For some producers the moment has already arrived, for others, we will have to wait a little longer, but 2022 is the year of the release of the 2018 vintage of Barolo and we want to know what to expect.
For this reason, some of the most authoritative and historic producers of Barolo have given us their views on this vintage.
From the very first tastings, elegance, easy drinking, combined with longevity potential make the 2018 Barolo extremely interesting. “A classic vintage, with a very vivid colour, a fresh nose, but it is in the mouth that you can perceive the combination of an important structure supported by the already fairly mature tannins that make the wine soft and elegant” comments the producer Luca Sandrone, Sandrone Luciano winery.
Barolos, therefore, to be bought and tried immediately, with great pleasure, to define the ageing potential of each bottle!
After 2017, a year characterised by high temperatures and low rainfall, the 2018 vintage opened with a rainy winter, which “re-established the water reserves consumed by the dry 2017“, as Gianni Gagliardo, Poderi Gianni Gagliardo, explains. From the end of the summer, a dry and warm period then began “with sunny days and lower night temperatures, which allowed the Nebbiolo to complete maturation, arriving at the harvest in perfect quality conditions. ” comments Federica Boffa Pio, Pio Cesare. Also according to Matteo Sardagna Einaudi, Poderi Luigi Einaudi, “We found grapes in excellent health in the vineyard. The wait paid off.”
The yields, lower than average, ensured “an excellent structure, with a high concentration of fruit thanks to the summer temperatures and good water availability,” continues Cesare Benvenuto Pio, Pio Cesare winery.
The result is “wines of great balance and freshness, traditional in style, with an extremely attractive purity of fruit.” Lorenzo Scavino, Azelia winery, comments: an expressive and immediate Barolo that “will bring gratification right from the start”, “important but already balanced wines that bode well for prolonged ageing”, confirms Sandrone Luciano.
“Those who love classic Barolo, elegant and with great olfactory complexity, will be delighted. There has probably never been a vintage where Barolo has been so ideally close to Burgundy in terms of style, complexity and precision in interpreting the terroir,” conclude Elena and Luca Currado Vietti, Vietti winery.
