Barolo and Barbaresco 1997s

The 1997 vintage was exceptional in Piemonte: famously ripe to overripe. It is clear from tasting all these wines that different producers have extremely different ideas about how such grapes should be vinified. Philosophies are all over the place but modernists are definitely in the ascendant. In fact all but the Conternos could be said to be making wine in the modern idiom whereby the wines are at least drinkable within a few years of bottling. Overall this selection was a bit disappointing. There was much more consistency and excitement in the vast Chianti Classico tasting on which I will...