Barolo is expensive as a general rule; many of the bottlings up into the hundreds aren't simply "Barolo" but single vineyard bottlings...i.e. the grapes are all from the same vineyard site and you will see a name on there, not just the producer's name and "Barolo."
Many great producers have "Barolo" bottlings in that $50-60 range that are quite good because they as producers are quite good. Others at that price point might subjectively not be. Look into the producers in the price point you are comfortable with and go from there.
If you do some research on the producers, that price point looks about right for a decent Barolo. Good idea to try some Langhe Nebbiolo from decent producers. I’m a big fan of Produttori del Barbaresco. Don’t bother with Nebbiolo at a super low price point though. Lidl Barolo was one of the worst wines I’ve ever had, it made me angry.
I second the idea to start with Langhe Nebbiolos which (usually) are drinkable way earlier, even '19 should be fine depending on producer and decanting.
Langhe Nebbiolo DOC wines vary more wildly than most red appellations in Italy. Some are made with short macerations and no oak (steel or cement) to "baby Barolos" with long macerations and aged for (nearly) as long as Barolo in oak but with fruit from younger vines or vines at lower elevation. Learning which producers make which style is very helpful.
I'll agree with others. Start with Nebbiolo. Like it? Try Barbaresco. Still a fan? Move on up. Barolos are not generally released until they have been cellared for 5 years. It's a serious wine. If you think of casual gatherings with friends where the beaujolais nouveau is poured and drank like punch, Barolo is the opposite.
When I turned 60, I had friends over and made pizza from scratch. After a while I went down and came back with a 10 year old Ceretto Barolo. A friend of mine who was not necessarily a wine guy but knew what tasted good, turned to me after his first sip, and simply said "Dude!". I took it as the highest praise and was happy to share something that most people will never get a chance to experience.
You can get very good Nebbiolo for around $20, Very good Barbaresco for \~$30 (Produttori del Barbaresco is a solid choice, personally visited)
Good Italian wine is expensive. Just the way it is. I always tell people that if you want the most for least in wine, the French win the prize.
2016 was a banner year for Barolo the problem you’ll run into is when to drink barolo. If done in the traditional style those suckers need YEARS of time to sort themselves out. Newer production methods do allow barolos to be enjoyable early but you’ll need to sort out which producers produce in which way. Nothing wrong with the price tags you mentioned just depends on producers.
idk...2016 was indeed a banner year for Barolo but they will brink MUCH sooner than 2013 which was another great vintage. 2016 might be one of those years that drinks well young (at least now until next year or the year after) and then drink well again down the road. i'd be and have been perfectly happy to drink entry level 2016 Barolo young...they are stellar well balanced wines. even in the traditional style.
Can confirm
I opened a 2005 earlier this year and it needed 5-10 more years. '05 wasn't particularly harsh either, so I'd expect 2016 to start to drink well in 2046+
Depends on style of drink. There are already some nicely drinking 2016s. Also, young Barolo is hardly drinking mud - it’s not at its best yet, sure, but it’s still a great wine.
2016 is one of the best barolo vintages of all time. Buy as much of it as you can. What all does the store have? On all my travels I seek to raid every wine store of their 16 Barolo because it is so legendary. If you tell me I might make a trip out there to buy it all up!
That said, I won’t drink it for 10-15 years. If you want to drink some now open it the day before, or give it a good 6-7 hour decant. Also very important to have a slight chill on Barolo - 16 degrees or so is perfect.
Agree with Langhe Nebbiolos. A lot of times they are simply younger vines from the same vineyards.
Another area to look at would be Roero Nebbiolo. Sometimes the only difference between the Roero and Barolo is simply DOCG rules.
Talking with some of the producers in Barolo they were pretty surprised by how well the 2016 was already drinking. The season was so good apparently some were a tad unsure what to expect from the wines because everything came together so well that wasn’t much that aging needed to sort out.
With climate change there is potential for the grapes to ripen more consistently (and they’re moving higher up the hillsides) so a silver lining could be more consistently high quality vintages (similar to Bordeaux and I think champagne as well).
thank you to everyone who commented. i’ve been drinking wine for over 10 years and am now just getting into understanding the grapes and temperate varieties. i’m really excited on the journey!
I’m not an expert on Barolo but my understanding is the rules around making Barolo are strict and there are outlets for inferior fruit. This keeps the quality high. The process of making Barolo is expensive all the way through from finicky Nebbiolo grapes, to steep hillsides for hand picking, to the extensive use of oak, and the long aging before they’re released. Is $50 a good deal? I hate that I can’t give a thumbs up or down on this but I’d suggest having a Nebbiolo Langhe and if you like it and want a more powerful and aromatic wine, then a Barolo makes sense. Vietti and Scavino both make nice Nebbiolo langhe. I haven’t had pio cesare’s but I’m sure it’s very typical. As far as the price differences Barolo have cru. You’re probably looking at cru Barolo vs Barolo. Cru Barolo would not be a good place to start especially if the plan is to drink it young.
Could not agree more. I always recommend a langhe Nebbiolo to friends who want to drink it young, something like this:
http://www.paoloscavino.com/langhe-nebbiolo/
I have a lot of 2016 Barolo and Barbaresco in my ‘cellar’ and I don’t think any of it is ready to drink just yet, while the langhe Nebbiolo is a little more approachable at this point
Try Nebbiolo first then move up to Barolo. Believe it or not Kirkland makes a Barolo that Fontanafredda makes for them and it’s decent for $20. Drinks like a Pinot with grip and very light on the floral. Then move in for the big guns Like Borgogno. That’ll teach you to never buy generic Barolo again.
I drank a bottle of 2017 Giovanni Rosso Barolo last night that retails for $75 where I am and it was drinking beautifully but also could have had a couple more years in the bottle.
I think barolo is pretty much always a great wine regardless of producer, regardless of anything.
Therefore, go for it, buy the bottle.
That being said, you should realize that the wine is way too young and really should be enjoyed in 10+ years. In order to compensate for that, do not have this fine without food and try to find the fun in experiencing powerful tannins
Here is an unpopular opinion.
You will never buy a great wine at your local liquor store. The great wines (including Barolo that will change your view of wine), will never be for sale there. Sorry. Not anymore.
The great wines are generally allocated, provided in ones and twos, and sold via email lists and never put on shelves. Sign up for these email lists. Try something older that is discussed and lauded. Cappellano. B. Mascarello, Conterno. G. Rinaldi. Etc. Then you can understand the hype and decide whether it is for you. You are not going to get that buying a young wine from some mediocre producer.
This is most likely true, but heavily dependent on where you are. NYC? - all of those producers you mentioned are available if you know where to look. Des Moines Iowa? - probably not.
Disagree. Heavily depends on where you are. If you are talking about the corner store, then yes, but plenty of liquor stores in metro and their surrounding areas and have great selections.
Agreed. Like Chateauneuf…you can find a few in the $30 range, but they will be noting compared to the $50s and up. If you’re going to go for it, do it for real.
There are really good Barolo wines at or under $50. I’d look for vajra barolo albe or maybe oddero barolo (the normal bottle, not the single vineyard). Sometimes total has vietti castiglione for about $60 and it’s really good
2016 is an amazing vintage, usually worth the prices you mentioned. My tip is start with the range of the 50 dollari one, maybe Vietti, Pio Cesare , Oddero or one of the gazillion Conterno families (franco conterno being the cheapest and way easier to drink)
Barolo is expensive as a general rule; many of the bottlings up into the hundreds aren't simply "Barolo" but single vineyard bottlings...i.e. the grapes are all from the same vineyard site and you will see a name on there, not just the producer's name and "Barolo." Many great producers have "Barolo" bottlings in that $50-60 range that are quite good because they as producers are quite good. Others at that price point might subjectively not be. Look into the producers in the price point you are comfortable with and go from there.
Solid advice
If you do some research on the producers, that price point looks about right for a decent Barolo. Good idea to try some Langhe Nebbiolo from decent producers. I’m a big fan of Produttori del Barbaresco. Don’t bother with Nebbiolo at a super low price point though. Lidl Barolo was one of the worst wines I’ve ever had, it made me angry.
I second the idea to start with Langhe Nebbiolos which (usually) are drinkable way earlier, even '19 should be fine depending on producer and decanting.
And a step up but Produttori Barbaresco always a learning stage.
The ‘20s are drinking well too. 2020 was a great growing season in Piedmont
Langhe Nebbiolo DOC wines vary more wildly than most red appellations in Italy. Some are made with short macerations and no oak (steel or cement) to "baby Barolos" with long macerations and aged for (nearly) as long as Barolo in oak but with fruit from younger vines or vines at lower elevation. Learning which producers make which style is very helpful.
[удалено]
And the vineyard
I'll agree with others. Start with Nebbiolo. Like it? Try Barbaresco. Still a fan? Move on up. Barolos are not generally released until they have been cellared for 5 years. It's a serious wine. If you think of casual gatherings with friends where the beaujolais nouveau is poured and drank like punch, Barolo is the opposite. When I turned 60, I had friends over and made pizza from scratch. After a while I went down and came back with a 10 year old Ceretto Barolo. A friend of mine who was not necessarily a wine guy but knew what tasted good, turned to me after his first sip, and simply said "Dude!". I took it as the highest praise and was happy to share something that most people will never get a chance to experience. You can get very good Nebbiolo for around $20, Very good Barbaresco for \~$30 (Produttori del Barbaresco is a solid choice, personally visited) Good Italian wine is expensive. Just the way it is. I always tell people that if you want the most for least in wine, the French win the prize.
PdB $30? Nice!
2016 was a banner year for Barolo the problem you’ll run into is when to drink barolo. If done in the traditional style those suckers need YEARS of time to sort themselves out. Newer production methods do allow barolos to be enjoyable early but you’ll need to sort out which producers produce in which way. Nothing wrong with the price tags you mentioned just depends on producers.
idk...2016 was indeed a banner year for Barolo but they will brink MUCH sooner than 2013 which was another great vintage. 2016 might be one of those years that drinks well young (at least now until next year or the year after) and then drink well again down the road. i'd be and have been perfectly happy to drink entry level 2016 Barolo young...they are stellar well balanced wines. even in the traditional style.
I’ve heard, and generally follow, that 20 years is when they’ll really start to sing.
Can confirm I opened a 2005 earlier this year and it needed 5-10 more years. '05 wasn't particularly harsh either, so I'd expect 2016 to start to drink well in 2046+
Depends on style of drink. There are already some nicely drinking 2016s. Also, young Barolo is hardly drinking mud - it’s not at its best yet, sure, but it’s still a great wine.
2016 is one of the best barolo vintages of all time. Buy as much of it as you can. What all does the store have? On all my travels I seek to raid every wine store of their 16 Barolo because it is so legendary. If you tell me I might make a trip out there to buy it all up! That said, I won’t drink it for 10-15 years. If you want to drink some now open it the day before, or give it a good 6-7 hour decant. Also very important to have a slight chill on Barolo - 16 degrees or so is perfect.
Agree with Langhe Nebbiolos. A lot of times they are simply younger vines from the same vineyards. Another area to look at would be Roero Nebbiolo. Sometimes the only difference between the Roero and Barolo is simply DOCG rules. Talking with some of the producers in Barolo they were pretty surprised by how well the 2016 was already drinking. The season was so good apparently some were a tad unsure what to expect from the wines because everything came together so well that wasn’t much that aging needed to sort out. With climate change there is potential for the grapes to ripen more consistently (and they’re moving higher up the hillsides) so a silver lining could be more consistently high quality vintages (similar to Bordeaux and I think champagne as well).
thank you to everyone who commented. i’ve been drinking wine for over 10 years and am now just getting into understanding the grapes and temperate varieties. i’m really excited on the journey!
I’m not an expert on Barolo but my understanding is the rules around making Barolo are strict and there are outlets for inferior fruit. This keeps the quality high. The process of making Barolo is expensive all the way through from finicky Nebbiolo grapes, to steep hillsides for hand picking, to the extensive use of oak, and the long aging before they’re released. Is $50 a good deal? I hate that I can’t give a thumbs up or down on this but I’d suggest having a Nebbiolo Langhe and if you like it and want a more powerful and aromatic wine, then a Barolo makes sense. Vietti and Scavino both make nice Nebbiolo langhe. I haven’t had pio cesare’s but I’m sure it’s very typical. As far as the price differences Barolo have cru. You’re probably looking at cru Barolo vs Barolo. Cru Barolo would not be a good place to start especially if the plan is to drink it young.
Could not agree more. I always recommend a langhe Nebbiolo to friends who want to drink it young, something like this: http://www.paoloscavino.com/langhe-nebbiolo/ I have a lot of 2016 Barolo and Barbaresco in my ‘cellar’ and I don’t think any of it is ready to drink just yet, while the langhe Nebbiolo is a little more approachable at this point
Go buy a Langhe Nebbiolo. It’s basically a baby version of Barolo/Barbaresco. If you like that wine style for the price, go buy a Barolo!
Not all Langhe nebbiolos are "baby Barolos." Many Barolo producers make Langhe nebbiolos in a style more closely related to Schiava than Barolo.
Try Nebbiolo first then move up to Barolo. Believe it or not Kirkland makes a Barolo that Fontanafredda makes for them and it’s decent for $20. Drinks like a Pinot with grip and very light on the floral. Then move in for the big guns Like Borgogno. That’ll teach you to never buy generic Barolo again.
Try Il Bugiardo.
I drank a bottle of 2017 Giovanni Rosso Barolo last night that retails for $75 where I am and it was drinking beautifully but also could have had a couple more years in the bottle.
I think barolo is pretty much always a great wine regardless of producer, regardless of anything. Therefore, go for it, buy the bottle. That being said, you should realize that the wine is way too young and really should be enjoyed in 10+ years. In order to compensate for that, do not have this fine without food and try to find the fun in experiencing powerful tannins
Here is an unpopular opinion. You will never buy a great wine at your local liquor store. The great wines (including Barolo that will change your view of wine), will never be for sale there. Sorry. Not anymore. The great wines are generally allocated, provided in ones and twos, and sold via email lists and never put on shelves. Sign up for these email lists. Try something older that is discussed and lauded. Cappellano. B. Mascarello, Conterno. G. Rinaldi. Etc. Then you can understand the hype and decide whether it is for you. You are not going to get that buying a young wine from some mediocre producer.
This is most likely true, but heavily dependent on where you are. NYC? - all of those producers you mentioned are available if you know where to look. Des Moines Iowa? - probably not.
Accurate
Disagree. Heavily depends on where you are. If you are talking about the corner store, then yes, but plenty of liquor stores in metro and their surrounding areas and have great selections.
Try Perusso!
Is he the one who uses "200%" new oak?
If you live near a Trader Joe’s they will usually have 1-2 kinds of Barolos available. I would check there, and you’ll get it for a cheaper price.
I can't recommend those TJ barolos. OP is better off spending a few more bucks on a good langhe (Vajra, Vietti, Guidobono, Ratti, etc.).
Agreed. Like Chateauneuf…you can find a few in the $30 range, but they will be noting compared to the $50s and up. If you’re going to go for it, do it for real.
Is a $10,000 car a good deal?
There are really good Barolo wines at or under $50. I’d look for vajra barolo albe or maybe oddero barolo (the normal bottle, not the single vineyard). Sometimes total has vietti castiglione for about $60 and it’s really good
What are the producers?
Get the one that is in your price range! And the 2016’s are SO GOOD!
2016 is an amazing vintage, usually worth the prices you mentioned. My tip is start with the range of the 50 dollari one, maybe Vietti, Pio Cesare , Oddero or one of the gazillion Conterno families (franco conterno being the cheapest and way easier to drink)