Spotlight on Barolo from the 2017 vintage: 59 wines tasted

I tasted these 59 Barolos at an excellent tasting of Barolo, Barbaresco and Langhe Nebbiolo held a month ago at Church House in Westminster, and organized by Hunt and Speller. These are all from the warm 2017 vintage. I found a lot to love here, as you’ll see from the notes. These wines are presented in score order, but with each score bracket the order is random.

Comm G.B. Burlotto Barolo Acclivi 2017
This is really elegant and fine, but also has lovely concentration. It’s dense and structured, but the structure integrates perfectly with the pure red fruits. So many layers, such purity, touching perfection, perhaps, with its density, elegance and finesse. 97/100

Giulia Negri/Serradenari Barolo Serradenari 2017
Sappy green tinged red fruits nose with real elegance. The palate is fresh and detailed with lively red cherry fruits, a touch of cranberry and iron-laced structure. This is very fine and pure, showing lovely elegance. 96/100

Giacomo Fenocchio Barolo Villero 2017
This is beautifully elegant with supple, fine-grained cherry and plum fruit. Very fine and expressive with nice precision and purity. Really impressive in a super-elegant style. 96/100

Ceretto Barolo Brunate 2017
This shows a lovely core of elegant red cherry fruit with some cranberry freshness, and then a really finely wrought structure. Elegant and pretty with nice depth and focus. Such a lovely wine. 96/100

Poderi Colla Barolo Bussia Dardi Le Rose 2017
Floral and expressive with lovely elegant red cherry fruit and some fine spicy structure. This is a beautiful Barolo in the more elegant mould, showing harmony, focus and purity. 96/100

Massolino Barolo Parussi 2017
Real harmony here. Pure with sweet, sleek cherry and berry fruits, but also nice grippy tannins sitting under the fruit. Grippy and dense, while at the same time elegant. Such purity. 96/100

Pio Cesare Barolo Pio 2017
Focused aromatic nose of cherry and raspberry with lovely floral notes. The palate is bright and very fruit driven with grippy raspberry fruit. Lovely purity here, with such fine fruit. It’s primary now, but I’m taking a bit of a punt on it. 95/100

Pio Cesare Barolo Mosconi 2017
Elegant, smooth and sweetly fruited with fine spices and pure red fruits. Such ease and harmony to this wine with its pure fruit and well managed tannins. Modern and traditional at the same time. 95/100

Paolo Scavino Barolo Bric del Fiasco 2017
Fresh and detailed, showing compact cherry and strawberry fruit. This is really vivid and well structured with great balance. Sweet fruit, firm structure, everything pulling together. 95/100

Bugia Nen/Davide Fregonese Barolo Cerretta 2017
Very elegant style with lovely seamless red cherry fruit, some sweet liqueur-like richness, and fine, fresh red cherries and plums. Nice detail here: such elegance and finesse. 95/100

Dosio Barolo del Commune di La Morra 2017
Structured and refined with firm, compact red cherry and plum fruit with some strawberry richness and nice fruit purity. Supple and fine on the finish, this has some fruit sweetness and elegance but also nice density. 95/100

Batasiolo Barolo Cerequio 2017
This is pretty serious. It has a dry, tannic finish but that’s after a mass of sweet, pure elegant cherry and strawberry fruit with a refined, smooth texture and fine spicy details. 95/100

Mauro Sebaste Barolo Tresuri 2017
Very fine aromatics here with compact sweet cherry and raspberry fruit. The palate shows good structure and weight with lovely concentrated red fruits. Compact, dense and delicious with lots of potential. 95/100

Diego Morra Barolo Zinzasco 2017
This has intensity and structure, but also very fine, pure fruit. Red cherries and plums with subtle hints of leather and earth. Substantial structure and real finesse, and this has lots of potential. 95/100

Massolino Barolo Margheria 2017
Supple, fresh and fine with lovely bright red cherry and plum fruit. Juicy, fresh and elegant with nice precision: there’s harmony here, with fine silky red fruits marrying with the firm but fine tannins. 95/100

Sordo Barolo 2017
Structured and fine with pure sweet cherry and raspberry fruit sitting over a tightwound core of tannin. Lovely fruit presence combined with good structure, boding well for future progression. 94/100

Renato Ratti Barolo Marcenasco 2017
This is really good: supple and pure with a core of sweet cherries and plums, with good structure and a finely spiced finish. Expressive and delicious and already approachable, although it has a nice future ahead of it. 94/100

Aurelio Settimo Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata 2017
Some real elegance here, hand in hand with good structure and a bit of sternness. Sweet cherries and strawberries, maybe some herbs. Silky and ripe, with nice intensity and structure. 94/100

Massimo Penna Barolo La Serra 2017
This is dense, fresh and structured with a core of sweet bright cherry and berry fruit, with a hint of minty freshness as well as some citrus peel and pepper. Distinctive stuff with a lovely fruity intensity and nice volume in the mouth. 94/100

Vietti Barolo Ravera 2017
Lovely aromatics here: floral with some liqueur-like cherry fruit. The palate is really fruity with bright, pure, sweet berry fruits, covering some tannic structure. Very pretty and inviting with lovely fruit purity. 94/100

Brezza Barolo Sarmassa 2017
This is fine and expressive with some savoury structure sitting under the bright cherry and plum fruit. It’s lively and detailed with a freshness to the fruit. Some earthiness, too. Appealing and detailed. 94/100

Pietro Rinaldi Barolo Monvigliero 2017
Fine aromatic nose to this lighter-styled, smooth Barolo, with silky sweet cherry and plum fruit. Has finesse, and well-integrated tannic structure. Lovely balance and poise. 94/100

Revello Barolo Conca 2017
Nicely elegant with fine red cherries, plums and spice. Has nice texture and depth with a lovely tapering finish, melding with the tannins. 94/100

Dosio Barolo Serradenari 2017
Sweetly fruited, complex and well balanced with red cherries and plums as well as some spiciness. Has a dried herb note, and a silky mid-palate. Such a nice wine. 94/100

Mauro Veglio Barolo Arborina 2017
Supple and with some lovely volume on the palate, this is well structured with pretty cherry and strawberry fruit. Has a nice texture and mouthfeel with some warmth and a touch of liqueur quality to the fruit. 94/100

Amalia Cascina in Langa Barolo Bussia 2017
A lovely elegant, pure fruited red with supple tannins and nice ease to it. Smooth, harmonious, light and elegant with lovely purity to the cherry and strawberry fruit. 94/100

Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin 2017
This is very fine and tapered with sweet cherry fruit and a lovely fine-grained structure. It’s light and supple but doesn’t lack density. Layered and quite elegant with a touch of liqourice. 94/100

Marrone Barolo Bussia 2017
Fine, supple and fresh with a slight juicy edge to the red fruits. Has nice mid-palate volume and dried herbs, cured meat and sweet strawberry and cherry on the finish. Supple and digestible. 94/100

Bugia Nen/Davide Fregonese Barolo Prapò 2017
Sweetly fruited with nice grip and some fine herbal hints. Very stylish and pure, but with good structure and points of detail. Beguiling. 94/100

Revello Barolo Cerretta 2017
Concentrated and silky with lovely modern, pure, layered fruit, and then some structure on the finish. Really polished and well made, and deeply satisfying in this frut-forward style. 94/100

Arnaldorivera Barolo Monvigliero 2017
This is fabulous, in a very traditional style. Has a slight lift, with really pretty cherry and raspberry fruit with notes of earth and leather, and keen acidity integrating into the structure. A lovely wine. 94/100

Serio & Battista Borgogno Barolo Cannubi 2017
Vibrant aromatic nose with sweet cherries and spice. The palate is supple and vital with good acidity and pure, focused cherries and spice, with some firm but well managed tannins. A bright, focused style of real appeal. 94/100

Réva Barolo Cannubi 2017
Finely aromatic red fruits nose with a lively, vivid personality. Bright palate with cherries and cranberries and nice detail. Very expressive and juicy showing nice purity and presence. Lovely juicy raspberry finish here with some redcurrant. I like this. 94/100

Monchiero Barolo del Commune di Castiglione Falletto 2017
Fine, fresh nose with some nice detail and bright cherry and berry fruit. There’s brightness here and it is quite supple, showing elegance and also good structure. Lovely stuff. 94/100

Podere e Cantine Oddero Barolo 2017
Floral nose with lovely fruit, leading to an appealing palate that is dense and structured, but with lovely fresh red fruits. Has nice intensity and depth. 94/100

Monchiero Barolo Rocche di Castiglione 2017
Juicy, bright and focused with sweet cherries and a bit of grip. Has a savoury side. Finishes fresh and grippy. 94/100

Franco Conterno Barolo Pietrin 2017
Pale in colour. Sweet, layered, herb-tinged cherry and strawberry fruit here with a nice sweet core. Has good structure and focus. Very appealing. 94/100

Vietti Barolo Castiglione 2017
Rounded, harmonious and sweetly fruited. Lots of black and red cherry here with some plum and fine herbs. Has a rich texture, and the fruit is to the fore. Impressive in this ripe fruity style. 94/100

Luigi Oddero Barolo 2017
Lovely sweet textured fruit here with real finesse. Has some silkiness but also a bit of grip. So appealing with nice weight. 94/100

Diego Morra Barolo Monvigliero 2017
Fine, light, expressive and quite pretty with some grip and detail. Lovely sweet fruit and a touch of tar and spice on the finish. 93/100

Claudio Alario Barolo Riva Rocca 2017
Nice concentration of dense sweet berry fruits with some black cherry. Has some softness to the texture with a touch of spice on the finish. Smooth in style with good density. 93/100

Vite Colte Barolo Paesi Tuoi 2017
Some fine herbal notes on the nose, leading to a direct, supple berry fruit palate with dried straw and leather as well as sweet red fruits. Very stylish and quite distinctive. 93/100

L’Astemia Pentita Barolo Cannubi 2017
Extraordinary bottle design. The wine itself has plenty of volume on the mid-palate with rounded sweet cherry and plum fruit with a bit of structure and nice sweet fruit, finishing pretty elegant in a modern style. 93/100

Fratelli Casetta Barolo Case Nere 2017
Fresh and supple with lovely purity to the vibrant cherry and plum fruit. There are some notes of earth and dried herbs, too, finishing grippy and dense. 93/100

Mauro Molino Barolo Conca 2017
Bright, juicy and expressive with nice precision and sweet berry and cherry fruit. Quite supple and expressive with nice presence. 93/100

Michele Chiarlo Barolo Cerequio 2017
Very expressive with bright red cherry fruit and good structure. It’s pretty and detailed with nice structure and finesse. Not massively concentrated, but with lovely fruit and detail. 93/100

Batasiolo Barolo Boscareto 2017
Lovely aromatics with a slight tarry, autumnal edge to the sweet berries. Powerful, spicy and dense on the palate with good structure. Lots happening here: quite modern in style but very good. 93/100

Cascina Chicco Barolo Rocche di Castelleto 2017
Fine, expressive and fine-grained with nice balance, good fruit, and appropriate structure. Shows a bit of grip but the tannins are well managed. 93/100

Famiglia Anselma Barolo Bussia Vigna Pianpolvera 2017
Lovely fruit intensity here: dense, structured and very pure with cherries and raspberries, and grippy tannins. A rich, dense style of some appeal. 93/100

Claudio Alario Barolo ‘Sorano’ 2017
Sweet, dense liqueur-like cherry fruit with some structure. Forward and fruit-driven, with good potential for development. Stylish stuff with nice focus and density. 93/100

Brolio Barolo Villero 2017
Pale in colour, this is really supple and quite elegant. Cherries, plums, a bit of earth. Nice light style but still structured. 93/100

Marchesi di Barolo Barolo Sarmassa 2017
Juicy and lively with appealing cherry and plum fruit with some sweetness and spiciness to the mid palate. Nice volume and structure with an immediate appeal. 92/100

Paolo Scavino Barolo Ravera 2017
This is linear and quite structured with dense tannins and quite a bit of berry fruit. Primary at the moment, this may have a long future ahead of it. It’s firm and dense now. 92/100

Marchesi di Barolo Barolo del Commune di Barolo 2017
Lovely purity here. Sweet red fruits on the nose, leading to a pure, supple, fruit-driven palate with some fruit sweetness and appropriate structure. Fine, supple, and very drinkable. 92/100

Le Cecche Barolo Bricco San Pietro 2017
Rounded, smooth and quite elegant with sweet cherries and plums, and a lovely rounded, harmonious ease to it. Drinking well now, this is pretty and expressive. 92/100

Cagliero Barolo Ravera 2017
Sweet, spicy and lively with nice brightness to the chunky, compact cherry and plum fruit. Has some grip and finishes with raspberry and sour cherry fruit. 92/100

Famiglia Anselma Barolo del Commune di Barolo 2017
Sweetly fruited with a hint of pepper to the raspberry and red cherry fruit, with some firm tannic structure. Expressive and detailed, finishing dry. 92/100

Castello de Perno Barolo 2017
Has herbs and tar with some savoury spiciness under the slightly soft cherry and plum fruit. Appealing in a softer style, and showing a little development. 90/100

Cagliero Barolo Terlo 2017
Lively and spicy with some sweet fruit and a bit of grip. Open with savoury notes of wax, herbs and leather. 89/100

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