2006 Barolo Prapò

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).