2001 Barolo Lazzarito

These 2001s were made during a transitionary period in Vietti's history. I was quite pleased to see the wines show so well after the more mixed 2000s I tasted last year. As good as these 2001s are, it is also pretty clear Vietti has since moved comfortably into the upper echelon of Barolo producers, something that wasn't the case a decade ago. In a lot of ways, the 2001s are the vintage that marks Vietti's ascension to superstar status. I remember first tasting these wines when they had been bottled, but weren't yet released. They were impressive then and they are just as impressive today. Vietti fans might also be interested in a recent vertical of the flagship Villero Riserva, which includes my thoughts on the 2001.

Vietti is without a doubt one of the most important estates in the region from a historical perspective. Alfredo Currado was one of the first winemakers to pioneer the bottling of single-vineyard wines, experiment with barriques, and sell wines into the US market. Today the winery is managed by brothers in law Luca Currado and Mario Cordero, both of whom share a passion for all things Barolo. Currado oversees the winemaking while Cordero runs the business side of the operation. The Vietti wines are made in an updated style that is somewhere in between modern and traditional. Yields are kept low, averaging 30-35 hectolitres per hectare for the single-vineyard Barolos. The wines are all fermented in stainless steel do their malolactic fermentations in barrique, after which they complete their aging in a combination of larger casks and barriques. In general the Castiglione, Rocche and Villero are aged predominantly in large barrels, while the Brunate, Ravera, and Lazzarito show more influence of barrique-aging. Currado's philosophy is simple: “We try to allow each vineyard to express its fullest potential.” Cordero is excited about the 2001s, saying “2001 is a superb vintage we producers are very happy with. The wines have excellent depth, acidity, and aging potential, as in 1996.”

Two years ago, even before I had a chance to taste this estate's 2001, Luca Currado told me that 2001 at his family's winery was a 100-point year. I am happy to report that the 2001 Vietti Barolos and Barbarescos are indeed a stunning group of wines, as complete as any I tasted in the Langhe in September. "This vintage offers the essence of Barolo," explains Currado, "a rare combination of power and freshness of fruit. The wines are beautiful now and will be beautiful in 15 to 20 years. " The Currados have redone and expanded their vinification facility and barrel cellars, and now can work virtually entirely by gravity (the barrels can even be brought up to the bottling area via an elevator). Since the 2001 vintage, the Currados are starting their Barolos in barriques and finishing them in botti, which they believe allows for the best possible combination of controlled oxidation and retention of fruit. But the use of barriques remains critical here:that's where the malolactic fermentations take place, and the lees are stirred until the March after the harvest-very unusual for the region. The dying yeasts release stamens, says Luca Currado, which are antioxidants and work in favor of wine longevity. Currado noted that the family carried out four green harvests in 2004, including a pruning just before the harvest to get more natural concentration in the fruit, a technique he described as Burgundian. "We don't use concentrators to get more color and extract," he explained. Vinification takes place almost entirely in vertical steel tanks, where frequent mechanical pumpovers are gentle enough not to break the seeds and stems. The macerations last 10 to 15 days, including a bit of cold maceration in the same steel tanks, with the Villero and Rocche cuvees spending closer to three weeks on their skins. Currado says the estate sold off its rotofermenters, keeping just one for possible use in an emergency. But the rotofermenters, he believes, do too much extraction and yield unbalanced wines.