Vintage guides

Region: Italy Piedmont

Year Rating Drinkability Style More
1971 starstarstarstarstar drink now The second great year in a row, with very fine Barolo and Barbaresco more...
1972 starstarstarstarstar drink now A uniformly dreadful vintage more...
1973 starstarstarstarstar drink now An indifferent year with few wines of note more...
1974 starstarstarstarstar drink now A good vintage after two disappointing years more...
1975 starstarstarstarstar drink now A vintage now best forgotten. more...
1976 starstarstarstarstar drink now An unremarkable vintage producing few wines suitable for long-term ageing more...
1977 starstarstarstarstar drink now Wines were adequate at best more...
1978 starstarstarstarstar drink now An excellent vintage which produced well-structured, long-lived wines more...
1979 starstarstarstarstar drink now A good year of above average quality more...
1980 starstarstarstarstar drink now A sound, rather than exciting, vintage more...
1981 starstarstarstarstar drink now An unexceptional year of only average quality more...
1982 starstarstarstarstar drink now A tremendous vintage for big, rich and fruity Barolo and Barbaresco more...
1983 starstarstarstarstar drink now A weak vintage producing lightweight, early-maturing wines more...
1984 starstarstarstarstar drink now A sub-standard Piedmont vintage more...
1985 starstarstarstarstar drink now A superb vintage with rich, perfumed wines destined for long ageing more...
1986 starstarstarstarstar drink now Serious hail problems in many Barolo communes. Some good wines were still made more...
1987 starstarstarstarstar drink now Uneven quality overall more...
1988 starstarstarstarstar drink now October rains were a problem but the wines from this vintage finally turned out well more...
1989 starstarstarstarstar drink soon An excellent vintage, free of the rains which plagued the rest of Italy more...
1990 starstarstarstarstar keep A superb vintage all round with Barolo and Barbaresco set for a long life more...
1991 starstarstarstarstar drink now A better vintage than first thought, but not up to the standard of the previous three more...
1992 starstarstarstarstar drink now Cold and wet weather at harvest time produced thin, light wines more...
1993 starstarstarstarstar drink now A variable vintage of irregular quality. Some good Barolo and Barbaresco more...
1994 starstarstarstarstar drink now Prolonged rain caused serious problems although a few producers still made good wines more...
1995 starstarstarstarstar drink soon An over-hyped vintage at the time, the wines now seem lacking in fruit more...
1996 starstarstarstarstar drink now A troublesome vintage, though the top growers still managed to produce some excellent wines more...
1997 starstarstarstarstar drink soon An outstanding vintage which produced superbly ripe wines for mid-term ageing more...
1998 starstarstarstarstar keep The third great vintage in a row more...
1999 starstarstarstarstar keep A decent vintage with a good late ripening season, quality depends on the individual grower more...
2000 starstarstarstarstar keep Quality is good to very good in all the major DOC/Gs. more...
2001 starstarstarstarstar keep Lovely, ripe whites with good concentration and reds with excellent aging potential—chewy, concentrated, and phenolic more...
2002 starstarstarstarstar drink now An average year, the best of which will be a relatively elegant style of Barolo and Barbaresco more...
2003 starstarstarstarstar keep Deep, bold reds with high levels of alcohol and in the best cases balanced with ripe fruit. Full-bodied whites more...
2004 starstarstarstarstar keep Well balanced wines with ripe fruit more...
2005 starstarstarstarstar keep Climate conditions have been erratic with many producers saying it's been a tough and difficult vintage more...
2006 starstarstarstarstar keep For growers who worked judiciously in the vineyards, the vintage is expected to show a classic, good structure, nice restraint on the fruit but a certain element of power as well more...
2007 starstarstarstarstar keep Lengthy ripening season produced well-structured, aromatic wines with plentiful but ripe, velvety tannins. more...
2008 starstarstarstarstar keep Another 2008 vintage saved by an Indian summer. Expect intense flavours but a more elegant structure than last year. Low yielding harvest. more...