Below is an interesting "read" I got via e-mail today from "Italian Wine Merchants" (Babbo's Wine Shop). Their e-mails are informative because they always start with a little "blurb" about the wine/region, etc. Then, they list what they have on sale.
Today's e-mail is on Piedmont. Here's the e-mail... copied and pasted. I take no credit, as all thoughts expressed are from Italian Wine Merchants.
The 2001 vintage marks the culmination of the legendary Piemonte streak that began in 1996, with the small crop selection of 1995 providing some hidden gems as well. Strings of outstanding vintages in the Langhe are quite unusual, with the other noteworthy stretches coming just three times in the last century: 1988-1990, 1979-1980, and 1905-1908. I emphasize the word 'outstanding' because I believe that every vintage from 1996 to 2001 is uniquely brilliant. However, it is important to understand the significance of this phenomenon and the range in styles that Mother Nature provided even before the grapes arrived in the fermentation tanks. First and foremost, 2001 - like 1996 - is a landmark vintage in this string, more so than 2000 or 1997. I endorsed this vintage when the grapes were still ripening on the vine and then from private barrel tastings, and through the ageing process I became enamored with the sheer complexity, class, and life of the wines. Intimate conversations with Bartolo and Maria Teresa Mascarello and many other Barolo producers whose opinions I admire have confirmed that in this belief I am not alone. A few producers did make greater 2000s than 2001s, but the majority did not. Secondly, Piemonte is host to a great deal of “wine beyond Barolo,” which also benefited from the rare climatic cycle: there are vintage discoveries and values hidden in Langhe Rosso, Barbaresco, Gattinara, Barbera, Dolcetto, Brachetto, and others from the Langhe Hills.
When buying these wines you must understand exactly what you are dealing with – as the media has stressed, the 1997 and 2000 vintages are excellent and showcase an approachable side to Nebbiolo, which is a nice way to introduce wine enthusiasts to the often reticent, when young, wines of Nebbiolo. The ripeness of these vintages is a calling card to purchase wines from the northern regions of Gattinara and Fara, where Nebbiolo often struggles for sun. However, it is unjust to mark these as the quintessential vintages just because they are "easier for Americans to understand," as so many journalists and critics have expressed to me. Great Barolo, as in Mohammad Ali 'Great,' is 1996 and 2001 because to be great you must have longevity! These staples for the collector’s cellar include more structure, acidity, and ageability than the ripe, round, approachable wines of 1997 and 2000. When the media bestows high ratings on super-ripe vintages they run the risk of misrepresenting the wines and creating an invalid standard for appraisal and future reference. In the case of Barolo approachability is just such an erroneous barometer, and the mystique of this noble wine is being jeopardized. For a more approachable version of Barolo my recommendation is to look at declassified Nebbiolo or Langhe Rosso, like Bricco Manzoni and the signature wines from Gaja, which now incorporate a touch of Barbera to cut the astringency and add more fruit to the Nebbiolo.
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