2001 Barolo: How Long to Decant?

I'm planning a wine dinner fairly soon focused on 2001 Barolo, and so I started drinking some of my untouched stash of 2001s a few days ago to get an idea about how long I should decant them for the dinner. The first evening I decanted a Conterno Cascina Francia for an hour and a half but it proved so young, and full of so much obvious potential, that I decided to forget about drinking the other bottles of it for at least another five years. Next up to bat was a Brovia Villero, which I decanted all of for two hours and drank half that night and overnighted the other half in a 375 and drank it the next night. On both nights it was closed, equally so the second night. How many hours does one need to decant this excellent but tannic vintage, assuming one uses a more or less standard decanter rather than a extra-wide bottom one? Or should I postpone my 2001 Barolo dinner until 2021 or so?

Postpone. Baroli that are too young will not open up in the decanter, paradoxically many of them just seem to shut down, and that includes the really big guns. If you have to pour a young Giacosa, just pop ´n pour and follow it in your glass. Immediately it is often rather enjoyable, but that joy is all but gone after less than thirty minutes.

My two cents! (Not learned the hard way, learned from my Swiss friends David and Oliver, who go through at least twenty cases per year of the stuff...)

Greetings from Sweden / Fredrik L

[David M. Bueker]

Yeah, the 2001s are in a tough spot right now.

Got any 1998s? They are doing OK.

How amazing! So the 2001 Barolo vintage in general seems to be shut down. Apparently it's been down for a long time. My notes say that in 2010 Roberto Conterno told me he last tasted his 2001 Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia in 2008 and it was closed then, and that he told me not to drink it "for three or four more years," which would indicate he thought it should be open in 2013 or 14. But this week it was still closed. along with the equally shut down 2001 Brovia Barolo Villero. I wonder if that sort of Rip Van Winkle thing is going to happen to the great 2010 vintage, which was delicious not many months ago on release. (The 2011s are singing now, too, but that's minor poetry.)

[David M. Bueker]

I had a 2010 Brovia Ca'Mia back in February, and it was stunning.

Barolo is often a very long aging wine with long, sullen periods. It seems to be more approachable young than it used to be, but most vintages still shut down pretty hard. 2007 is still fairly friendly in Barolo (and Barbaresco).

Now that you fellows tell me my entire 2001 Barolo stash is of limits for the next several years, I need to figure out how I'm going to fulfill my promise to put on a Barolo dinnner. Other than my considerable 2001 collection, though, there's not a lot of Barolo in my cellar that's more than ten years old and most are one of a kind. Here are the dinner candidates I've unearthed so far, none of which I've tasted, so mostly I'll have to make my decisions based on their records, or advice from you guys, if you tasted any of them recently. I'll need three wines.

1996 Prunotto Bussio (in magnum) Cellar Tracker TNs on this are great, but all on 750s and indicating the wine is going to improve with more time. And the latest CT poster this year predicts his magnums "won't be ready until 2020 at least." So apparently I'll have to forget about this wine for another five years or so. Right?

2005 Renato Ratti Mercanasco This was a tannic vintage but evidently the Ratti Mercanasco may be an exception as Suckling estimated it would be "best after 2313," and CT TNs. are quite good.

2000 Parusso Mariondino 2000 is an early vintage, so this may be be drinking at about its best, but CT TNs are mediocre. Wine Spectator rated it a 94 but Tanzer called it 87 and Vinum 16.5/20, so maybe I should forget about this one.

2003 Roagna Vigna Rionda Barolo Cellar Tracker TNs are excellent and, way back whenever, Galloni gave it a 92 and said drink from 2013 to 2023, so this may be an exception to the indifferent 2003 vintage.

Essenze Terredaveno I see the Wine Spectator called this a 92 and "best after 2011." but the Cellar Tracker boys are split on whether it's fine stuff or so-so. I have six bottles, so I guess I better try one.

[David M. Bueker]

Do you have any less exalted 2001s? Marcarini perhaps?

David, I can,t answer your question for sure now as I'm traveling in Italy, but I probably drank the 2001 lesser lights years ago.

Clint, FWIW, I recently opened a Brovia 2005 'Garblet Sue'. It drank well p'n'p and continued to do so for two days.