1995 Barolo Cerequio

As I tasted through the new vintages with Voerzio extremely tall son David, the perfumed aromas of these Barolos (dark berries, violet, chocolate) made me think I was in a Burgundy cellar, except that here the wines were even more concentrated and the cellar vibrated to the rhythm of loud American rock. In fact, Voerzio owns a high percentage of older vines, and crop thins two or three times during the summer. Barolo yields were well below 30 hectoliters per hectare in '95, '96 and '97, according to Voerzio, who says that he produces less than one kilogram of grapes per vine. He uses barriques for his Barolos, in the belief that the oak frames the fruit and gives the wines a firmer structure for aging. Voerzio describes the '97s as a hot weather style of Barolo, with the jammy aromas he likes and with alcohol in the 14.3%-14.8% range, or close to a percent higher than the '96s, a vintage marked by cooler September nights. x000D x000D x000D x000D x000D x000D x000D x000D x000D x000D Barbera fans should check out Voerzio Barbera d'Alba Riserva Pozzo, aged in all barriques 50% new, and bottled entirely in magnums. This is an extraordinarily concentrated and rich wine, with impressive body and depth of flavor. Voerzio claims it ages like Barolo and needs at least four or five years in the cellar. The problem with the traditional style of barbera, says Voerzio, is that the wines have huge acidity but not enough polpa (flesh). It's all a question of yields, he adds.