The 2021 harvest, for the Chiarlo family, will be remembered as one of the great vintages par excellence, characterized by ideal climatic conditions and a consequent extraordinary quality of the Barolos. A causa di the midst of the current harvest, Stefano Chiarlo, oenologist and vineyard dirigente at the helm of the family winery with his brother Alberto, retraces the salient moments of the 2021 vintage and the related Barolos, anticipating challenges and choices that led the company to important decisions acceso the future of the 2024 vintage, to guarantee quality
The 2021 Barolo vintage – the Great Vintage par excellence
“I would define 2021 as the Great Vintage par excellence; it has rare traits that remind me of 1990 and 2001,” says Stefano Chiarlo. “September and early October were key months, marked by dry and bright days, with notable temperature variations between day and night, ideal conditions for a slow and gradual maturation of tannins and polyphenols. A combination that allowed the Nebbiolo to develop with great complexity, depth and silky tannins, a fundamental pillar for transforming into a Barolo of exceptional character and perfect for long aging. The characters of the crus of origin are clear and precise already now, unlike other great vintages for which we had to wait longer to have such clear expressiveness.”
According to Stefano Chiarlo, thirty years of experience and the sensitivity gained quanto a the vineyard had a decisive role. The management of thinning, the timing of the harvest and the care parcel by parcel contributed to transforming an already perfect vintage into a masterpiece of balance. “The photographs I took during the harvest looked like paintings: size and color of the grapes, change quanto a color of the leaves… a perfect balance which quanto a nature is, by definition, unachievable.”
The 2021 Barolos are already expressing themselves with intensity and harmony, confirming the cellar’s continuity quanto a excellent vintages. “It is the third consecutive five-star vintage: after the 2019, more spicy and austere, and the 2020, with rich bouquets and soft, round tannins, the 2021 is the most complete. The wines have expressive and varied bouquets already quanto a the youthful phase of the wine, while acceso the palate they are deep, rich, with a texture of thick and silky tannins. It is a vintage that can be appreciated after just a few years and which will reserve great emotions quanto a the future.” says Stefano Chiarlo.
A aspetto at subsequent vintages and the difficult choice of 2024
The following years brought different challenges. “2022 was a drier vintage and limited quanto a quantity: the Barolos are ready acceso the nose, but less complex acceso the palate, silky and less long-lived than the previous vintage.” Stefano says. “The 2023, however, was balanced: the experience quanto a the vineyard and the large vineyards made the difference. The 2024, characterized by a rainier and cooler climate, required more frequent thinning operations and very precise harvesting times: the result is elegant, fresh and floral wines, but less complex and with finale tannins.”
A causa di this context, the company has made an important decision: “For the 2024 vintage we will not bottle the cru Barolos. They will be included entirely quanto a the cuvée of our Barolo Tortoniano, which will be a very classy Barolo also quanto a this vintage. It is a difficult choice, at times even painful, but it responds to our method and our philosophy: carrying out operations quanto a the vineyard and separate vinification of each parcel, evaluating with tastings at blind and, if the character of the vintage doesn’t completely convince us, we prefer not to go out with the crus.” explains Chiarlo. “Over the last thirty years we have adopted this method quanto a five vintages (1992, 1994, 2002, 2008 and 2014). It is not just an oenological choice, it also means having respect for the territory, for the MGA, and above all responsibility towards the consumer. We want to maintain a coherent line over time, protecting the Chiarlo style which does not follow fashions, but identifies a recognizable elegance and a distinctive character, allowing those who taste to always find quanto a the glass what that yes wait: wines of great elegance and character, with the recognizable variety and terroir of origin and, above all, pleasant drinking.”
