2008 Barolo Revisited in 2013
A year after first tasting them, I revisit some of the top wines from the 2008 vintage to see how they are developing. Do they deserve my early praise, or was I fooled by their precocious charms?
With just a few days to go before my departure for Piedmont, I was thrilled to have been able to join in Antonio Galloni’s brilliant La Festa del Barolo this year. Featuring a tasting of 2008 Barolo, it was perfect timing; a chance for me to revisit this excellent vintage, and to help set the stage for my upcoming tastings from the 2009 vintage.
In case you missed my report last year on my tastings of the 2008 vintage, which you can find here <http://www.snooth.com/articles/the-best-of-2008-barolo/>, let me just say that I was thrilled with what I tasted in Piedmont last year. Wine after wine showed a lean, racy character with terrific perfumes and pure, bright, crystalline fruit. The wines were fairly structured early on, if not large-scaled, and I had hoped that they would continue to gain weight and depth in the bottle, as Nebbiolo based wines so often do.
I was not disappointed by the wines I was able to taste. In fact, they have gained depth and complexity after a year in the bottle while retaining the hallmark freshness of the vintage. To be clear, not all the wines thrilled me; it was a vintage where winemakers needed to tread lightly and use a gentle touch if they were to be able to capture the essence of the vintage. I come to the table with a certain prejudice against excessive use of new oak in Barolo, particularly smaller-sized barrels, and several of the wines tasted this day did indeed show excessive wood influences that obscured some of the nuance of the vintage.
I’ll be following up with many of these producers over the coming days, tasting their 2009s; a ripe, overt vintage based on the general consensus as well as on barrel tastings from last year, and one that should be much better able to absorb the levels of new wood I found objectionable here. I just hope that these producers didn’t ramp up the wood to match the intensity of fruit the warmer weather allowed in 2009.
The takeaway here is that 2008 is a vintage to buy. In some cases it already shows very well indeed, though I do expect the wines to shut down in time. They should open up fairly quickly and will enjoy a moderately long life based as much on their bright acids as the moderate load of crisp tannins so many of the wines are carrying. It’s a vintage of uncommon transparency, meaning that you really can get a sense of the terroir that each of these vineyards expresses if the wood is not too overt, as well as the winemakers influence, which can be a positive or a negative.
Following a pair of rather exalted vintages -- 2006 for its power and structure, and 2007 for it’s opulence and intensity, and to be followed by another pair of vintages that promise to receive tremendous media endorsement -- I have a feeling that 2008 will get lost in the mix and end up being significantly discounted over the next two years. While it is a vintage to buy, with few exceptions, you might make out better by waiting a bit to see where the prices go.
NB I wrote this before researching the prices for these wines, which in many cases are kooky. This was a special event tasting featuring distinctly high end bottles. In light of the pricing of many of these wines waiting to see if they appear on sale is even more strongly suggested since I see little upside potential for these wines over the short term, say 2-4 years.
Associated lis: http://www.snooth.com/list/2008-barolo-revisted-april-2013/9123/
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2008 Giacomo Conterno Cascina Francia $150
http://www.snooth.com/wine/giacomo-conterno-barolo-cascina-francia-2008-3/
Tight and minera on the nose with bit of cocoa dusted fruit under sweet floral base notes rich with tar, licorice, and macerated herb aromas. Rich if a bit tough in the mouth, this is all about grape skins today, with austere and almost bitter intense flavors of cherry, medicinal, and earth on the palate, all topped with aromatic floral and red fruited notes that drive the long, finessed finish. There is an innate sweetness here that will emerge with time, though there are suggestions of what this wine will become on the long finish which shows perfect density and superbly ripe tannins. 94pts
2008 Elvio Cogno Barolo Bricco Pernice $80
http://www.snooth.com/wine/elvio-cogno-barolo-bricco-pernice-2008/
Sweetly fruited and bursting with aromas of rose hips, rose petals, just a fine edge of attractive jamminess, nice gentle spice, and hints of tar and licorice. Finely balanced on the palate with well managed tannins that are present, if not prominent, this shows a really lovely core of red fruit, that is rich, ripe and transparent, with lovely tannins and perfectly balanced supporting acidity. The finish is just a touch short but I expect it will lengthen with time. A great showing. 93pts
2008 Brovia Barolo Ca’Mia $80
http://www.snooth.com/wine/brovia-barolo-camia-2008/
Superb florality on the nose this open with intense, dark, muscular fruit filled with soil and medicinal tones and wrapped in the gentle sweetness of old wood. Tight, and yet showing real finesse here, this offers up lovely dark flavors accented with a hint of fresh peach and rich, ripe tannins that are seamlessly integrated. With air this turns slightly medicinal, and with a slight prune flavor and late arriving wild cherry fruit adding complexity, this shows off elegance and finesse in spades. A touch short today but this is superbly put together. 93pts
2008 E Pira Chiara Boschis Barolo Cannubi $90
http://www.snooth.com/wine/e-pira-and-figli-chiara-boschis-barolo-cannubi-2008-2/
Tight, floral, complex, savory and very precise on the nose with a light sheen of oak, both new and old topped with sweet rose petals. Bright and vivid in the mouth with rich yet transparent wild cherry fruit, lovely tannins are assertive but in balance allowing the wine to finish with a pretty sweetness augmented by a touch of wood sweetness, this shows the taut, austere elegance of cannubi very well 93pts
2008 Aldo Conterno Barolo Romirasco $185
http://www.snooth.com/wine/aldo-conterno-barolo-romirasco-2008/
Early on this is noticeably oaky, then it turns a bit hard with floral and spiced dark cherry fruit. Clean, precise and modern, this is a bit beefy at first, smooth and broad on the palate. This shows a little hollow on the palate, there's nice fruit, explosively pure and slight candied and medicinal wild cherry fruit that is sure to please many palates, but the structure is taking control here and this is very structured for the vintage. There is no doubt huge fruit here with added complexity from notes of herb, leather, and violets , but the wine shows a weird blend of super fruity fruit and classic structure. This is a super fresh fruit bomb. I don’t know how to score this, objectively it’s a 93pt wine though if there ever was a case of a wine having too much fruit this would be one of them, but it is delicious fruit. Blind I might guess this is a new world wine.
2008 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bric del Fiasc Riserva $NA
http://www.snooth.com/wine/paolo-scavino-barolo-bric-del-fiasc-riserva-2008/
A unique bottling, first time a Riserva was made and this was bottled for charity.
Just one barrel of this was produced, all Cappello sommerso, natural yeast fermentation, ten months in fourth passage barrique, then two years in cask, a year longer than the traditional Bric del Fiasc bottling.
Dark and pretty one the nose with obvious but not intrusive oak, there's some nice earthy spice and perfumy floral notes that drift up in the glass as well. Soft and almost opulent on entry, then rather firm and muscular with a dense core of dark berry fruit. This is tannic and tough on the finish, which is long and filled with nuanced burnished fruit, lots of cherry in alcohol and wild, woodsy berries all topped with aromatic rose hips. If the fruit hold out this could be special. 92pts
2008 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis $155
http://www.snooth.com/wine/luciano-sandrone-nebbiolo-barolo-cannubi-boschis-2008/
Lots of sweet, toasty oak spice on the nose is accompanied a touch of chalk and some savory, meaty, almost jerky tones. On entry a slight edge of sweetness is quickly washed away by bright and tart cherry and strawberry fruit. This is rather elegant, and fairly surprisingly transparent with good length still driving the light sweet edge here, tight with a traditional mouth feel that is less dark, matte and oaky than previous vintages. Finishes with excellent length rich with sour and astringent red fruits. Is this just a vintage anomaly? 91pts
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9 2008 Conterno Fantino Barolo Sori Ginestra $90
http://www.snooth.com/wine/conterno-fantino-barolo-sori-ginestra-2008-1/
Perfumed with candied black fruits backed up with plenty of toasty oak. This is simple but assertive with lots of black cherry fruit and lovely herbal accents. Smooth on the palate, and nicely balanced with plenty of tart red berry fruit over well integrated oak spice. The tannins are relatively soft here, allowing this to deliver a nice sweet red cherry flavor on the palate, though the finish is cut short as the tannins reappear. Nicely done all around, sort of archetype middle of the road style Barolo. 91pts
2008 G. D. Vajra Barolo Bricco Delle Viole $70
http://www.snooth.com/wine/g-d-vajra-barolo-bricco-delle-viole-2008-1/
Very pretty and perfumed on the nose with super wild cherry fruit and wild raspberry in alcohol aromas over nice low mineral, wild flower and wild herb notes. Just a hint of oak, gentle but it's there. Soft on entry, clean and fresh with lots of wild strawberry and lightly herbal fruit that has an attractive sweet/tart component to it. Tannins are quite soft, and the finish a bit on the short side. Elegant and refined with a very fresh and attractive flavor profile. 90pts
2008 Elio Grasso Barolo Casa Mate $85
http://www.snooth.com/wine/elio-grasso-nebbiolo-barolo-ginestra-vigna-casa-mate-2008/
Buttery at first then a little herbal on the nose with a touch of oak under bright herb and licorice inflected wild berry fruit. Focused if a bit small in the mouth, this is on the tighter side for the vintage with burnished cherry and wild strawberry fruit that’s a bit chewy and a bit on the spicy side. There's nice transparency here with soil tones and sweet wood on the backend, though the finish is tight and short showing hints of carob and nutella on the finale. This needs time. 90pts
12 2008 Pio Cesare Barolo Ornato $105
http://www.snooth.com/wine/pio-cesare-nebbiolo-barolo-ornato-2008/
A Slightly oaky nose showing aromas of vanilla and toasted coffee bean over tight, earthy hints of used leather and soil driven spices. Shallow, with a meaty edge and taut in the mouth, this shows a nice prune and cherry in alcohol palate with plenty of leather and nice fine grained rather classic tannins that make this a little tough and austere on the finish, Smells attractive if a bit rustic, with nice cut, a bit small scaled but complete. 90pts
2008 Borgogno Barolo Cannubi $ Not Yet Released
http://www.snooth.com/wine/borgogno-barolo-cannubi-2008
Tight and compressed sweet/sour cherry shows over a base note of old wood spice on the nose. Aromatically this is a bit tarry and heavy. The bit darkly fruited entry is a bit matte, showing some plummy fruit and sweet candy accents, with nice austere tannins, spicy and a bit spicy on the palate, though dry and tough through the long finish. A little chunky and compact if long and filled with fruit. 88pts
2008 Vietti Barolo Rocche $130
http://www.snooth.com/wine/vietti-nebbiolo-barolo-rocche-2008/
Nutty, cocoa, and sweet toasted spice oak on the nose tops the core of nice dark spiced cherries with a dusty, spicy character. High toned and bright on entry, unusually structured, lots of weight low on the palate with prominent acidity, fine grained but abundant tannins, and a little peppery spice on the backend. The finish is all structure, tannins, acids, the fruit is elusive here, and the wine just seems to lack complexity and oomph at this point but this does shows nice tannins with some sweet, darker cherry fruit popping on the finish. 88pts
2008 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Cerequio $200
http://www.snooth.com/wine/roberto-voerzio-barolo-cerequio-2008-1/
Sweet nutty and chocolate oak on the nose over floral hints with lots of fish sauce savoriness Fairly rich with a certain density this has a nice firm base but lacks some liveliness on the palate. The fruit is attractive with sour cherry notes and a little sweet hazelnut edge, dry and short on the finish, though the tannins are sweet, they are abundant. Attractive but the oak obscures too much at this point. 87pts
A Bonus bottle from the 2007 Vintage
15 2007 Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Vigna San Giuseppe
Lots of leather and camphor on the nose along with jammy dark fruit, this is a bit hot and a bit indistinct on the nose. Smells like essence of spicy leather and pollen. Light on entry, this turns a bit jammy and almost soft, though there are good supporting acids. The tannins are a touch rough here adding a rugged feel to the palate, which is powerful with late arriving cherry fruit followed by a short, tannic finish that shows licorice and earth inflected cherry in alcohol fruit with a touch of meatiness. This is packed with tannin. 90pts
With just a few days to go before my departure for Piedmont, I was thrilled to have been able to join in Antonio Galloni’s brilliant La Festa del Barolo this year. Featuring a tasting of 2008 Barolo, it was perfect timing; a chance for me to revisit this excellent vintage, and to help set the stage for my upcoming tastings from the 2009 vintage.
In case you missed my report last year on my tastings of the 2008 vintage, which you can find here <http://www.snooth.com/articles/the-best-of-2008-barolo/>, let me just say that I was thrilled with what I tasted in Piedmont last year. Wine after wine showed a lean, racy character with terrific perfumes and pure, bright, crystalline fruit. The wines were fairly structured early on, if not large-scaled, and I had hoped that they would continue to gain weight and depth in the bottle, as Nebbiolo based wines so often do.
I was not disappointed by the wines I was able to taste. In fact, they have gained depth and complexity after a year in the bottle while retaining the hallmark freshness of the vintage. To be clear, not all the wines thrilled me; it was a vintage where winemakers needed to tread lightly and use a gentle touch if they were to be able to capture the essence of the vintage. I come to the table with a certain prejudice against excessive use of new oak in Barolo, particularly smaller-sized barrels, and several of the wines tasted this day did indeed show excessive wood influences that obscured some of the nuance of the vintage.
I’ll be following up with many of these producers over the coming days, tasting their 2009s; a ripe, overt vintage based on the general consensus as well as on barrel tastings from last year, and one that should be much better able to absorb the levels of new wood I found objectionable here. I just hope that these producers didn’t ramp up the wood to match the intensity of fruit the warmer weather allowed in 2009.
The takeaway here is that 2008 is a vintage to buy. In some cases it already shows very well indeed, though I do expect the wines to shut down in time. They should open up fairly quickly and will enjoy a moderately long life based as much on their bright acids as the moderate load of crisp tannins so many of the wines are carrying. It’s a vintage of uncommon transparency, meaning that you really can get a sense of the terroir that each of these vineyards expresses if the wood is not too overt, as well as the winemakers influence, which can be a positive or a negative.
Following a pair of rather exalted vintages -- 2006 for its power and structure, and 2007 for it’s opulence and intensity, and to be followed by another pair of vintages that promise to receive tremendous media endorsement -- I have a feeling that 2008 will get lost in the mix and end up being significantly discounted over the next two years. While it is a vintage to buy, with few exceptions, you might make out better by waiting a bit to see where the prices go.
NB I wrote this before researching the prices for these wines, which in many cases are kooky. This was a special event tasting featuring distinctly high end bottles. In light of the pricing of many of these wines waiting to see if they appear on sale is even more strongly suggested since I see little upside potential for these wines over the short term, say 2-4 years.
Associated lis: http://www.snooth.com/list/2008-barolo-revisted-april-2013/9123/
[PAGEBREAK]
2008 Giacomo Conterno Cascina Francia $150
http://www.snooth.com/wine/giacomo-conterno-barolo-cascina-francia-2008-3/
Tight and minera on the nose with bit of cocoa dusted fruit under sweet floral base notes rich with tar, licorice, and macerated herb aromas. Rich if a bit tough in the mouth, this is all about grape skins today, with austere and almost bitter intense flavors of cherry, medicinal, and earth on the palate, all topped with aromatic floral and red fruited notes that drive the long, finessed finish. There is an innate sweetness here that will emerge with time, though there are suggestions of what this wine will become on the long finish which shows perfect density and superbly ripe tannins. 94pts
2008 Elvio Cogno Barolo Bricco Pernice $80
http://www.snooth.com/wine/elvio-cogno-barolo-bricco-pernice-2008/
Sweetly fruited and bursting with aromas of rose hips, rose petals, just a fine edge of attractive jamminess, nice gentle spice, and hints of tar and licorice. Finely balanced on the palate with well managed tannins that are present, if not prominent, this shows a really lovely core of red fruit, that is rich, ripe and transparent, with lovely tannins and perfectly balanced supporting acidity. The finish is just a touch short but I expect it will lengthen with time. A great showing. 93pts
2008 Brovia Barolo Ca’Mia $80
http://www.snooth.com/wine/brovia-barolo-camia-2008/
Superb florality on the nose this open with intense, dark, muscular fruit filled with soil and medicinal tones and wrapped in the gentle sweetness of old wood. Tight, and yet showing real finesse here, this offers up lovely dark flavors accented with a hint of fresh peach and rich, ripe tannins that are seamlessly integrated. With air this turns slightly medicinal, and with a slight prune flavor and late arriving wild cherry fruit adding complexity, this shows off elegance and finesse in spades. A touch short today but this is superbly put together. 93pts
2008 E Pira Chiara Boschis Barolo Cannubi $90
http://www.snooth.com/wine/e-pira-and-figli-chiara-boschis-barolo-cannubi-2008-2/
Tight, floral, complex, savory and very precise on the nose with a light sheen of oak, both new and old topped with sweet rose petals. Bright and vivid in the mouth with rich yet transparent wild cherry fruit, lovely tannins are assertive but in balance allowing the wine to finish with a pretty sweetness augmented by a touch of wood sweetness, this shows the taut, austere elegance of cannubi very well 93pts
2008 Aldo Conterno Barolo Romirasco $185
http://www.snooth.com/wine/aldo-conterno-barolo-romirasco-2008/
Early on this is noticeably oaky, then it turns a bit hard with floral and spiced dark cherry fruit. Clean, precise and modern, this is a bit beefy at first, smooth and broad on the palate. This shows a little hollow on the palate, there's nice fruit, explosively pure and slight candied and medicinal wild cherry fruit that is sure to please many palates, but the structure is taking control here and this is very structured for the vintage. There is no doubt huge fruit here with added complexity from notes of herb, leather, and violets , but the wine shows a weird blend of super fruity fruit and classic structure. This is a super fresh fruit bomb. I don’t know how to score this, objectively it’s a 93pt wine though if there ever was a case of a wine having too much fruit this would be one of them, but it is delicious fruit. Blind I might guess this is a new world wine.
2008 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bric del Fiasc Riserva $NA
http://www.snooth.com/wine/paolo-scavino-barolo-bric-del-fiasc-riserva-2008/
A unique bottling, first time a Riserva was made and this was bottled for charity.
Just one barrel of this was produced, all Cappello sommerso, natural yeast fermentation, ten months in fourth passage barrique, then two years in cask, a year longer than the traditional Bric del Fiasc bottling.
Dark and pretty one the nose with obvious but not intrusive oak, there's some nice earthy spice and perfumy floral notes that drift up in the glass as well. Soft and almost opulent on entry, then rather firm and muscular with a dense core of dark berry fruit. This is tannic and tough on the finish, which is long and filled with nuanced burnished fruit, lots of cherry in alcohol and wild, woodsy berries all topped with aromatic rose hips. If the fruit hold out this could be special. 92pts
2008 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis $155
http://www.snooth.com/wine/luciano-sandrone-nebbiolo-barolo-cannubi-boschis-2008/
Lots of sweet, toasty oak spice on the nose is accompanied a touch of chalk and some savory, meaty, almost jerky tones. On entry a slight edge of sweetness is quickly washed away by bright and tart cherry and strawberry fruit. This is rather elegant, and fairly surprisingly transparent with good length still driving the light sweet edge here, tight with a traditional mouth feel that is less dark, matte and oaky than previous vintages. Finishes with excellent length rich with sour and astringent red fruits. Is this just a vintage anomaly? 91pts
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9 2008 Conterno Fantino Barolo Sori Ginestra $90
http://www.snooth.com/wine/conterno-fantino-barolo-sori-ginestra-2008-1/
Perfumed with candied black fruits backed up with plenty of toasty oak. This is simple but assertive with lots of black cherry fruit and lovely herbal accents. Smooth on the palate, and nicely balanced with plenty of tart red berry fruit over well integrated oak spice. The tannins are relatively soft here, allowing this to deliver a nice sweet red cherry flavor on the palate, though the finish is cut short as the tannins reappear. Nicely done all around, sort of archetype middle of the road style Barolo. 91pts
2008 G. D. Vajra Barolo Bricco Delle Viole $70
http://www.snooth.com/wine/g-d-vajra-barolo-bricco-delle-viole-2008-1/
Very pretty and perfumed on the nose with super wild cherry fruit and wild raspberry in alcohol aromas over nice low mineral, wild flower and wild herb notes. Just a hint of oak, gentle but it's there. Soft on entry, clean and fresh with lots of wild strawberry and lightly herbal fruit that has an attractive sweet/tart component to it. Tannins are quite soft, and the finish a bit on the short side. Elegant and refined with a very fresh and attractive flavor profile. 90pts
2008 Elio Grasso Barolo Casa Mate $85
http://www.snooth.com/wine/elio-grasso-nebbiolo-barolo-ginestra-vigna-casa-mate-2008/
Buttery at first then a little herbal on the nose with a touch of oak under bright herb and licorice inflected wild berry fruit. Focused if a bit small in the mouth, this is on the tighter side for the vintage with burnished cherry and wild strawberry fruit that’s a bit chewy and a bit on the spicy side. There's nice transparency here with soil tones and sweet wood on the backend, though the finish is tight and short showing hints of carob and nutella on the finale. This needs time. 90pts
12 2008 Pio Cesare Barolo Ornato $105
http://www.snooth.com/wine/pio-cesare-nebbiolo-barolo-ornato-2008/
A Slightly oaky nose showing aromas of vanilla and toasted coffee bean over tight, earthy hints of used leather and soil driven spices. Shallow, with a meaty edge and taut in the mouth, this shows a nice prune and cherry in alcohol palate with plenty of leather and nice fine grained rather classic tannins that make this a little tough and austere on the finish, Smells attractive if a bit rustic, with nice cut, a bit small scaled but complete. 90pts
2008 Borgogno Barolo Cannubi $ Not Yet Released
http://www.snooth.com/wine/borgogno-barolo-cannubi-2008
Tight and compressed sweet/sour cherry shows over a base note of old wood spice on the nose. Aromatically this is a bit tarry and heavy. The bit darkly fruited entry is a bit matte, showing some plummy fruit and sweet candy accents, with nice austere tannins, spicy and a bit spicy on the palate, though dry and tough through the long finish. A little chunky and compact if long and filled with fruit. 88pts
2008 Vietti Barolo Rocche $130
http://www.snooth.com/wine/vietti-nebbiolo-barolo-rocche-2008/
Nutty, cocoa, and sweet toasted spice oak on the nose tops the core of nice dark spiced cherries with a dusty, spicy character. High toned and bright on entry, unusually structured, lots of weight low on the palate with prominent acidity, fine grained but abundant tannins, and a little peppery spice on the backend. The finish is all structure, tannins, acids, the fruit is elusive here, and the wine just seems to lack complexity and oomph at this point but this does shows nice tannins with some sweet, darker cherry fruit popping on the finish. 88pts
2008 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Cerequio $200
http://www.snooth.com/wine/roberto-voerzio-barolo-cerequio-2008-1/
Sweet nutty and chocolate oak on the nose over floral hints with lots of fish sauce savoriness Fairly rich with a certain density this has a nice firm base but lacks some liveliness on the palate. The fruit is attractive with sour cherry notes and a little sweet hazelnut edge, dry and short on the finish, though the tannins are sweet, they are abundant. Attractive but the oak obscures too much at this point. 87pts
A Bonus bottle from the 2007 Vintage
15 2007 Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Vigna San Giuseppe
Lots of leather and camphor on the nose along with jammy dark fruit, this is a bit hot and a bit indistinct on the nose. Smells like essence of spicy leather and pollen. Light on entry, this turns a bit jammy and almost soft, though there are good supporting acids. The tannins are a touch rough here adding a rugged feel to the palate, which is powerful with late arriving cherry fruit followed by a short, tannic finish that shows licorice and earth inflected cherry in alcohol fruit with a touch of meatiness. This is packed with tannin. 90pts