2001 Barolo Gattera

The Cordero di Montezemolo estate is one of the most picturesque spots in all of Piedmont, as it sits above the spectacular Monfalletto vineyard, which is easily identified by the famous Cedar of Lebanon that is planted on the top of the hill. The estate makes two wines from its vineyards in La Morra, the Barolos Monfalletto and Gattera (from a plot within the Monfalletto cru). The house's Barolo Enrico VI is made from the Villero cru in Castiglione Falletto. Short fermentations and barrique aging give the Cordero di Montezemolo Barolos a distinctly modern feel and the wines do show a lot of hard new oak tannins in their youths.

According to Enrico Cordero, 2000 produced better wines than 1997, which featured lower acidity in the grapes. The wines are more complete, he explained, because the summer of 2000 benefited from some well-timed rain in addition to sun and heat. The Cordero Barolos are distinctly oakier than they were as recently as the mid-'90s, but the vintages I tasted in September showed striking perfume. Cordero is high on 2001. "The 2001s need another five or six years in bottle, while the '98s are perfect right now," he told me. The Barolos here ferment for 10 to 12 days, with very warm temperatures and a lot of pumpovers used during the first three days. The wine then goes directly into barriques, where the malolactic fermentation usually finishes quickly in a warm room.