I was kindly invited to an amazing horizontal tasting of the memorable 1999 Barolo vintage by two friends. As expected, many of the wines were classic in proportions, have aged impeccably and were everything I am looking for in Barolo. Most of the wines were singing and the overall quality was incredibly high. 1999 has proven again, that it is one of the best vintages of the last 3 decades and stylistically definititely for the Barolo purists.
As food we had plenty of different Tapas plates, not your everyday pairing with aged Barolo, but it worked really well and the plates were of excellent quality.
The following wines were tasted
Flight 1
1999 Giacomo Brezza e Figli Barolo Bricco Sarmassa, 91 points
This was the first wine in the great 1999 Barolo tasting and it was tasted from Magnum. Notes of dried flowers, some red fruit, mint red berries, tar and some lacquer notes that is slightly disturbing. Medium-full bodied, with pretty high acidity and medium+ tannin that is good quality. Good length. A very good Barolo and a good value.
1999 G.D. Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole, 94 points
Wow this was really good. Beautifully perfumed, with notes of crushed violets, rose petals, mint, some truffle notes, red berries and some tobacco leaf. It‘s medium+ bodied, ethereal, with medium-high acidity and medium+ tannin that is excellent quality. Very good length. An excellent Barolo that is full of freshness, elegance and finesse.
1999 Oddero Barolo Vigna Rionda, 90 points
Very classic in style, but also pretty rustic and old-school. Notes of cedar wood, tobacco, sweet red berries, brown sugar and some leather. It‘s medium-full bodied, with medium- acidity and medium+ tannin that is pretty rustic and a touch greenish. Medium length. An old-school, but authentic Barolo that lacks the finesse of the newer vintages. This is from a time when the Oddero wines were a little less consistent than they are now.
1999 Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Vignolo, 95 points
What a great bottle of Vignolo. Explosive aromatics of ripe dark red cherries, plum, some red berries, smoke, menthol, leather, etc. It‘s medium-full bodied, dense and pretty structured, with medium-high acidity and medium+ tannin that is very good quality. Long finish with plenty of complexity. This is in a perfect place now with still vibrant fruit but tertiary notes starting to build up. What a beauty.
Flight 2
1999 Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe, 93+ points
This seems young and more structured than the Vignolo next to it. Deep, dark and layered, this is showing notes of dark red and dark fruit, balsamic notes, cedar wood, some tar and dark minerality, as well as licorice. This is full-bodied, imposing and powerful, with medium-high acidity and medium-high tannin that is still pretty present. Long finish. A deep and powerful Barolo that will still need a few more years. Tonight the Vignolo wins this battle on a very high level.
1999 Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Chiniera, 91 points
This is one of the more advanced bottles in this horizontal. Very mature notes of autumn leaves, dried fruit, dried rose petals, some tobacco leaf too. It‘s medium bodied, with medium+ acidity and medium- tannin that has melted away mostly. Good length. A very mature Chiniera, but still lovely to drink.
1999 Elio Grasso Barolo Ginestra Casa Maté, 93+ points
Not surprisingly, this seems younger and less advanced than the Chiniera tasted next to it. Notes of darker fruit, tar, black tea, menthol, balsamic notes too, sweet dark cherries. It‘s medium-full bodied, with medium-high acidity and medium-high tannin that still needs some time to resolve. Very good length. This might still need another few years, but really beautiful.
1999 Lorenzo Accomasso Barolo Rocche, 93 points
Served blind at this 1999 horizontal tasting. Very La Morra in aromatics, with tobacco, herbal notes, menthol, dried flowers, espresso, darker fruit and spices. It‘s medium+ bodied, with medium-high acidity providing nice freshness and medium+ tannin that is a little rustic. Very good length. A very interesting bottle as it combines La Morra flowery and spicy notes with super traditional wine making.
Flight 3
1999 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Cannubi San Lorenzo Ravera, 93 points
This wine was all about perfume, with notes of red berries, some darker red fruit too, minerality, crushed flowers, as well as some tobacco leaf. It‘s medium+ bodied, with medium+ acidity and medium+ tannin that is silky and smooth. Good length. A super seductive G. Rinaldi but lacks the depth and complexity of the best vintages.
1999 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato, 93 points
Deeper red fruited, with nice minerality, some flowery notes, but also some notes of tar. It‘s medium bodied, has medium+ acidity and medium-high tannin that is literally sneaking up on you. Some people called this Burgundian, I didn‘t really get this as I thought that the tannin was slightly out of balance in context of the body and fruit. Excellent length. A very good Monprivato but I am still waiting for this wine to touch me.
1999 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne, 93 points
Breathtakingly perfumed, sweet and seductive, with notes of dark cherries, cassis, crushed violets, sweet spices, some tobacco notes and mint. It‘s medium-full bodied, with medium+ acidity and medium+ super silky tannin. Very good length. A super balanced, perfumed and seductive Le Vigne that is hugging you with open arms. While this was super charming and delicious, I think that the last few vintages are a clear step up in complexity and finesse.
1999 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra, 95 points
Wow, this was really impressive. Decidedly modern in style, but so full of life and aromatic. Sweet dark and red cherries, plum, tar, crushed flowers, licorice, leather, sweet spices and also some espresso notes. It‘s full-bodied, dense and powerful, with high acidity adding lots of freshness, medium-high tannin that is excellent quality. Very long finish with plenty of complexity. A really nicely aged Ciabot Mentin that is absolutely singing.
Flight 4
1999 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto di Serralunga d’Alba, 97 points
Seductive, sweet and beautifully layered, this is showing top-notch Giacosa character and completeness. Notes of sweet spices, sweet red cherries, brown sugar, truffle, tar, sweet dried fruit, rose petals. It‘s medium+ bodied, has medium-high acidity and medium+ tannin that is superbly silky. Excellent length. An incredible bottle of Giacosa, layered, complex, perfumed and seductive, this is really pulling all the stops.
1999 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia, 98 points
An amazing bottle of this and one of the stars of this amazing 1999 tasting. While the Giacosa next to it was all about perfume, seductiveness and silkiness, this was nobly austere, but with just text-book Serralunga structure and power. Notes of tar, menthol, dark red fruit, but also dark fruit, black tea, cedar wood, cigar tobacco and also notes of crushed flowers. It‘s medium-full bodied, with medium-high acidity and medium-high but ripe tannin of excellent quality. Superb length. A very complete, mature and nobly austere Barolo of the very highest level. I love this! WOTN for me.
Author: Markus Kumschick, WSET III
February 2020