Out of the light

'What I remember most about that summer was the unusually low humidity and incredible purity of the light, which combined to give spectacular views that are typically only seen in the winter.' Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, February 2020

'The luminous 2016 Barolos are fresh, fragrant and loaded with finesse. They feature bright red berry fruit beautifully balanced by vibrant acidity and refined tannins. While site expression is often muffled in hot vintages, the different expressions of the various townships and vineyard areas come singing through on the 2016s. The best 2016s are already dazzling, with remarkable depth and energy. They’ll be ready at the 10-15 year mark but they also possess incredibly age-worthy structures as well.' Kerin O’Keefe, July 2020

Drier, cooler, brighter. A three word summary of the millions of work hours that wen into producing one of Barolo’s finest ever vintages. Believe it or not we live in blessed times, at least from the point of view of brilliant wines. In the modern era of Italian wine (post 1950s/60s) we’ve never had that combination of decent vines, a couple of decades of investment in vineyards and cellar and the cumulative learning from thirty years of experimentation and an outbreak of understanding in the Barolo wars. But of the three words at the beginning of this paragraph, the most significant is brighter. Sunlight makes wine more than any other aspect of the weather and the increase in 2016 made a big difference to the outcomes.

We’ll finish with another quote. Quotes do furnish an article.

'An ideal growing season with all the prerequisites for a great vintage comes at a time when so many winemakers are in their primes, past the stage of experimentation and settled into their own personal styles. The result is a vintage full of truly spectacular, breathtaking wines that captures all the pedigree that Nebbiolo and Barolo are capable of.' Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, February 2020