Ready to Drink Barolo

[steve f]

Hi All.

I'd like to try a mature, or at least

"ready to drink" Barolo, and have

listed some below that my local

retailer has available (temperature

controlled storage). I'm looking for

advise on which would be a good

bet.

1988 A. Conterno Bussia Soprana $80

1988 Einaudi $60

1989 Prunotto Cannubi $70

1989 Conterno-Fantino Ginestra $65

1989 Marcarini La Serra $60

1989 Seghesio La Villa $60

1990 Marcarini Brunate $70

1990 Vietti Lazzarito $65

1990 Vietti Castiglione $80

1990 Massolino Margheria Ris $60

1990 Conterno-Fantino Vigna Gris $60

Thanks,

Steve.

[docsconz]

Steve,

Welcome to eGullet. That is not a bad list to choose from. What is your experience with wine in general? While any one of them is likely to be a good choice, the producers I am most familiar with are A.Conterno, Einaudi, Marcarini and Vietti. If price is an object I would suggest going with one of the less expensive ones like the 1988 Einaudi.If not the A.Conterno Bussia Soprana would be the most interesting to me (I haven't had it).

My best advice, though would be to do whatever Craig Camp suggests .

[Brad Ballinger]

Part of the answer depends on what you are hoping to learn, and what you like in other wines. Personally, I would go with two wines -- one in the traditional style and one in the modern style. For the former, Marcarini. For the latter, Conterno-Fantino, while not ultra-modern, is more modern in its approach (this means these use some barrique) than Marcarini.

None of the wines you list are what I'd call ready to drink now. But I'd get a couple from the 1990 vintage, and aerate them for a good 3-4 hours.

[Craig Camp]

Part of the answer depends on what you are hoping to learn, and what you like in other wines. Personally, I would go with two wines -- one in the traditional style and one in the modern style. For the former, Marcarini. For the latter, Conterno-Fantino, while not ultra-modern, is more modern in its approach (this means these use some barrique) than Marcarini.

None of the wines you list are what I'd call ready to drink now. But I'd get a couple from the 1990 vintage, and aerate them for a good 3-4 hours.

Now there is some good advice!

[steve f]

None of the wines you list are what I'd call ready to drink now.  But I'd get a couple from the 1990 vintage, and aerate them for a good 3-4 hours.

Hi Brad - thanks for the reply.

Hmm - well maybe there's no point then. I got my first taste of Barolo by trying the 96 Cavalloto Bricco Boschis recommended by Craig. It took 4-5 hours of air to come 'round, but then - wow. I loved the dense concentration of the myriad (and constantly changing) flavors on the tongue. As opposed to the big mouthfeel sensation ("not that there's anything wrong with that").

But the point of my post was to see if I could find a bottle that would exibit the "mature" taste (whatever that means). I mean, surely there's a difference between 5 hours of time in a decanter and another 10 years in the bottle.

Edited December 30, 2003 by steve f (log)

[steve f]

Welcome to eGullet.

What is your experience with wine in general?

Hi John - thanks for the welcome.

I've been drinking wine since around age 8 when my Nonno would splash a little Gallo in my ginger ale at Sunday dinners.

In my late 20s/early 30s I was into Bordeaux & Burgundy until (1) I finally realized I could not keep up the habit given my meager income, and (2) had no where to store wines for the long haul. I sure liked the Burgundy though.

Since then I've been drinking a wide variety of very modestly priced wines picked up a few hours before I'd drink them.

Now at 50 I have the room for a modest sized wine fridge. And having brought back a few bottles from the Piemonte last summer rekindled an interest.

Steve.

Edited December 30, 2003 by steve f (log)

[Craig Camp]

All of the wines on your list are around the 15 year mark. You would be hard pressed to find a Barolo winemaker that does not feel their wine is ready to drink after this much age. These wines are certainly reaching the "mature" stage.

Maturity is often confused with attempts to make the wines age as long as possible. What the wines on your list will not taste like is OLD. Wines that taste old and wines that are mature are not the same thing. The goal of aging wines should be to allow all the complex elements to reach a range of harmony of texture and flavor that does not exist in the younger wines that tend to be dominated by the young fruit flavors (yes, even Barolo). In that sense all of these wines have entered what would be considered a "mature" stage. This is a stage they will continue to pass through and evolve through for many more years. At some point they will pass out of the mature stage and start to taste old - in other words they will start a slow decline.

Maturity in a great wine is not one point, but period of evolvement when the wine reaches a peak of complexity, while still retaining some of its fruit character. This period can last for many years. The exact point of perfect maturity is often hotly debated and that debate and search is part of the great pleasure wine brings. That exact point is often very personal and preferences change from taster to taster.

If you follow Brad's recommendation you will indeed taste wines that show "mature" flavors - although they are on the early side of that period and will develop for many more years to come.