These wines were released during the struggles of Covid-19 but have managed to capture the market’s attention and further boost the market share of a growing region – Piedmont ytd has taken over 45% of Italy trade value, up from 28% in 2019 and 18% in 2016.
Barolo 2016 was released amidst fevered anticipation and has been described by Antonio Galloni of Vinous as “a brilliant vintage full of magnificent wines”. As he’s often asked which vintage to compare the newest to, he acknowledged, “2016 does not quite reach the stratospheric peaks of 2013 or 2010, but, and it is a big but, the average quality of wines is higher, so the likelihood of finding a beautiful Barolo in 2016 is correspondingly greater.”
If the new releases of Barolo 2016 were not enough to lift your spirits during sporadic lockdowns, then the Barbaresco 2017 might just help. Monica Larner of the Wine Advocate calls the Barbaresco 2017s “accessible and approachable wines ready to drink straight out of the gate or with a few extra years of cellaring”. As Barolo usually rewards some patience before popping the cork, Barbaresco fills in as the perfect Piedmont drinking wine. It’s hard to imagine a better regional combo.
The excitement around these new vintages and their relative affordability of back vintages have seen trade value for both regions hit new highs – up 184% and 108% from 2019 for Barolo and Barbaresco, respectively.
