Checking in on the 1998 Barolos 

1998     Altare Barolo Brunate	94
1998     Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis	94
1998     Vietti Barolo Rocche	93
1998     Vietti Barolo Lazzarito	93
1998     Gaja Sperss	95
1998     Bruno Giacosa Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto	95
1998     Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia	93
1998 Massolino Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda	92
1998     Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra	92
1998     Roberto Voerzio Barolo Cerequio	92
1998     G. Mascarello Barolo Monprivato	92
1998     Scavino Barolo Bric del Fiasc (magnum)	91
1998     Bartolo Mascarello Barolo	92
1998     G.Rinaldi Barolo Brunate/Le Coste	91
1998     Borgogno Barolo Storico	88
1998     Scarzello Barolo	87

1998 has always been an interesting vintage for Barolo. Caught between the more hyped 1996 and 1997 on one end, and 2000 and 2001 on the other, the 1998s have often been overlooked. It also didn’t help that the wines were first released during a period global economic malaise. While 1998 is not a truly iconic, legendary vintage, these Barolos are great choices for medium-term drinking as a number of wines are entering their early maturity, making them great choices for readers who are cellaring wines from Piedmont’s sturdier vintages such as 1996, 1999 and 2001.

Piedmont experienced mostly warm weather in 1998 with spells of drought, though nowhere near the extremes seen in 1997. The wines have always been perfumed and accessible, with an attractive softness to the fruit. Even better, the vast majority of the wines have never shut down to the extent that wines from cooler vintages often do. The 1998s are extremely consistent across the board, and that level of outstanding quality may very well end up being the vintage’s strongest attribute. As is typically the case, the Barolos of La Morra and Barolo are the most forward, while those of Serralunga are the freshest. Most of these wines were from my cellar, purchased and cellared since release, although I tasted a few of the wines a second time with the producers.

Elio Altare’s 1998 Barolo Brunate is one of the highlights of the vintage. A wine of rare pedigree, this soft-textured Barolo caresses the palate with plenty of ripe red fruit, sweet spices and mint. Today the wine comes across as especially youthful, and with the context of the vintage it is one of the most vibrant wines I tasted. I am always amazed at the quality Altare achieves with what are essentially second-choice grapes from Marco Marengo’s vines in the prestigious Brunate vineyard. 94/Drinking window: 2009-2020. Luciano Sandrone’s 1998 Barolo Cannubi Boschis is another of the standouts in this tasting. Layers of perfumed dark fruit flow effortlessly from the glass with wonderful depth and purity. The wine offers a long, intensely harmonious personality and a refined, aristocratic finish. The 1998 is an excellent choice for readers who may also be cellaring bottles of the 1996 or the 1999, two wines that offer considerable upside potential. 94/Drinking window: 2009-2019.

These two Barolo from Vietti are exceptional. I remember visiting the estate when these wines were released and purchasing them for my cellar. Over the years, I never found the 1998s fully convincing and on the same level as today’s wines (which are often extraordinary) as I often came away with the sense that the late 1990s were a bit of an experimental period for winemaker Luca Currado. Be that as it may, the proof is in the bottle, and these wines from Vietti are truly special. The 1998 Barolo Rocche shows remarkable clarity and precision in a harmonious expression of the hillside Rocche vineyard in Castiglione Falletto. The 1998 is not a profound Rocche, but readers will have a very hard time finding a wine that offers more pure pleasure in this vintage. This is a great bottle of this wine. 93/Drinking window: 2009-2019. The estate’s 1998 Barolo Lazzarito, from a vineyard in Serralunga, has developed splendidly. Always the most heavily oaked of the Vietti Barolos, the Lazzarito has incorporated its oak gracefully and the aromas and flavors are now beautifully melded into the dark, balsamic nuances that are the hallmarks of this site. To say I am deeply impressed with the 1998 Lazzarito would be a massive understatement; I only wish I had more of it! 93/Drinking window: 2009-2019.

One of the things I have learned over the years is that you can count on Angelo Gaja to make a strong showing in just about any tasting. Yes, I know, Sperss is not Barolo (a small percentage of Barbera is added), but at its core the wine captures the essence of Serralunga and is as representative of these hillside vineyards as any Barolo. Dark tar, smoke, leather, spices, menthol and black cherries all make an appearance in this muscular, full-throttle wine. While the vast majority of 1998 Barolos can be enjoyed today, the 1998 Sperss could use another few years in the cellar. It isn’t a crime to open a bottle today, but this is one of the few 1998s that still has upside potential. Simply put, the 1998 Sperss is a jewel. 95/Drinking window: 2010-2023. Incidentally, I tasted through the entire 1998 Gaja lineup last year and found all the wines outstanding. Highlights included Sorì San Lorenzo and Sorì Tildìn, which along with Sperss, are terrific wines.

Bruno Giacosa’s 1998 Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto is another gorgeous wine. The fresh, floral bloom the wine had in its infancy has softened and the aromas today are moving towards sensations of dried flowers and spices. The wine retains a lovely inner sweetness backed up by considerable structure, which leads me to believe that the tannins might very well outlast the fruit. This is a beautiful Le Rocche, but probably won’t be one of the longest-lived vintages of this wine. The wine can be enjoyed today if opened several hours prior to serving, but should also drink well for at least another decade. 95/Drinking window: 2009-2019.

The 1998 Barolo Cascina Francia from Giacomo Conterno is delicate, layered and perfumed, showing gorgeous finesse and lovely inner tension in its fruit. Overall this is a soft, accessible Cascina Francia that is drinking beautifully today and should last for at least another decade. Both bottles I tasted from the property were truly sublime but I should point out that I, and others, have had decidedly different experiences with bottles purchased in the US, which have often come across as decidedly more austere for reasons that admittedly remain somewhat of a mystery. For those who are curious, I didn’t included a note on the 1998 Monfortino as it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to conclude that the wine is much too young to deliver any real pleasure at this stage, no matter how thrilling the wine might be to taste! 93/Drinking window: 2009-2019. Massolino's 1998 Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda showed beautifully and consistent with previous tastings. This is one of the 1998s that desperately needs to be opened several hours before drinking as the wine benefits immensely from air. Sweet roses, violets, menthol, spices, licorice, leather and plums are just some of the nuances that emerge from this firm, classically-built Barolo. 92/Drinking window: 2009-2019.

Domenico Clerico’s 1998 Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra is one of the most full-throttle wines of the vintage. Still deeply-colored, this authoritative wine possesses tons of mineral-infused dark fruit intermingled with French oak and menthol. This remains one of the most tannic and firm wines of the vintage. My impression is that the fruit will fade before the tannins melt away. Still, this is a beautiful wine Barolo to enjoy over the next few years, although it is not a wine for the timid. 93/Drinking window: 2009-2016. Roberto Voerzio's 1998 Barolo Cerequio is one of the more forward of the wines, which is not surprising considering given the location of the vineyard. The wine reveals notes of white truffles and mushrooms that complement the dark fruit. There is impressive concentration here, yet the wine is clearly approaching its tertiary stage. I consider 1998 part of a transitionary period for Voerzio that begins around 1994 and ends around 1998. The explosion of quality at this small estate starts with the 1999s, after which Voerzio has been on a roll. 92/Drinking window: now-2013.

The 1998 Monprivato from Giuseppe Mascarello perfectly embodies the quality of the vintage. This is a relatively slender, accessible Monprivato, yet all of the elements are perfectly in balance. The sweet aromatics meld seamlessly into a soft palate of fruit framed by ripe, silky tannins. The 1998 is a great introduction to Monprivato, and is one of the more beautiful, harmonious and accessible wines of the vintage. Today, the 1998 does not appear to be built for the long haul, but I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if I am underestimating the wine’s potential longevity given how gracefully wines of lesser vintages have aged. 92/Drinking window: 2009-2017. The 1998 Scavino Barolo Bric del Fiasc, tasted from magnum, is one of the more accessible wines of the vintage. It reveals a super-ripe, concentrated style with notable inner sweetness and perfume. The finish is long and silky although the 1998 doesn’t have the sheer pedigree of top vintages here. 92/Drinking window: 2009-2018.

Bartolo Mascarello’s 1998 Barolo is another of the more weightless, ethereal wines in the vintage. Sweet tobacco, earthiness, plums and prunes flow in a soft, elegant style. This is another Barolo that is simply delicious today, although readers seeking a more developed, tertiary experience may want to give the wine a few more years in bottle. 92/Drinking window: 2009-2019. A stone’s throw from the Cantina Mascarello is the other temple of traditional winemaking in Barolo, the cellars of Beppe Rinaldi. Rinaldi’s 1998 Barolo Brunate/Le Coste is a throwback. A big, massive wine, this Barolo bursts with dark fruit in an energetic, vibrant style. There are elements of volatile acidity that might throw off some tasters, but readers who can look past those imperfections will find much to admire here. Certainly quality and consistency has improved markedly at this property since the 1998 was made. 91/Drinking window: 2009-2024.

Unfortunately I also encountered some disappointments, including an out of balance, excessively austere 1998 Borgogno Barolo Storico and a green, awkward 1998 Scarzello Barolo, but these wines represent exceptions to what is otherwise a very strong vintage for the great Barolos of Piedmont.

 --  Antonio Galloni