The subject of evaluating and rating vintages is one of the favorite topics of discussion among Piedmont lovers, so the opportunity to taste sixteen of the best 1985 Barolos and Barbarescos with a group of hardcore New York Nebbiolo fans made for a truly special evening. Many insiders describe the 1985 vintage as a turning point for the wines. According to Luciano Sandrone “1985 was in many ways the first ‘modern,' hot vintage. The Barolos were uncharacteristically open from the start and have remained accessible.” Giacosa enologist Dante Scaglione says “1985 was the first vintage in which we had wines with very high alcohol. In fact, we wouldn't see such alcohol levels in our wines again until 2003. I view 1985 as a vintage that is ready to drink and one which will not be especially long-lived going forward.” Roberto Conterno had a slightly different take commenting that “I wouldn't necessarily say our wines were accessible from the beginning, however today the 1985s are very expressive and it is a great vintage to drink today.”
Because of the hot growing season and early appeal of the vintage, some have predicted that the wines would not age well. For the most part, I was amazed at how well these Barolos showed. Many of the wines displayed lively color, with rich, sweet fruit, and enough underlying structure to provide balance. While the wines as a group are mature, any suggestion that they are falling apart is simply not borne out by this tasting. How long will the wines last? That is a hard question to answer, since provenance is such a huge variable, but I think it is safe to say that for many of these wines well-stored bottles have another decade of life ahead, and perhaps more. These 1985s offer great drinking today in a more accessible, softer style than either 1982 or 1989, the other two great vintages from the 1980s. Unfortunately we also had a few bad bottles, which I suppose is to be expected in a tasting like this, although the percentage of corked/cooked bottles was higher than we would have liked (around 25%). When these wines were first released fifteen years ago there simply wasn't the kind of attention to temperature-controlled shipping that we have today and several wines appeared to have been damaged by excess heat at some point in their lives. The biggest lesson here for consumers is that there is no substitute for buying these wines on release and cellaring them. Doing so is the only reliable way to minimize the possibility of some very expensive disappointments at a later date. The wines were double-decanted and served blind in flights of four. The identity of the wines was revealed only after all of the wines had been tasted and discussed. Tasting these wines blind with a group of passionate and knowledgeable Barolo fans was a great learning experience, but also a humbling one. Mature Barolos are wines of extraordinary complexity and can fool even the most seasoned palates, as we would be reminded throughout the evening. After the formal tasting was concluded, we enjoyed a delicious dinner, and finished off what was left of these spectacular wines. We also tasted Prunotto's 1985 Barolo Bussia, which was fresh, youthful, and delicious, although it didn't quite reach the level of the best wines on this evening. A great bottle of Bruno Giacosa's 1986 Barolo Riserva Falletto followed, and it was one of the best wines of the night, prompting some of the tasters to wonder if this producer may have been more successful in 1986 than 1985. The evening closed with the outrageous 1983 Recioto from Giuseppe Quintarelli. While I don't have enough experience with this wine to put it into the proper context, I will say that it was breathtaking for its complexity, balance, and sheer appeal. At age 22 it appeared to be magically youthful, and my sense is that this is a wine whose aging potential is to be measured in decades rather than years.