Piedmont’s Legendary 1978 Barolos and Barbarescos Redux

1978 in Piedmont remains one of the most historic vintages in the world the world of fine, collectible wine. Even today, at thirty years of age, well-preserved bottles remain positively youthful, with plenty of life ahead of them. Yet virtually no one could have ever imagined the harvest would turn out as it eventually did. An irregular bud break that year acted as nature’s version of a green harvest. The plants carried very little fruit into a summer that was especially cool, even by the standards of the time. Needless to say, early prospects were not encouraging. Then, miraculously, the region saw a month of intense, uninterrupted sunshine and heat beginning in early September that allowed the fruit to ripen perfectly. The hot daytime temperatures were balanced by cool nights, just the type of weather Nebbiolo thrives in. Because yields were low, all of the energy the plants received was channeled into a tiny amount of fruit. At harvest time the grapes were thick-skinned and contained relatively little juice. The wines showed intense color, expressive aromatics and ripe fruit, buffered by imposing tannins. Incredibly, these are qualities the wines still have today!

Usually tastings like these tend to focus on the icon wines of the vintage, which I suppose is natural. As much as I love drinking those bottles, I especially enjoyed this dinner as we had a few top-tier wines mixed in with lesser known bottlings. Everyone at the table was impressed by the strong showing of the wines, especially those we expected the least from. Readers who want to learn more about the vintage might like to take a look at Vintage Retrospective: The 1978 Barolos and Barbarescos, and A Memorable Evening of Barolo and Barbaresco: 1978 – 1990, as well as the vinousmedia.com database, which contains recent notes on over thirty wines from the vintage. I would like to thank Marty Neschis for organizing this fun, informal tasting at Pepolino, a popular Manhattan restaurant.

Cordero di Montezemolo’s 1978 Barolo was very pretty. It delivered the classic La Morra notes of red fruits, spices and menthol in a somewhat dark, powerful and structured style for this wine. Some rustic elements came through, but this was still a remarkable showing for the estate’s entry-level Barolo. 91/Anticipated maturity: now. I was blown away by Ceretto’s 1978 Barolo Brunate Vigneto Zonchetta. I have had great experiences with the estate’s top wines in this vintage, but I honestly wasn’t prepared for the quality of what was in the glass in the Zonchetta, the entry-level Barolo that today is rarely inspiring, to say the least. A picture of grace and elegance, it revealed layers of ethereal dark fruit and spices intermingled with balsamic notes. This feminine, delicate Barolo was by no means profound, but it did show incredible balance and a gorgeous sense of inner harmony. I am tempted to say that Ceretto has rarely matched the heights they reached in 1978. 92/Anticipated maturity: 2008-2013.

Brezza’s 1978 Barolo Riserva Speciale was another wine that took my breath away. This ex-cellar bottle was singing. A textbook expression of Nebbiolo, it showed endless layers of fruit, with superb density and awesome textural beauty. It was a rock star wine in every way, and every bit deserving of its lofty score. 94/Anticipated maturity: 2008-2018. Giuseppe Rinaldi’s 1978 Barolo Riserva Brunate was the highlight of this incredible evening. It possessed notable richness and density in a concentrated, decadent expression of everything that typifies the qualities of great Brunate. It was also among the most youthful wines of the night. Sadly, most bottles will probably be drunk before they are ready. Simply put, this was a wine of heroic dimension and scale. 96/Anticipated maturity: 2008-2028.

I have never had great luck with Sobrero’s Barolos. This was another disappointing bottle. His 1978 Barolo Monprivato – Villero opened with promising aromas of violets and spices, yet its balance was quickly dominated by overpowering volatile acidity. The wine was still fresh, but its faults were too large to ignore. Quite tragically in this majestic vintage this wine could have been, and should have been, great. All of the ingredients were clearly there at the outset. 80?/Anticipated maturity: now. Tasting Mascarello’s 1978 Barolo Monprivato next to the Sobrero and Rinaldi was illuminating. Even though this wasn’t a perfect bottle of the 1978 Monprivato, the wine nevertheless enjoyed a very strong showing. It was a massive wine with an imposing tannic structured that never allowed the fruit to completely emerge. Autumn leaves, earthiness, cinnamon, plums and cherries all made an appearance as this exotic, pure wine opened in the glass. While the Monprivato didn’t quite have the compelling inner sweetness of the Rinaldi Brunate, it was still near the top of my favorite wines for the night. 94/Anticipated maturity: 2008-2023.

In this context Cavallotto’s 1978 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe came across as somewhat simple. It exhibited floral aromatics and pretty, candied red fruits in a remarkably accessible, sappy style for this vintage. The wine gained volume and depth with air, and my impression is that we finished the bottle before it was at its most harmonious. 92/Anticipated maturity: 2008-2018. Angelo Gaja’s 1978 Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo was awesome. Still youthful and full of life, it flowed from the glass with notable sweetness and richness in an expansive, enveloping style. This very complete and beautiful wine warranted much more time than our tasting allowed. Readers fortunate enough to own this Barbaresco are in for a real treat. It was stunning. 94/Anticipated maturity: 2008-2023.

-- Antonio Galloni