More than a century of Barolo vintages — Marchesi di Barolo

In the northern Italian vineyard region of Piemonte, two well-known Barolo producers have provided publicly available comments on 100 years of their wine vintages. Finding these online is not easy, and so I will be covering them in this blog. I have already presented A century of Barolo vintages — Fontanafredda.

Here, I have listed the chart from Marchesi di Barolo (formally: Cantine del Marchesi di Barolo S.p.A.). You can read all about the estate and winery at the Marchesi di Barolo web site (in several languages).

I obtained this listing from the 心無罣礙 – 抱青 website, which in turn got it from a page (that no longer exists) at the Marchesi di Barolo site. There are apparent errors in the source, which I have corrected here. I have provided a brief analysis of the data at the end of the post.

A Century of Barolo Vintages 1861-2005

The 145 vintages are scored on an increasing scale:
    Poor, Average, Good, Excellent, Great, Exceptional.
However, the first two categories are not actually distinguished in the list; and comments on the vintage are provided only for the latter four categories.

Year	Harvest quality	Comments
1861	Excellent	A limited harvest. Wine of great structure and balance with intense perfumes and pronounced flavor. A wine for long ageing.
1862	Good	A full-bodied wine with pronounced tannins and acidity. Aromas are fairly intense and complex.
1863
1864
1865	Excellent	Meagre harvest due to severe spring frosts. The grapes that were harvested, however, were very healthy and mature, creating wines of good structure and pedigree.
1866
1867	Good	Normal level of production with healthy, mature grapes. The resulting wines are medium-bodied, robust and harmonious. Some retained a touch of sweetness.
1868	Exceptional	An extremely well-structured wine with remarkable perfumes that are both very intense and very appealing. A wine for long cellaring.
1869	Good	A wine which seems weak at first but reveals a ray of ample, pleasant aromas. The palate sensations are at once delicate and decisive. For these reasons, this wine could be considered one for easy drinking.
1870	Good	Somewhat lacking in structure but nonetheless very pleasant to drink. Firm, supple tannins guarantee a moderate capacity for ageing.
1871
1872
1873	Great	A wine of great structure and vigor. Extraordinary perfumes and pronounced tannins render it suitable for long ageing.
1874
1875
1876	Good	A tremendously structured wine with firm tannins that initially seem very hard. Extremely intense and persistent perfumes.
1877
1878
1879	Excellent	An abundant harvest of healthy, mature grapes produced wines with excellent structure, soft tannins and good acidity. Excellent prospects for a long period of maturation.
1880
1881
1882
1883
1884
1885	Good	A very sturdy, pleasant and inviting wine, even if a bit light in body and structure.
1886	Great	Scarce harvest due to heavy hailstorms during the summer. However, the grapes that were harvested were beautiful, ripe and perfectly healthy. The wines are very robust and well-structured, making them good candidates for extended ageing.
1887	Excellent	A wine of great robustness and structure. Perfumes are very pronounced, intense and appealing. A vintage to remember.
1888
1889	Excellent	A wine with tremendous body and character. Aromas are intense and persistent with incredible structure and equilibrium. Firm tannins, which at first come off as soft and unobtrusive, and good acidity are clear indications of its promising future.
1890	Good	Though this excellently structured wine initially seemed a bit coarse and rough around the edges, over time it has developed a good equilibrium with intense and pleasing aromas. This is not, however, a wine that will benefit much from long ageing.
1891
1892
1893
1894	Excellent	Extremely ripe, healthy grapes produced a wine that is well-structured and high in alcohol yet perfectly balanced. Very intense, persistent aromas. Drinking well in its youth, it also shows excellent potential for long ageing.
1895	Good	Rich and well-structured, with intense and moderately long perfumes. Good balance between tannin and acidity. A wine which is both harmonious and pleasant to drink.
1896
1897	Exceptional	The grapes, which were actually very scarce due to strong spring frosts, matured perfectly during the subsequent growing season and were harvested in perfect condition. The result is a wine with tremendous structure and powerful alcohol. Very intense and persistent aromas. A perfect candidate for long ageing.
1898	Excellent	Rich and well-structured with intense, moderately long perfumes. Good balance between tannin and acidity. A wine which is both harmonious and pleasant to drink young, but capable of ageing as well.
1899
1900
1901
1902
1903	Good	A wine with a big structure, initially slightly unbalanced but developing fine equilibrium as it matured.
1904
1905	Good	An imposing wine because of its impressive elegance, structure and rich sensations; generous and promising.
1906	Good	Well-structured wine, abounding in tannins and acids; strong, forthright sensations.
1907	Great	A wine of great breeding and superb balance. Famous for its generosity and austere elegance that persisted for many years.
1908	Excellent	A wine with a good structure but not richly endowed with color or tannins. Impact on nose and palate somewhat weak but pleasant.
1909
1910	Excellent	Austere, rich wine with good impact and a fine balance among its characteristics.
1911	Good	A wine with a great structure, well-endowed with tannins and acids. Pronounced disequilibrium initially but unusually promising.
1912	Great	An imposing, generous and robust wine of fine breeding. Surprising because of its austere balance and rich sensations.
1913
1914
1915
1916
1917	Excellent	A wine with a great personality. Full and intense aromas and flavors distinguished by their austere generosity and elegance.
1918
1919	Great	A wine of superb breeding. Rich and persistent aromas; flavors that were imposing because of their intensity, balance and harmony.
1920	Good	A generous, well-structured wine with intense and agreeable sensations.
1921
1922	Exceptional	An opulent wine with remarkable aromas and flavors that melded in a triumphant blend.
1923
1924	Good	A well-structured, hardy wine with pleasant although not intense or persistent aromas; forthright tannins that, in time, developed balance and harmony.
1925	Excellent	A rich, unusually refined wine because of its complex, intense and persistent aroma and exhilarating flavor, harmoniously combined.
1926
1927	Excellent	A wine whose strength and generosity were well expressed in its range of aromas and flavors.
1928	Great	A great wine in all its characteristics, with a fine concentration of sensations. The harvest was weak after a long and frigid winter and disastrous hailstorms.
1929	Exceptional	Extraordinary wine with a complete range of intense, full and persistent odors and possessing a wealth of flavor sensations of surprising intensity. The wine showed remarkable balance and harmony.
1930
1931	Exceptional	Extraordinary wine with a complete range of intense, full and persistent odors and possessing a wealth of flavor sensations of surprising intensity. The wine showed remarkable balance and harmony.
1932
1933
1934	Excellent	A generous, well-structured wine with forthright tannins and acids; characteristic and distinctive aromas and flavors in a complex equilibrium of notable austerity.
1935
1936
1937	Good	Generous, well-structured wine with good and persistent odors and pleasant and relatively complex flavor sensations.
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945	Good	A robust, well-structured wine, distinctive for its intense and pleasant aromas and properly balanced flavors of fine complexity.
1946
1947	Exceptional	The wine possessed all the elements of greatness: aromas of rare intensity and appeal; noble, unusually persistent flavors; balanced and harmonious sensations of incomparable softness.
1948
1949
1950
1951	Good	A well-structured wine, richly blessed with pleasant and intense odors and complex, attractive and persistent flavors; exceptionally well-balanced and harmonious. Production was limited because of violent hailstorms that ravaged many vineyards.
1952
1953
1954
1955	Good	Remarkable for its structure and generosity, the wine offered intense aromas with good persistence and complex, attractive flavors; notable equilibrium and harmony.
1956
1957	Excellent	A wine with a big, full and generous structure. A wealth of intense and persistent aromas; remarkable equilibrium and harmony that contributed to a velvety sensation.
1958	Great	A warm, full-bodied and well-structured wine. Intense, remarkably full aromas; a desirable touch of acidity and a substantial supply of sweet tannins combined to assure softness and elegance.
1959
1960
1961	Great	A wine of superb class characterized by a substantial structure and aromas of great depth and breadth. Sweet tannins and moderate acidity yielded a full and harmonious wine of exceptional elegance.
1962
1963
1964	Great	A majestic wine because of its structure and complexity. Noble aromas that were full and persistent, forward tannins that were assertive but, in combination with all other elements, they assured an unusually long life.
1965
1966
1967	Excellent	A wine with outstanding structure and body, a pleasant and intense aroma, tannins, tending toward sweet, that were evident but of good quality and pronounced sapidity, characteristics that promised a brilliant future.
1968	Good	A wine with little structure but endowed with appealing and intense aromas. Rich flavor sensations tending toward seductive softness.
1969
1970	Great	A wine blessed with a magnificent structure, generous and richly endowed. Its strength was such that it could accept a substantial content of tannins and acids that, supported by the warmth of the alcohol, assured remarkable sensations of equilibrium and harmony.
1971	Exceptional	In addition to its attributes of fine breeding, imposing structure and rich personality, which were also found in the 1970 Barolo, this wine offered an impressive wealth of aromatic sensations and a flavor that was exceptionally well-balanced and notably elegant.
1972		[Such a poor year for the nebiolo grapes that it was voluntarily declassified by all Barolo and Barbaresco producers.]
1973
1974	Excellent	A wine of good breeding with a rich body and tannins and acids that were forward but well balanced. A full, intense aroma that was extremely pleasant, inviting and persistent; flavor sensations marked by an austere elegance.
1975	Good	A rich, well-structured wine with intense and relatively persistent odors, a good balance between tannins and acids; a harmonious, drinkable wine.
1976
1977
1978	Great	A well-structured wine, with a rich and vigorous body. Intense aromas of outstanding fullness and persistence; excellent equilibrium and harmony among all elements. The tannins were forward but tending toward the sweet. A modulated, elegant wine.
1979	Excellent	This rich and complex wine showed fine breeding. Elegant, extremely intense and well-modulated aromas; substantial tannins and acids that assured an austere and balanced wine.
1980	Excellent	A robust, well-structured wine. Full and encompassing aromas; outstanding balance and an exhilarating, unusually harmonious finish.
1981
1982	Exceptional	A rich wine with a big and complex structure. Noble aromas that were full and persistent in perfect harmony with complex, velvety and elegant flavors. Undoubtedly a vintage of outstanding longevity.
1983
1984	Good	A complex wine although lacking in structure. Delicate but intriguing and persistent aromas; outstanding flavor sensations but somewhat hard due to excessive tannins and acidity. Apparently disharmonious but promising. Weak production caused by a late frost.
1985	Great	A wine with an extraordinary structure and complexity. A wealth of elegant and enveloping aromas. Sweet tannins and balanced acidity combined in flavors that were soft and elegant.
1986	Good	This wine had a big structure and outstanding complexity but yield was reduced because of a fierce hailstorm in the spring. Complex and forthright aromas; imposing but evolved tannins with a flavor in perfect balance with the big body.
1987
1988	Excellent	A well-structured wine with remarkable richness of components. Intense, full and pronounced aromas and a full, perfectly balanced flavor despite extremely forward tannins and acids. A promising wine with the certainty of a long life.
1989	Great	An impressive wine because of its big and generous structure. Extremely intense and remarkably full and persistent aromas of pronounced sapidity. Holding great promise for the future.
1990	Exceptional	Because of its extraordinary attributes, the wine displayed a majestic opulence. Aromas of an enormous range of full and elegant sensations. The flavor showed great harmony and balance against a remarkably velvety background.
1991	Good	Despite its apparent delicacy, this wine featured a superb range of full and appealing aromas seconded by delicate and impressive flavor sensations. Because of those qualities, it was regarded as a highly drinkable wine.
1992
1993	Excellent	A wine with a good structure and a commendable balance among its components. Intense and well-expressed aromas and relatively forward tannins but with good prospects for further development. Remarkably harmonious.
1994
1995	Excellent	A wine with great character and big body, the fruit of the few grapes saved from a ferocious hailstorm that battered the vines during the summer. Intense and pronounced aromas; structured and balanced flavors; noble tannins and good acidity that offer excellent promise for the future.
1996	Great	A wine that is imposing and noble in character and structure. Its intense, full and persistent aromas are in perfect harmony with a rich array of visual and flavor sensations. Outstanding vinosity, proper acidity and forthright tannins that are steadily softening give this wine a majestic austerity that assures a long life and remarkable elegance.
1997	Exceptional	An extraordinary wine! The richness of all its components is as noteworthy as it is rare. Possessing great strength because of its alcohol level and striking in appearance because of its intense, deep ruby-red color, it is certain to please even the most demanding connoisseurs. Its complex, full and persistent bouquet is highly provocative, while its noble, balanced, harmonious and full-bodied flavors, which are without equal, are accompanied by an unusually persistent aromatic intensity.
1998	Great	Noble and strong wine. Its colour and intensity are just perfect. It has an intense, rich and persistent bouquet with scents of ripe fruit, sweet spices and undergrowth. Moderate acidity and marked but sweet tannins confer good balance and ease drinking. It is a solid promise for the years to come.
1999	Exceptional	This vintage wine has extraordinary characteristics. It is gifted by nature with all the possible elements that express themselves generously. Its bouquet is infinitely rich with elegant and persistent notes. Extraordinary balance and harmony livened by a remarkable velvety sensation. Long life and big promises.
2000	Great	This wine has wonderful looks. The beautiful shade and intensity of its colour and the garnet nuances confirm a correct evolution. Its rich, full and persistent bouquet is highlighted by notes of vanilla and spices, as a result of its noble lineage and maturation in precious wood. It feels warm, sober, rich and well structured in the mouth. The balance of acids and tannins reveals excellent chances of evolution. The finish is long with a pleasing aromatic persistence.
2001	Exceptional	Garnet-red with deep ruby reflections exalted by a remarkable transparency. Copious ‘tears’ confirm its generous austerity. Exotic aromas of dried flowers, small fruits and wood essence combine to form a bouquet of extraordinary complexity. On the palate one is struck by heat, power, structure and tremendous equilibrium. Alcohol, acidity and tannin co-exist with amazing harmony and persistence.
2002	Good	Brilliant garnet-red color that, if not very intense, is still quite alive and promising. The bouquet is full and persistent with subtle hints of vegetable, flower and spice. There is the light secondary aroma of vanilla from the wood in which the wine matured. The palate impression is decidedly dry, warm and harmonious. Moderate acidity is balanced by the sensation of soft, supple tannins. Overall, pleasant and well-structured.
2003	Excellent	A vintage which will be remembered for its prolonged drought and extreme heat. Optimal in visual appearance and rich in body, with pronounced though perfectly balanced acids and tannins. Full and persistent perfume of balsamic vinegar with secondary aromas of ripe fruit and mountain hay. The palate is dry, warm and engaging. An austere, important wine with a long, lingering aromatic finish.
2004	Great	Brilliant wine with a lively garnet-red color that is both intense and appealing. The bouquet is intense, rich, full and complex. It opens up slowly with evident notes of sweet spices, licorice, berry fruits and dried flowers. There is a subtle hint of vanilla in an otherwise decisive, forward wine. On the palate, this wine is distinguished by its elegant structure, pleasant sapidity and soft, almost sweet, tannins. A true ‘purebred’ which will surely continue to evolve and develop for a long time to come.
2005	Great	Beautiful, intensely brilliant garnet-red color. Impressively rich bouquet recalls the fragrance of roses, sweet spices and fresh inviting fruit. On the palate there is a magnificent balance between the power of its alcohol, its firm tannins (which are already showing a tendency to soften around the edges), and a pleasantly vibrant sapidity. A wine of great breeding and nobility with a long, lingering aromatic finish.

Analysis of the data

Summary of the harvest quality data for the 145 vintages:

Exceptional	12
Great	18
Excellent	22
Good	24
Average/Poor	68
Declassified	1

The declassified vintage in 1972 is discussed in the post A century of Barolo vintages  — Fontanafredda.

The harvest quality data here cannot be shown as a time series, as they were for the Fontanafredda vintages, because the Poor and Average data have not been included. However, the vintages for which there are available data (55 of the vintages from 1906 onwards) can still be compared to those for Fontanafredda. This comparison is shown in the table below.

As expected for two producers in the same region, there is a close association between these two datasets. The vintage quality was scored identically in 33 cases (60%; marked in orange in the table), and differed by only one category in a further 19 cases (35%; marked in bright yellow). However, the 1928 vintage was scored as Normal by Fontanafredda but Great by Marchesi di Barolo, which is a difference of three categories.

During the 80 years from 1906 onwards, there were only four occasions when both producers rated the vintage as best: 1922, 1931, 1947 and 1971. However, during the next 20 years there were another four occasions: 1990, 1997, 1999 and 2001. This emphasizes just how different European grape harvests have been since 1990. This is discussed in more detail in the post Two centuries of Bordeaux vintages.