2006 Barolo & Piedmont Vintage

The winter was long, cold and wet. January brought an unusual run of below-zero temperatures, with minimums down to -10 C, and a dry month ended with heavy snowfall on 26, 27 and 28 January that left up to 50 cm of snow, followed by heavy rain. Wintry weather lasted into March, and spring-like conditions did not arrive until April. From mid-May temperatures rose to summer values, and after a cold start to June a heatwave pushed maximum temperatures above 35 C with no significant rain. Rainfall over the first six months was below the historic average. Drought and scorching heat continued through July, broken only by a few minor storms, and Wine Spectator compared early July to the summer of 2003. The Consorzio's report has August cool, on cold North Atlantic currents, and very dry until a sharp rise in daytime maximums in the last ten days; Wine Spectator called Piedmont's August cool and damp. The first autumn rain came only in mid-September: two fronts about a week apart, with the intensity of summer storms. Depending on the area, three to five times the monthly average fell in four days, slightly less than the total for the first eight months of the year. The parched soil absorbed almost all of it and the grapes came to no serious harm, though it caused growers considerable concern over late ripeners such as Nebbiolo. Growers who waited to pick brought in sound grapes of excellent quality.

Tasting barrel samples and talking with producers, Decanter's Franco Ziliani found the 2006 Barolos "powerful wines, deeply coloured and full bodied, still quite tannic and closed," with a very long future "in no way inferior to the 2005s and 2004s." He described good depth, sturdy structure and fine elegance, snappy tannins and a nervy acidity, and wines already more open than the 2005s. Sergio Germano, based in Serralunga d'Alba, compared 2006 to 1996 and 1999, while Valter Fissore of Elvio Cogno in Novello called it "a very great year, more classic compared to 2007 and 2008 and long-lived as well." The Brovia family, with its Rocche and Villero vineyards in Castiglione Falletto, praised the vintage's balance and said "its considerable forte is its harmony and its aromas."

• Ziliani: powerful, deeply coloured, full bodied, still tannic and closed in barrel
• Sergio Germano (Serralunga d'Alba): similar to 1996 and 1999
• Valter Fissore (Elvio Cogno, Novello): more classic than 2007 and 2008
• Brovia (Castiglione Falletto): harmony and aromas; Ziliani found their wines very rounded, with smooth tannins

Not every 2006 Barbaresco Ziliani tasted convinced him, but the vintage was being favourably received, with wines "elegant, round and structured, and not at all aggressive," and more than simply good: four and a half stars instead of five. Among the wines he singled out were Rizzi's Pajore Suran, Serafino Rivella's Montestefano and Poderi Colla's Roncaglie. The Consorzio for the Defence of Barolo, Barbaresco, Alba, Langhe and Roero posted a response saying that the great majority of producers and consumers of Barbaresco 2006 believe "2006 is a very good vintage, with some exceptional peaks."

• Elegant, round and structured, though not every wine convinced Ziliani
• Named by Ziliani: Rizzi Pajore Suran, Serafino Rivella Montestefano, Poderi Colla Roncaglie
• Consorzio on Barbaresco 2006: "a very good vintage, with some exceptional peaks"

Bruno Giacosa announced he would not bottle the 2006 vintage and would instead sell the wine in bulk to other bottlers. "There is nothing at all special about 2006," he said. Giacosa had suffered a stroke in 2006 that left him unable to taste the wines for some time. His peers disagreed, and Giacosa was set to be alone in skipping the year. Armando Cordero said that for those who worked with real care, 2006 "will be remembered for its aromatic richness and fine structure," and Mauro Mascarello, asked about his Monprivato Barolo, replied, "If all of the vintages were as bad as this, I'd love to have them all!"

• Giacosa declined to bottle his 2006 Barolo and Barbaresco and planned to sell the wine in bulk
• A stroke in 2006 left him unable to taste the wines for some time
• He was set to be alone in skipping 2006

Wine Spectator's December 2006 report card on Piedmont found most Barolo and Barbaresco winemakers relieved, believing they had very good to outstanding wines. "It's much better than we thought," said Luciano Sandrone. Chiara Boschis of Pira called the vintage "definitely a grower's year." The report noted that some vineyards were overcropped and suffered from drought, that the top names had the resources to cut back crops, and that some producers who cut corners made less than exciting wines. Roberto Voerzio said, "It was very up and down."

• Sandrone: "It's much better than we thought"
• Overcropped vineyards suffered from drought; top estates cut back crops