Barbaresco 2023 & Riserva 2021: Our expert recommendations

If 2022 was a paradox, Barbaresco’s 2023 vintage was a rollercoaster. The unexpected twists and switches left winegrowers as exhausted as perplexed. ‘Every month brought a different challenge’, recalls Roberta Ceretto.

The drought of 2022 carried over into 2023, and by March, the Tanaro River had almost dried out (see lead image). When the rain finally returned at the end of April, it didn’t let up until mid-June.

In another hairpin turn, summer arrived suddenly with soaring temperatures and barely another drop of rain until the end of August. And rather than droplets, the intense water bomb didn’t let up for two days. Temperatures somewhat abated afterward but remained above average throughout September.

While the wet spring meant peronospora (downy mildew) was a constant threat, wineries were quite happy to see water reserves replenished.

‘All the nutrition in the soil that the plant couldn't absorb in 2022 and 2021, it sucked up with the rain in 2023,’ explains Gaia Gaja.

Much more worrisome was the heatwave, bringing unprecedented temperature spikes in the second half of August. ‘It reached 42℃,” asserts Pierguido Busso, who noted issues not just with dehydration but also sunburn.

At Gaja, girapoggio – or horizontally planted rows – suffered the most damage. ‘Bunches on the west side had to be dropped,’ Gaia states. She admits that she didn’t like the wines immediately after fermentation. ‘I was concerned about unripe, green notes but they improved in the barrel’.

Besides using protective measures such as kaolin on the bunches and hail nets for shade, the estate recently started planting native trees in key vineyards like Sorì San Lorenzo. ‘Maybe in 10 years they will provide enough shade and we won’t need nets’, Gaia posits.

Unsurprisingly, the vines shut down in the summer of 2023, and unlike 2022, harvest ended up being quite late.

Deciding when to pick proved difficult. ‘The grapes went from green to overripe quickly’, says David Fletcher, adding that southern exposures struggled the most. At Poderi Colla, Federica Colla describes the difficult harvest: ‘We had to make three passages in the same vineyard as bunches ripened at different times’.

End of an era

Choosing a favourite at Produttori del Barbaresco is like splitting hairs. All nine bottlings are cellarworthy, with clearly defined personalities.

Perhaps the most surprising this year was the Montefico, which showed more vigour than usual without sacrificing its signature mineral nuance.

My tasting at this historic cooperative was bittersweet, as it was the last with Aldo Vacca: after more than 30 years as managing director, he is retiring.

Besides being a steadfast leader at the winery, he was a tireless ambassador for Barbaresco, and I am personally indebted to him for much of what I have learned about the region.

Vacca leaves big shoes to fill, but his long-time right-hand, Luca Cravanzola has stepped confidently into the position – yet another changing of the guard that is shaping Barbaresco’s bright future.

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The vintage comparison

After skipping 2022 altogether, Sottimano returns with a complete lineup of single-MGA bottlings. ‘2023 is 10 steps beyond 2022,’ declares Andrea Sottimano.

Conversely, Lena Oddero at Luigi Oddero favours 2022, referring to the 2023 Barbaresco as ‘Nebbiolino’ – little Nebbiolo.

‘The wines are ripe but not structured’, adds the estate’s winemaker, Francesco Versio. He describes 2023 as fresher and more vertical than 2022, because lower potassium levels resulted in more stable acidities.

Indeed, the 2023s tend to be markedly pale in colour, midweight and delicate in structure. Yet they are charming and balanced in their proportions, with ripe but not rich or confected flavours.

Some veer towards Langhe Nebbiolo in style, but with a bit more heft. My preference is for those wines not weighed down by overt wood, and I am pleased to see fewer faulty wines than in 2022.

Barbaresco: Top value picks

Bosio, Boschi dei Signori, Barbaresco 2023

When you have a midweek craving for Barbaresco, Boschi dei Signori offers an accessibly priced example.

Cà del Baio, Barbaresco Asili 2023

From one of Barbaresco’s most prestigious MGAs, Cà del Baio’s represents an excellent price-quality rapport.

Marchesi di Barolo, Barbaresco Serragrilli 2023

This pulls off both ripeness and restraint in one elegant, ready to drink package.

Produttori del Barbaresco, Barbaresco 2022

One of the best deals in Barbaresco year after year, with the 2022 no exception.

Massimo Rivetti, Barbaresco 2022

Not just well priced, this Barbaresco is packed with flavour – and certified organic to boot.

Barbaresco 2023: A commune by commune analysis

My wine of the vintage

Which Barbaresco to drink when?

Barbaresco releases: Tasted & rated

92 points and under

Barbaresco Riserva 2021

This year also marks the release of the 2021 vintage of Barbaresco Riserva, and the 30 or so wines I tasted underscore the great success of this highly touted vintage.

Along with Marchesi di Grésy’s delicious duo from Martinenga, Rizzi’s elegantly restrained Vigna Boito and Vietti’s perfumed Rabajà came out on top in blind tastings. These can all be tucked away and enjoyed leisurely over the next 15-plus years.

Other special mentions go to Montaribaldi, whose first-ever Marcarini bottling marks the estate’s foray into the Riserva category. Similarly, the up-and-coming Piercarlo Culasso estate has upgraded its single-parcel Faset label as of the 2021 vintage.

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