1998 Barolo Brunate

The Currado family now owns 32 hectares of vineyards, following a very expensive purchase of a parcel of Barolo Villero. The family is in the process of expanding its winery, although there are no plans to increase production. Luca Currado is a flexible winemaker with strong ideas about the different needs of his crus. "The Rocche needs a long fermentation and does not take well to aging in barriques" he told me. "Brunate is a more feminine wine; it typically requires more oxygenation during its first year. The Lazzarito is a typically hard terroir of Serralunga. Small barrels are essential: the wine is like a wild horse that you need to ride." Currado is increasingly doing the malolactic fermentations in barriques which he believes adds silkiness and fat to the family's wines without making them overly oaky. But elevage varies depending on the wine. For example, the Barbaresco Masseria is aged entirely in barriques but the Barolo Villero is racked into large Slavonian ovals the spring after the harvest, once the malos have occurred in small barrels. Rocche is the only Barolo that spends no time in barriques.Currado is a champion of the 1999 vintage, which offered excellent material and power "for the Barolistas." He described 1998 as an elegant, crowd-pleasing style of wine, like a more structured version of 1988. ("No, it's more like '89," interjected Alfredo Currado.) Luca added that he thought 2000 favored Barbaresco over Barolo, but that 2001 is stronger for both areas. "For me, 2001 is a 100-point vintage, surely the best since 1996. 1996 would have been as good if we knew then what we know now."