12 of the Best Barolos That Are Ready to Drink Now
Barolo, one of the most celebrated wines of Italy, conjures up powerful, tannic reds from the Nebbiolo grape that need many years of aging before they can even begin to be enjoyed. But while that’s the popular wisdom, it’s not necessarily the case.
Last month in Barolo, in Italy’s Northwest Piedmont region, I tasted close to a hundred wines, from those about to be released to slightly older vintages and bottles with a couple of decades or so of age. They included 25 wines blind-tasted from the soon-to-be released 2023 vintage of Serralunga d’Alba, one of Barolo’s top communes.
The 2023s — from a roller-coaster year with everything from excessive rain to excessive heat that somehow turned out OK in the end — showed generous fruit, tannins that were firm but not overwhelming, ample balancing acidity, and some elegance. And while they certainly need time to come into their own, I believe that many can be enjoyed sooner than later. Which may be increasingly true of Barolos in general.
Like many wine regions, Barolo is adjusting to a warming planet and, for now, reaping some benefits. “Climate change has helped us to express a little bit stronger concentration in the fruit, which makes the wines definitely more accessible when they are young,” says Roberto Bruno, the managing director of Fontanafredda, a large and historic winery in Serralunga d’Alba.
With nature doing its part for ripening, winemaking has also evolved in an effort to keep Barolos lighter and fresher. In a sense, winemakers are going back to the future.
Like others, Davide Abbona, winemaker at the historic Marchesi di Barolo estate, says he has changed the type of oak he uses to age his classic Barolo blend, returning to the very large, more neutral casks that were traditionally used. He is leaning away from the toasted small barrels that winemakers embraced several decades ago in an effort to “tame” the wines more quickly. It may have worked, but it also changed the character of Barolos, giving them a more aggressive, oak-driven “international” style that many are rejecting today.
“We try to make a wine that must maintain the characteristic of Barolo,” Abbona says, “but to do something more gentle, approachable to the people that don’t drink this wine so often.” He believes that, in the future, the word “lighter” will be “one of the most important words you can use for Barolo.”
If you’ve tasted Barolos then you know that their relatively pale color, sometimes almost translucent, belies their power and intensity. The wines are not shy on alcohol, often weighing in at 14.5 percent or more.
Fortunately, the high ABVs are typically balanced by the acidity of the Nebbiolo grape, which, beyond the Barolo zone — a relatively small area in the Langhe region — also produces the almost equally famous Barbaresco and less expensive but also sought-after wines like Langhe Nebbiolo, Nebbiolo d’Alba, Roero, and Gattinara.
Within the Barolo area there are 11 distinct villages, each with its own wine identity based on microclimate and soils. Beyond Serralunga d’Alba, they include La Morra, the village of Barolo, Monforte d’Alba, and Verduno; you’ll see these names on some of the labels, such as “Barolo del Comune di Verduno” or “Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d’Alba.”
There are basically three levels of Barolos: The “classic” wines — typically blends of grapes from various communes — are usually the most accessible Barolos, followed by the village-specific wines, and, finally, single-vineyard or cru Barolos that benefit from even more time.
While a minimum of 38 months of aging, with 18 months in barrels, is required before Barolos are released, another year or two, at minimum, will give classic and village Barolos even more time to start coming together and releasing their tannic grip.
While the best aged Barolos can command stratospheric prices — in the three and four figures like the top wines of Burgundy — it’s possible to enjoy Barolos on a budget, or at least for considerably under $100. The classic wines are the most affordable, with some selling for under $50, and are often the most ready-to-drink expressions upon release.
Sara Vezza, the owner of the Josetta Saffirio winery, makes another point about enjoying younger Barolo. “What is very, very important, something that people don’t understand that much, is the temperature,” she says.
“If you pour a glass of such a heavy wine in terms of alcohol at room temperature, you will never enjoy it.” If cooled to 55 or 60 degrees, she says, “then you will love it because you will feel more the acidity, the freshness. It’s much more pleasant than just feeling the alcohol in a warm glass.”
Here are 12 of the best Barolos to drink now.
Vietti Barolo 2021
This standout Barolo demonstrates a perfect blend of freshness and balance. With its unusually dark color (for Barolo), it shows concentrated notes of blackberry and blueberry cobbler with a hint of baking spices supported by fine tannins. Ample acidity gives the wine a nice “crunchy” character that is typical of younger Barolo.
Price: $54
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Ettore Germano Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d’Alba 2022
Not even a year after its release, this Barolo from Serralunga d’Alba was surprisingly approachable and easy to drink, with its gentle tannins framing red and dark fruit notes, including cassis. Touches of cumin seed, fallen leaves, and vanilla along with subtle minerality accent the fruit. Ripe, fresh, and showing well in its youth.
Price: $57
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Fontanafredda Barolo 2022
This outstanding wine from the largest single-estate Barolo producer shows aromas of ripe strawberry, raspberry, and cherry with underbrush and mineral notes. On the palate, moderate tannins make the wine accessible now or ageable for a number of years. Also worth trying: Fontanafredda’s Barolo del Serralunga d’Alba.
Price: $53
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Mirafiore Barolo 2022
This classic Barolo blend shows dark fruit notes, mainly cassis and dark plums,
and is still quite tannic, so you’ll want to open it an hour or so before serving and, ideally, decant it. The fruit is accented by earth, dried mushroom, and cinnamon touches.
Price: $48
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G.D. Vajra Barolo ‘Albe’ 2022
With a relatively gentle tannic structure, this excellent-value blended Barolo — Albe means “sunrises” in Italian — is widely available in the U.S. It offers dark and red fruit aromas and flavors with braised meat, baking spice, mineral, and citrus touches. At a tasting at the winery, Francesca Vaira, who runs G.D. Vajra with her brothers, called this a “Friday night wine” that “you can drink now or in 20 years.”
Price: $35
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Marchesi di Barolo Tradizione 2021
This polished wine with moderate tannins shows notes of overripe raspberry and strawberry along with hints of balsamic, orange peel, and coffee. It’s drinking well now but has years to go. (The ’20 vintage is currently being sold by retailers.)
Price: $61
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Fratelli Alessandria Barolo del Comune di Verduno 2021
This lighter-style Barolo from Verduno opens up beautifully to reveal red fruit and violet notes along with touches of earth, orange, and oak. The fruit has a slightly baked quality that doesn’t detract from the wine’s elegance.
Price: $60
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Cristian Boffa Barolo del Comune di La Morra 2021
A small-production Barolo from La Morra, this wine has great complexity with aromas of wild berries, including raspberry and black cherry, along with rose petals, lavender, and a hint of dirt. The firm tannins soften as the wine opens up, leading to a polished Barolo that was an excellent companion to grilled duck breasts with a blackberry, fig, and Barolo reduction.
Price: $54
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Giacomo Borgogno Barolo 2022
This classic Barolo is balanced with well-integrated tannins. It shows red and dark fruit notes with hints of underbrush, tomato leaf, and a good deal of spice. (The ’21 is currently available here.) For a splurge, try Borgogno’s complex and concentrated 2019 Barolo Riserva.
Price: $65
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Diego Morra Barolo ‘Zinzasco’ 2022
A blend of grapes from 10 different Nebbiolo vineyards in La Morra and Verduno, this outstanding Barolo shows concentrated fruit and ripe, well-integrated tannins. Notes of black cherry, cocoa, rose petal, and a hint of leather. (The ’21 vintage is available here.)
Price: $40
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Josetta Saffirio Barolo del Comune di Monforte d’Alba 2020
Still young, this spicy Barolo from the Monforte d’Alba comune should open up well with some more age, though it’s certainly drinkable now. It shows very ripe red fruits, mainly raspberry and strawberry, fig, and herb and floral notes.
Price: $65
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Palladino Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d’Alba 2022
The ABV is listed at a lofty 15.5 percent for this notable Barolo, but with its refreshing acidity and served slightly chilled, you wouldn’t know it. Moderate tannins frame dark fruit, herb, and floral notes.
Price: $70
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Next up: Chardonnays from Germany
The article 12 of the Best Barolos That Are Ready to Drink Now appeared first on VinePair.