I AGREE THAT THE AROMATIC PROFILES OF MANY WINES WERE ARRESTING AND BEGUILING, THOUGH I SOMETIMES FELT A LITTLE DEFLATED BY WHAT FOLLOWED ON THE PALATE
of 95 or 96) underline his conviction that “2020 is a profound vintage with aromatic nooks and crannies none of the other vintages [he references 2010, 2016, and 2019 here] can boast”. Unquestionably a vintage to buy, therefore, for those sympathetic to Michael’s views. Susan Hulme MW also “found plenty of joyful wines” but felt that these generally “mid-weight wines … in many cases lack the capacity for very long aging. It is a rather patchy vintage with different quality levels and different styles sometimes even from the same producer.” Personally, I tend not to fret about aging potential for Barolo, since one of the delights of this wine is that it arrives on the market in semi-mature form. Yes, the finest can provide evolving pleasure over a decade or more of cellar storage, but few insist on it in the way that young Bordeaux does. No Barolo reaches the market under padlock; no Barolo is ungiving without age. This is particularly true, as Susan’s comments suggest, of the affable 2020s, many of which are welcoming from the off: I only noted five wines where
I felt a drink date commencing later than 2025 was in order. I agree with Michael that the aromatic profiles of many of the wines were arresting and beguiling; like Susan, though, I sometimes felt a little deflated by what followed on the palate. Subtlety, layering, complexity, and nuance weren’t mightily evident; the grain and upholstery of these wines often seemed evanescent. Once the charm had subsided, one was left wishing for more gristle and sinew, more drive and thrust, more structure and resource. The least successful wines, meanwhile, were either simple or stringy. These are not inexpensive purchases, after all; few of us can afford a spread of Barolo buys, year after year; few of us can afford to be sanguine about flops. If you’re a customer looking for thrilling wines for special occasions, I would hold fire. We always compare the performance
of the different communes with our Barolo tastings (by compounding all scores for a single commune, then dividing by the number of wines submitted from that commune), and this year paused Serralunga’s customary dominance. Verduno emerged as the winner (278), with Monforte and (a surprise—though only two wines were entered) Novello in joint-second place (274). La Morra was fourth (272), Serralunga fifth (271—perhaps handicapped by its large cohort of 17 wines), while Barolo itself and Castiglione Falletto were joint-sixth (270). Blends brought up the field (266). (Note that for wines tasted by only two tasters, we divide the score by two then multiply by three.).
ANDREW JEFFORD’S TOP WINES
Ca’Rome’ (Romano Marengo) Barolo Rapet 93 Fontanafredda Barolo 93 Massolino Barolo Margheria 93 E Pira e Figli Chiara Boschis Barolo Mosconi 93 Castello di Verduno Barolo 93 Matteo Ascheri Barolo Coste & Bricco 92 Fontanafredda Barolo 92 Fontanafredda Barolo Lazzarito La Delizia 92 Casa E di Mirafiore Barolo Lazzarito 92 Ciabòt Berton (Marco Oberto) Barolo Roggeri 91 Diego Conterno Barolo 91 Ettore Germano Barolo 91 Casa E di Mirafiore Barolo Paiagallo 91 Rivetto Barolo 91 Rivetto Barolo Briccolina 91 Luigi Baudana (GD Vajra) Barolo Baudana 90 Cristian Boffa Barolo Capalot 90 Luigi Einaudi Barolo Monvigliero 90 Fontanafredda Barolo La Villa Paiagallo 90 Manzone Barolo Bricat 90 Manzone Barolo Castelletto 90 E Pira e Figli Chiara Boschis Barolo Cannubi 90 Paolo Scavino Barolo Monvigliero 90 GD Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole 90 GD Vajra Barolo Coste di Rose 90
AVERAGE AND RANGE OF SCORES Average
Range Tasting SH AJ MP 91
90 89 93
78–98 79–96 78–93 85–98
THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 87 | 2025 | 197
LAYING DOWN: 2020 BAROLO
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