BARBARESCO VINTAGE GUIDE
Most recent vintage first. Click a year to see what we have in stock.
2023 - Released in early 2026, the 2023 Barbarescos come from a season of extremes — a wet spring, a very hot midsummer and localised hail — and show it: the wines are fresh, mid-weight and aromatic, variable in depth from site to site. The careful producers made lovely, early-drinking wines. Taste before committing.
2022 - A hot, dry season that Nebbiolo handled better than most grapes. The Barbarescos are ripe and generous, with rounded tannins and more freshness than the weather suggested, especially from the higher sites of Neive and Treiso. Approachable early; drink over the next ten years.
2021 - An outstanding, classic vintage: a cool spring, a warm summer, a long, bright autumn, and fruit picked at full maturity with all its acidity. The wines combine perfume, structure and length in a way the zone achieves only a few times a decade. Buy for the cellar.
2020 - A warm, early year that produced charming, fruit-forward Barbarescos with soft tannins and plenty of immediate appeal. Consistent across the zone and already drinking well; a vintage to enjoy while the 2019s and 2021s mature.
2019 - A cool, slow season gave structured, aromatic, firmly tannic Barbaresco in the classic style — wines of tension and length that need a few years. Among the best recent vintages for the cellar.
2018 - A wet, cool year that favoured the lighter, prettier side of Nebbiolo. The wines are pale, perfumed and early-drinking, thin where the sorting was lax. Enjoy the good ones now.
2017 - Spring frost and a hot, dry summer cut yields and pushed ripeness. The better wines are dense and forward with fast-softening tannins; the lesser ones taste of the heat. Selective buying; drink now and over the next several years.
2016 - A great vintage in Barbaresco as in Barolo — a long, even season with cool nights, producing wines of extraordinary balance and aromatic depth. The top wines will age for twenty years; even the entry-level bottlings are superb.
2015 - A warm summer brought ripe, full, generous wines with soft tannins and immediate appeal. Very good rather than classic; drinking well now.
2014 - A cool, damp summer, but Barbaresco escaped the worst of the hail that hit Barolo, and the wines are better than their reputation: elegant, fragrant, lighter-bodied Nebbiolo with real charm. Drink now and over the next few years.
2013 - A cool, late vintage of classic proportions: lifted aromatics, bright acidity, fine firm tannin and real length. Tight on release, now beginning to show, with a long life ahead.
2012 - A hot August and rain near harvest produced mid-weight, fairly classic wines of good rather than great quality. Drinking well now.
2011 - A warm late summer gave ripe, soft, approachable Barbarescos with generous fruit. Lovely early, now fully mature; drink.
2010 - A superb, cool, classic vintage — perfumed, deep, perfectly structured wines that will age for decades. One of the great Barbaresco years, alongside 2016 and 2001.
2009 - A warm year with ripe, rounded, soft wines that drank well early and are now mature. Pleasant; drink up.
2008 - A cool, classic season with a dry autumn produced elegant, precisely structured wines with lovely aromatics. Underrated on release and showing beautifully now.
2007 - A warm, early vintage of charming, open-knit wines with ripe fruit and gentle tannin. Mature now; drink over the next few years.
2006 - A structured, tannic, traditionally built vintage that needed time. The best are now opening into serious, complex Barbaresco with years ahead.
2005 - A rain-affected harvest produced medium-bodied, early-maturing wines — elegant, aromatic and now fully mature. Quietly satisfying at fair prices.
2004 - A long, even season and a generous crop produced classic, perfumed, beautifully balanced Barbaresco. One of the best vintages of the decade, drinking superbly now.
2003 - The heatwave year: low acidity, dry tannins and early maturity for most wines, with exceptions from the coolest sites. Drink up.
2002 - A cold, wet summer; Barbaresco was spared the worst of the Barolo hail but the wines are light and dilute. A vintage to pass over.
2001 - A classic, structured year of real depth and balance from an ideal season. The wines are at a glorious stage now and will continue for years. One of the finest modern vintages.
2000 - A warm, early year of ripe, soft, forward wines that peaked early. Most are now past their best; drink any remaining bottles.
1999 - Very good quality; voluptuous Barbaresco reminiscent of 1997; suitable for aging.
1998 - More structure and potential than 1997; some very fine, elegant wines.
1997 - A hot growing season resulted in record ripeness levels but some low acidities; voluptuous wines.
1996 - Superb Barbaresco for aging; excellent structure and longevity.
1995 - Hail-reduced crop of deep-colored wines; benefited from a sunny autumn; a notch below 1989 and 1990.
1994 - Persistent September rains led to diluted wines; not up to Tuscany’s performance.
1993 - A better vintage with more favorable conditions, producing balanced wines.
1992 - Another difficult year; wines are generally light and lack depth.
1991 - A challenging vintage with less favorable weather conditions, resulting in lighter wines.
1990 - Extraordinary vintage. Exciting and complex wine, with a good structure, balance and consistency, elegant scent; rich and wide, with a generous taste, harmonic and fine tannin level and persistent structure; remarkably long-lived.
1989 - Fairly structured and balanced wine; with a wide, intense and complex scent; generous and complete taste with an elegant tannin level, very good stuff and persistence; long-lived.
1988 - Remarkably elegant structure, great balance and strong character. Pleasant and intense scent with a remarkable fragrance. Right tannin level, wide, delicately bitter, on average long-lived.
1987 - Good vintage. Well-balanced wine, harmonic and elegant with a gentle and pleasant structure, of good stuff. Delicate, persisting and pleasant scent.
1986 - Excellent vintage. Very harmonic wine, of good stuff, complete, elegant, intensely and widely scented, with a pleasant character. Very modest production because of a hailstorm in spring.
1985 - Perfectly balanced wine with a strong character, a pleasant scent, intense, fragrant, wide and exciting; perfectly balanced velvety texture and tannin level, elegant and generous, suitable for a long life.
1984 - Normal vintage. On average strong, well-balanced wine with a pleasant structure, delicate and persisting scent. Modest production.
1983 - Good vintage. Balanced and pleasant wine, strong enough, elegant and velvety, with a fine and intense scent.
1982 - Complete, strong, balanced wine with an intense, wide and delicate scent; extraordinarily balanced strength and velvety texture, good character; suitable for a long life.
1981 - Normal vintage. On average strong, delicate, elegant, harmonic, finely and delicately scented wine.
1980 - Excellent vintage. Intensely and widely scented, complete wine, of good stuff, extraordinarily balanced, harmonically built.
1979 - Excellent vintage. Wine of very good stuff, fairly complete, elegant, intensely scented, with a pleasant character.
1978 - Strong and complete, intensely but delicately and harmonically scented, extraordinarily balanced strength and velvety texture, suitable for a long life.
1977 - Normal vintage. Fine, not too strong, balanced, delicately scented wine. Sometimes mediocre.
1976 - Normal vintage. Fairly strong, balanced and fine wine, delicately scented.
1975 - Good vintage. Balanced, harmonic and pleasant, elegant wine, with a delicate and intense scent.
1974 - Excellent vintage. Perfectly balanced, velvety and fine, pleasantly scented wine.
1973 - Normal vintage. On average strong wine, with an intense and persisting scent, along with a harmonious composition.
1972 - Very bad vintage. Producers renounced this wine as unsuitable for cellaring.
1971 - Both splendidly balanced and harmonic, extraordinarily velvety, intensely scented, VERY elegant wine.
1970 - Complete, intensely scented, strong, velvety, splendidly balanced wine of VERY GOOD stuff.
1969 - Average vintage. Fairly strong wine with subtle aromas and decent balance.
1968 - Good vintage. Velvety, delicate, and moderately strong wine with elegant aromas.
1967 - Complete, strong, intensely scented wine.
1966 - Mediocre vintage.
1965 - Normal vintage. Fairly strong, balanced wine, with an intense and pleasant scent.
1964 - Splendidly balanced, Complete wine, intensely scented, perhaps a little too hard, suitable for a long life.
1963 - Bad vintage.
1962 - Normal vintage. Wine of good stuff, not intensely scented.
1961 - Complete wine, splendidly velvety, with a VERY strong character, high alcoholic level, VERY intense and fine scent.
1960 - Bad vintage.
1959 - Mediocre vintage.
1958 - Not too strong but complete wine, of very good stuff, exceptionally elegant, intensely scented.
1957 - Excellent vintage. Complete, velvety, balanced wine.
1956 - Normal vintage. Light wine, though intensely colored and on average scented.
1955 - Good vintage. Splendidly balanced, rightly vinous, intensely scented wine.
1954 - Normal vintage. Weak wine, though elegant, fine, velvety.
1953 - Bad vintage.
1952 - Normal vintage. Quite strong, vinous wine, though fairly hard.
1951 - Good vintage. Strong, velvety wine of good stuff.
1950 - Normal vintage. Quite light, vinous, fine wine.
1949 - Mediocre vintage. Weak wine, with a plain character.
1948 - Bad vintage.
1947 - Complete, perfectly balanced wine, of pure breed and with a very strong character.
1946 - Normal vintage. Quite harmonic and elegant wine.
1945 - Good vintage. Strong, velvety, intensely scented wine.