Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/859549
{ SOMMjournal.com } 13 Tasting the 2015 Nebbiolos in the Langhe reminded me of grand vintages like 1978, 1982 and 1989. They were over- the-top rich, sumptuously fruity and brac - ingly fresh. In the youth of a wine, those are attractive, even seductive qualities. But after they slough off their baby fat, you have to ask, will there be any there there? If the Barolos and Barbarescos I tasted, many of them still in barrel, are any indication, I'd have to conclude this will be another grand-slam vintage. The 2015s showed beguiling perfumes, delicate balance, pow - erful acidity and rich, not heavy, tannins that made for delicious, intense reds. When the Barbarescos are released in 2018 and the Barolos in 2019, save room in your cellar alongside the Burgundies. 2014 As a vintage, 2014 presented some challenges. Much of Italy experienced a wet and cool growing season followed by rain during harvest time. Piedmont was one of those places hit with rain. Reading various prognostications from "influencers" on the internet, one would be led to believe the vintage was a complete wash-out. But there are plenty of produc - ers who made admirable, even great, wines. My "Aha!" moment came in the village of Barbaresco, in the cellar of Carlo Boffa, a winemaker and neighbor to Produttori del Barbaresco and Gaja, two of the appellation's most renowned producers. The wine was a benchmark for Barbaresco: fresh, elegant, balanced and still very affordable to those of us who yearn for value. When I tasted Boffa's, I noted: "Buy all you can of this wine." For now, the burden to advocate 2014 as a redeemable vintage for Nebbiolo falls square in the lap of the Barbaresco pro - ducers, such as Aldo Vacca. The longtime director of Produttori del Barbaresco, a co-operative with a cult-like following, was so pleased with the 2014 Barbaresco (the current release) that the winery will offer their rarely issued Riserva wines next year. Aldo remarked in his vintage notes, "2014 was a quite difficult season in the vineyards all over Europe; however, the favorable end of the season proved to be a pleas - ant surprise for the quality of the grapes on the Langhe Hills. In particular, the region of Barbaresco was a shining exception in a difficult vintage." 2013 A plethora of enthusiasm envelops 2013, and rightfully so. It's the current release for Barolo, and the producers we saw were showing wines that had grip, warmth, openness, freshness and lots of energy/tension/balance. Among the wineries I tasted extensively with were Batasiolo, Burlotto, Carlo Revello, Conterno Fantino, Marchesi di Barolo, Massolino, Pio Cesare, Renato Ratti, Réva, Rocche Costamagna and Vietti. There are references in the old books about Barolo being a tannic wine—and not the tannins of the barrels. This is a combina - tion of fruit tannin and backbone (acidity posing as tannin to the untrained palate). I have labored to detect those tannins, having grown up drinking the über-tannic Napa Valley red wines from the 1980s. The 2013 Barolos displayed and confirmed that Nebbiolo indeed can have a particular tannic quality that makes them age-worthy and great for cellaring, to slumber 20 years while they mature. Note to anyone under 40: This vintage is for you, not the silver - backs in the audience. Aldo Vacca the cellar at Produttori del Barbaresco. Pio Boffa in his office above the historic cellars of Pio Cesare in Alba. Carlo Boffa, whose wine is a benchmark for Barbaresco. Fabio Alessandria, owner of the G.B. Burlotto winery. Daughter Valentina and mother Anna Abbona, proprietress of Marchesi di Barolo. Franco Massolino.