BAROLO 2021

Despite damaging early frosts, the excellent 2021 vintage has produced an impressive return of good to excellent wines across the board: 'a modern benchmark'

- MICHAELA MORRIS

I had the pleasure of tasting more than 300 Barolo 2021s and was impressed by the striking charisma of the vintage. Many wines are already expressive, exuberant even.

The fruit character is mature but not tertiary or overripe, and the wines aren't developing too rapidly. While aromas are animated, the structure says, 'Wait'.

Rather than 2019's austerity or nervous energy, the 2021s are imposing and impactful. There's a lot there – except when there isn't. Some wines were surprisingly lean, not always explained by a cooler site. Perhaps these were picked earlier or reflect vinification style. At the other extreme, a few were heavy-handed. The least successful struggled with issues such as volatile acidity.

At a handful of estates, I tasted 2020 alongside 2021. It's a shame that the latter vintage overall will overshadow the former as, in certain cases, I preferred the harmonious, finer-framed and vibrant 2020s. Hopefully, Barolo aficionados can find room for both in their cellars.

Barolo 2021 vintage rating

After a spring frost brought localised damage, the summer was hot and dry. Winter water reserves and cooler temperatures at night helped mitigate stress. A late harvest yielded charismatic yet well-structured wines with great ageing potential.

Assessing Barolo 2021

One of the markers of an outstanding vintage is high quality throughout the region. In general, the 2021s are well endowed with stuffing and structure for cellaring, without the hard tannins of the past. I believe most will reveal more of their intricacies with time: some will be at their best over the next seven to 10 years; others deserve longer, with the top wines suggesting a couple of decades.