Aldo Fiordelli: My top 10 fine wines of 2021

The combination this year of the release of the 2016 Brunello di Montalcinos (and in November, the 2016 Riservas) and the 2018 SuperTuscans has given me the opportunity to taste many outstanding wines.

2016 was an exceptional year throughout all of Italy, just as it was in Bordeaux and Burgundy, while the more classic and leaner 2018 vintage is for SuperTuscans a true example of that rare but beautiful combination of substance and finesse, producing plentiful, ageworthy wines full of elegance.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Aldo Fiordelli’s top 10 fine wines of 2021

Barolo 2017

Despite limited opportunities to visit wineries due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I was able to taste hundreds of wines as I prepared my Barolo 2017 report for Decanter.

The wines were a great surprise. First, they confirmed the phenomenon of the past 30 years in the Langhe, where the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in terms of warmer vintages. Second, even in warm vintages the Nebbiolo grape with its fresh fruit profile maintains its balance better than other indigenous varieties. Third, most of the producers interpreted quite well this ‘vintage of dust’, as producers called 2017’s extremely dry summer.

I can attest to an elevated performance of wines from Castiglione Falletto, Monforte and Serralunga in 2017. Among these, I must admit my personal preference for the Vignarionda cru in Serralunga and other ‘menzioni geografiche’ with similar exposures, such as Margheria, Lazzaritto and Gabutti, as well as the parcels of Mosconi and Ginestra in Monforte.

Wines such as Massolino’s Barolo Riserva 2015 have so much sumptuous depth one could get lost in it. Giovanni Rosso’s Ester Canale Barollo 2017 from Vignarionda shows a stylish balance between the sternness of the cru and its astonishing finesse. GB Burlotto also stands apart thanks to the remarkable talent of Fabio Alessandria, who is able to interpret Monvigliero (but also his other crus) with an unmatched elegance.

Brunello 2016

In Montalcino, the selections from single vineyards impressed me much more than the Riserva category. Take, for example, the stunning elegance of Teatro vineyard from Salicutti, in the southeast of the appellation at 500 metres above sea level.

According to the regulations of the DOCG, the lots to be qualified with the indication Riserva must be aged for a minimum of five years. Sometimes, these wines become too austere even in good vintages, but other times they correctly represent the top end of Montalcino, as is the case with the 2016 Riservas from Poggio di Sotto and Fattoi.

In 2021, Montalcino was abuzz with expectation for the latest releases from Biondi-Santi. Both the 2016 and 2015 Riservas proved to be extremely good yet mark a middle ground between Franco Biondi Santi and Christopher Descours’ Epi Group, which completed a buyout of the estate this year. However, alongside the new releases, the estate released its 1983 as a library vintage and it fully embodies the tense, fresh style of Biondi Santi’s Brunello of old.

SuperTuscans 2018

Still thinking about Tuscany, I was lucky enough to taste the 2018 Sassicaia several times, which got better and better throughout the year. I agree with winemaker Carlo Paoli when he compared this vintage to the impeccable 1988 – it packs a punch, with both freshness and vibrancy and has impressive cellaring potential. Please, resist opening it too soon! Enjoy the 2014 while you wait.

SuperTuscan Solaia, from the Chianti Classico region, also impressed me this year for the concentration and elegance of the 2018 vintage. A little early to tell, but it should last for decades.

In the opposite valley, Giovanni Manetti found in Panzano another great vintage of Flaccianello della Pieve. The favourable exposure of ‘Conca d’oro’ and older vines gave this Sangiovese a beguiling power in the 2018 vintage.

Aldo’s top10 fine wines of 2021: