This famed northwest Italian region has gained recognition mainly from its outstanding red wines. Such names as Barolo, the king of Italian wines and his queen Barbaresco have been reputed for centuries. But the wines have been changing; the revolution that started in the late eighties can only be noticed presently as the wines of the 97, 98 and 1999 vintages hit the shelves. Why weren't these changes obvious ? What made it so difficult for consumers to notice this revolution, or should I say "evolution" ?

The region suffered difficult times in the early 90's. The 91, 92, 93 and 94 vintages were all weak to average at best. Then came the 95 harvest, many wine writers and experts "wished" a great year, but the quality, concentration and balance were just not there. Journalists were simply trying to help out a region, that could not confirm with outstanding wines, the strides towards greater quality that many producers had accomplished. The progress was extremely difficult to notice in these tough and sometimes weak wines. 95 was clearly over evaluated and today many wine writers are lowering their ratings. When compared to the subsequent vintages it became quite clear that 95 was overly acidic and astringent.

Then mother nature got in on the act and gave the region four consecutive outstanding seasons. Now it was all up to the producers to show what they could do with almost perfect climatic conditions. With better vineyard management, better equipment and technology, and a new philosophy for maturation in different types of wooden containers, the Piedmonte wine maker could now prove to the world that wines elaborated from the Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto grapes could rival with any high quality wine from the most reputed regions on this planet.

In a recent trip to the Piedmonte region, i visited a dozen producers and tasted their wines from the four high quality vintages of 96 through 99. The 96 vintage is outstanding, typical wines with good color and great potential, a firm structure and good balance will assure longevity. The best are the Nebbiolo based wines, especially the Barolos and Barbarescos.

The 97 wines were produced from extremely ripe grapes. The acidity is low the tannins are ripe and soft, the texture is velvety and the alcohol is high; in other words a very atypical vintage. The wines made from Nebbiolo are fat, fruity and juicy, but seem to lack the depth and structure to live a long life. To the contrary the 97 Barberas are superbly concentrated wines and the Dolcettos are extremely fruity and pleasant. According to most producers visited the 97 vintage will fade faster than 96, 98 and 99. Very influential publications such as The Wine Advocate (Robert Parker) and The Wine Spectator will have to review their ratings for the 97 vintage!

The 98 harvest produced stunning wines; great color, lots of rich ripe fruit, very good structure, ripe tannins and great balance. Many producers are very enthusiastic about the 98 wines. All three grape varieties succeeded, the Nebbiolo wines are impressive but the Barberas and Dolcettos are full of fruit and offer long lasting flavors. The 1999 wines were still maturing in wooden casks or barriques, they seemed to be of great quality. They are still quite young and any experienced taster will tell you that evaluating wines out of barrels can be misleading, but the 99's have great depth and richness. The ripe fruit is obvious, the tannins are velvety and the structure and balance seem perfect. Another excellent vintage for Piedmonte.

With all of these improvements in the vineyard and in the cellar, and with the reasonable use of the French barrique, the character of the King (Barolo) and Queen (Barbaresco) of Italian wines have not been transformed but rather enhanced. Their typicity has been maintained while increasing their charm. The wines just seem to have more to offer than they did in the seventies and eighties. Bravo Piedmonte !

Here is a list of producers to look for:

From Barbaresco
Moccagatta 
Albino Rocca 
Cigliuti 
G. Rivetti 
Sottimano 
B. Giacosa 
Marchese di Gresy 
Angelo Gaja 

From Barolo: 
Elio Altare 
Luciano Sandrone 
Azelia 
A. Parusso 
D. Clerico 
A. Conterno 
S. Grasso 
Luigi Pira 
P. Scavino 
R. Voerzio

Site designed by Robert Farand