Tasting Report: More Stunning 2010 Barolos, Plus A Perfect Bottle
What strikes you about 2010 Barolos is how, despite being relatively delicate and refined, they manage to show a depth of flavor and structure that suggests excellence. The best of the vintage are truly world-class.
Take for example the wines of Giacomo Conterno, the master of Barolo. His two Barolos to be released this year, the Cascina Francia and Cerretta, are superb in every sense of the word. The Cerretta, his first release of the single-vineyard Barolo, is a perfect wine. It shows extraordinary depth of fruit and structure with an irresistibly complex character of earth and fruit. There's a decadence of mushrooms, olives, leaves and meat as well as pure fruit and flowers.
"I am so proud of this wine," says Roberto Conterno, the owner and winemaker. "I worked so hard to make this Cerretta great."
It indeed is great, although there are dozens of other excellent 2010 Barolos not to miss in this additional report as well as the earlier report this year. So many beautiful bottles of 2010 Barolo are available on the market. You don't want to miss the opportunity to buy some.
Nonetheless, as I noted in my first 2010 Barolo tasting report featuring my top 50 as of then, I don't think 2010 is a truly top vintage. The main reason is that it is not an across-the-board success. Great vintages mean just about every winery made outstanding wines, and this did not happen in 2010.
Indeed, few winemakers in the Langhe speak about 2010 as one of the greatest ever. Many speak about great wines being made, but they clearly prefer other years, whether it be 1996, 1999, or even 2000 or 2001.
Having said all that, they do love to talk about the 2010 Barolos, noting, like me, how many of the wines are already so approachable. The best 2010s need a few years of bottle age to open, having the structure to improve in bottle, but many are delicious to drink already. This is perhaps why 2010 is so popular with consumers as well.
It also doesn't hurt Barolo's image for the vintage that 2010 is viewed as an excellent year in most parts of the wine world – from Napa Valley to Bordeaux and from Burgundy to Brunello di Montalcino. "It's an excellent year already in the wine consumer's mind," explains Angelo Gaja, who makes two wines under his label in the Barolo appellation but labels them as Nebbiolo Langhe - Sperss and Conteisa (click here for the report).
Below are wines tasted this summer at various tastings in the Langhe, both in cellars and in the Corte Gondina Hotel in La Morra.
