2020 Barolo & Piedmont Vintage

The winter was without particular problems, with mild temperatures and little precipitation, especially snow. The first part of spring was relatively dry and sunny, and budburst began at the end of February, finishing for the latest varieties in the second half of March. March and April stayed fine and mild with scarce rain, pointing at first to an early year. May changed that: unstable weather brought a considerable number of rainy days that lasted well into June, slowing vine growth and using up the early advantage, but also building important water reserves in the soil. With summer temperatures that were not excessive, those reserves averted water stress. The May and June rains brought early fungal attacks but no hail or other significant weather events. For Barolo, 2020 thermal sums closely approached those of the very hot years 2003 and 2017, but the lack of water stress and the absence of heat spikes made for wines very different from a typical hot vintage. Veraison in Barbera and Nebbiolo came between the start and the middle of August; cooler weather then slowed ripening before it picked up sharply in the second half of September. Nebbiolo polyphenols were already at excellent levels around mid-September, and Nebbiolo reached optimal sugar between the end of September and the start of October. The harvest opened with white varieties at the start of September, about a week ahead of the historical average. Heavy rain on 2 to 3 October, with hail in places, separated those who picked before it from those who picked after. Early crop estimates ran high, especially for early varieties, but green harvesting brought the crop back to normal.

• Mild, fairly dry winter; budburst from the end of February to the second half of March
• Rainy May lasting well into June slowed growth but filled soil water reserves, so there was no water stress in summer
• Thermal sums close to 2003 and 2017, but no heat spikes
• White grapes picked from early September, about a week early; Nebbiolo at optimal sugar from the end of September to early October; heavy rain and some hail on 2 to 3 October

No single commune stood out for quality in 2020, Decanter's Aldo Fiordelli found. Monforte d'Alba and Serralunga d'Alba showed great consistency, while La Morra's tannins may prove a challenge to immediate drinkability, he suggested, and the warm year was not easy for south-facing sites such as Cannubi. The 2 to 3 October storm fell unevenly. Prunotto winemaker Gianluca Torrengo described it this way: 'while in Barolo there were 90-100mm of rain, only 40mm fell in Barbaresco'. Hail fell in an area from Cannubi to Fontanafredda. GB Burlotto did not make its Barolo Acclivi in 2020 after intense hail between Verduno and La Morra. Downy mildew in spring also marked differences within the region, preventing perfect tannin ripeness in affected grapes.

• No single commune stood out; Monforte d'Alba and Serralunga d'Alba were consistent
• Barolo took 90 to 100 mm of rain in the October storm against 40 mm in Barbaresco
• Hail struck from Cannubi to Fontanafredda, and between Verduno and La Morra, where GB Burlotto skipped its Barolo Acclivi
• South-facing sites such as Cannubi found the warm year hard going

In October 2020, members of Deditus told WineNews the harvest was complicated, including by the challenge of finding labour. Yet those with the courage and patience to wait for the right moment brought in very healthy, perfectly ripe grapes in good quantity, despite some days of serious bad weather close to harvest. Luca Sandrone of Luciano Sandrone spoke of 'significant acidity and great richness of polyphenols' (translated). Federica Boffa of Pio Cesare said, 'Compared to 2019, we used gentler extractions in 2020.' Andrea Delpiano of Giovanni Rosso in Serralunga noted: 'In 2020, the rain occurred mainly at night, which was positive for the ripening of the vines.' Maria Teresa Mascarello's Barolo macerated for 55 days with a submerged cap, while Azelia reduced barrel ageing to show off the purity of the fruit.

• Deditus producers described very healthy, perfectly ripe grapes for those who waited
• Pio Cesare picked its Ornato on 5 October, after the heavy rain; Azelia finished its Cerretta on 13 October
• Pio Cesare used gentler extractions than in 2019
• Maria Teresa Mascarello: 55 days on the skins with a submerged cap, against 30 days without a submerged cap in 2019

The Consorzio called 2020 an excellent vintage, with peaks of excellence especially in wines for medium to long ageing; neither Nebbiolo nor Barbera showed the drop in acidity typical of hot, short-cycle years. Decanter's 2024 report read the wines differently: generous and full, with more flesh on the bones than the 2019s, but perhaps a shorter than average ageing window because of lower acidity and a related rise in pH, and quality more patchy than in 2019 or 2021. Decanter also found more concentration and darker hues than in the 2018 Barolo Riservas released the same year. Roberto Conterno of Giacomo Conterno compares the 2019, 2020 and 2021 trio with 1999, 2000 and 2001, with 2000 and 2020 the warm, ready vintages.

• Consorzio: an excellent vintage, strongest in wines for medium to long ageing
• Nebbiolo and Barbera avoided the acidity drop typical of hot, short-cycle years
• Decanter: generous and full, more flesh than 2019, but perhaps a shorter ageing window from lower acidity and higher pH
• Roberto Conterno pairs 2020 with 2000 as the warm, ready vintage of each trio