2003 Barolo & Piedmont Vintage

2003 brought lasting, stable, sunny weather and almost no rain, with temperatures rising to historic maximums for the area and holding there for a long period. Active temperatures above 10 C summed to 1740 C from January to the end of August, against 1392 C over the same stretch of 2002 and 1400 C by the end of August in 1997, a year the Consorzio considers one of the hottest of the last century. By the end of August 2003 the heat available to the vines was similar to the level reached by the end of September 1997 and the end of October 2002. The season began late, with bud break delayed by about 15 days, but flowering came at the end of May, in line with earlier hot years. Veraison ran about 15 days ahead: the first half of July for early varieties such as Dolcetto and the end of July for Nebbiolo, with the varieties bunched closer together in time. Rain was very scarce: 265 mm by the end of August, against 830 mm in 2002 and 390 mm in 1997 at the same date. Europe saw record heatwaves, and vines shut down from water stress. At the beginning of September temperatures dropped sharply, with some limited rain. White varieties were practically all picked within the first ten days of September and Dolcetto by the middle of the month. Fine weather and very sound grapes made for an anxiety-free harvest of Barbera and of the Nebbiolo vineyards where the grapes had ripened to perfection. Uneven ripening led to an early harvest.

The grapes were very sound, though some berries on the most exposed bunches had clearly been scorched by the sun. Whites showed high average alcohol, balanced acids and promising aromas, and Dolcetto pointed to wines of great potential, with excellent alcohol, balanced acidity and very intense color. For Barbera and Nebbiolo early indications suggested high quality, with plenty of alcohol and the right acidity, and color that was very intense for Barbera and standard for Nebbiolo. The Consorzio called 2003 an extremely tranquil vintage, with the harvest carried out in a regular manner, in step with the ripening of each variety and each vineyard. Careful selection was essential because of sunburnt or shriveled grapes.

In Decanter's 2024 look back at the Barolo vintages of the noughties, Michaela Morris rates 2003 at 3 out of 5, with the verdict "Already peaked; drink sooner rather than later." On release, she found, the wines largely lacked Nebbiolo's signature aroma precision and were marked by drying tannins, and with age the astringency has been exacerbated in the vintage's more oxidative wines. Better examples aged more congruently, though for her palate they reached their peak at 10 to 15 years old. Giuseppe Mascarello's Monprivato was fully evolved, not necessarily thrilling but with impressively managed tannins, and Marchesi di Barolo's Sarmassa was less elegant but also hanging on well. Giacomo Conterno's Cascina Francia, from Serralunga d'Alba, has defied the vintage, at least in terms of ageability: the family waited until early October to harvest and decided against a Monfortino selection, reserving the best grapes for Cascina Francia. Aldo Conterno made no Barolo in 2002 or 2003. Morris describes 2009 as along the lines of 2003 but not as extreme.