Barolo is (I think) Italy's greatest red wine, and it's no accident that it's known as Il Re dei Vini ed il Vino dei Re, The King of Wines and the Wine of Kings: It combines tremendous finesse, elegance, and power, and can age for decades.
At least that's what it's supposed to be, but both 2002 and 2003 were extremely difficult vintages that didn't yield much if anything worthy of the wine's reputation. So I was quite anxious to taste the 2004 released this year, and am happy to say that we're back on track -- the wines were universally very young, but many are clearly headed towards great things.
It will take them time to get there -- I'd keep the wines in a cool dark place for at least 5 years before even thinking about opening them, but if you are a wine lover and have a place to keep them properly this is definitely a vintage to think about buying and setting aside for a (very) special occasion on down the road. Or giving as a gift if you have wine-loving friends.
They're not cheap, I know, but the best things in life rarely are, and this is a vintage to remember.
What Impressed me the most of the 2004 Barolo.
At least that's what it's supposed to be, but both 2002 and 2003 were extremely difficult vintages that didn't yield much if anything worthy of the wine's reputation. So I was quite anxious to taste the 2004 released this year, and am happy to say that we're back on track -- the wines were universally very young, but many are clearly headed towards great things.
It will take them time to get there -- I'd keep the wines in a cool dark place for at least 5 years before even thinking about opening them, but if you are a wine lover and have a place to keep them properly this is definitely a vintage to think about buying and setting aside for a (very) special occasion on down the road. Or giving as a gift if you have wine-loving friends.
They're not cheap, I know, but the best things in life rarely are, and this is a vintage to remember.
What Impressed me the most of the 2004 Barolo.
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