Believe the HYPE! It’s always natural to be a little skeptical when the critics come out raving about a vintage and calling it one of the best in history. There were many glowing articles written about the 2010 Barolo vintage, and one quote in particular stuck out from Antonio Galloni: "Simply put, 2010 is the greatest young Barolo vintage I have tasted in 18 years...” With a quote like that, it definitely grabs your attention and makes you wonder are the wines that great? Well I’m here to tell you that they are! We just started receiving some of our allocations, and we’ve been very impressed with what we’ve tasted thus far.
First, let me give you an overall synopsis of the vintage. Temperatures were cooler than normal, and it was a mid-October harvest for Nebbiolo. The 2010 vintage benefited from the cool temperatures and mid-late harvest. The wines have bold aromatics, freshness and terrific purity of fruit. The great thing about these wines is that they will drink early, but they have the potential to age beautifully for years, even decades. Galloni compares the vintage to the wonderful ‘04s, and I’d have to agree. Many of my all-time favorite Barolos have been from the ’04 vintage, and the ‘10s taste very similar.
Now onto the delicious wines that have started to arrive at our warehouse. The first one that caught my eye was the 2010 Cavallotto Bricco Boschis. BIG scores from Wine Enthusiast (98 pts), and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (96 pts). The Cavallotto family isn’t new to Barolo; in fact they’ve been growing Nebbiolo since 1929 and bottling their own since 1948. They kind of fly under-the-radar, which is good for the wine-loving consumer because prices are very reasonable for a Barolo of this caliber - only $59.99. The Bricco Boschis is their flagship wine and should be on everyone’s radar after this vintage. The wine jumps from the glass with dark cherry, almond, leather, tons of spice and tobacco. The pedigree is apparent, and it’s drinking wonderfully now.
Another wine from this vintage to take note of is the 2010 Giacomo Brezza Barolo Sarmassa. Also receiving high scores from Wine Enthusiast (97 pts) & Antonio Galloni (95 pts). It is another estate that, to quote, Galloni: “...remains one of Piedmont’s great undiscovered gems.” This wine also offers a tremendous value in Barolo being priced at only $59.99 per bottle. The Brezza estate dates all the way back to 1885 and takes its name from Giacomo Brezza, who along with his father, Antonio, bottled the estate’s first wine in 1910. Enzo Brezza and his wife Charlotte now manage the 22 hectare estate and continue producing classically styled Barolos that age beautifully. With that being said, the 2010 Sarmassa is a knock-out! The first swirl in the glass, and you can tell this is serious juice. A big, brooding wine with cherry, menthol, sage and minerals. The aromatics are never ending and there’s plenty of stuffing here so it’s built for the long haul. This will be fun to follow over the years.
So, as I stated above, believe the hype. After tasting some other outstanding 2010 Barolos, I’m on board with the critics, and I’m stocking my cellar with wines like the two above. Quantities are never huge on Barolos, so I wouldn’t sleep on these. Many producers only make on average around 2,000 cases of their top wines and that’s on the high end. On the low end, you’re looking at 500 cases, and even less in some cases, so once these sell out, you won’t see them again. This is an A+ vintage that you don’t want to miss out on!