The 2017 Barolo vintage has struggled to demand attention in the market – this is no surprise given it followed 2016, arguably one of the greatest Barolo vintages in over 30 years, where quality was lifted higher by skilled winemaking.
The Barolo predicament is summed up easily. To date, release prices have remained very fair in almost every vintage and no grower ratchets them up dramatically, even in a year like 2016. In such years, it is the market that carries the values higher under the pressures of supply and demand. Essentially, all vintages are released at virtually the same release price, with perhaps a Euro or two of an increase per bottle reflecting year on year costs. When a lesser vintage is released, and let’s face it there are a lot of vintages that offer less than 2016, there is no way of adjusting prices down, and inevitably stock can stick in the market and with suppliers, irrespective of the quality that a grower may have been chalked up in any such trickier vintage. If we compare this situation to Burgundy, we find that prices march forwards each year for the leading Côte d’Or estates, and merchants and clients alike tend to form an orderly queue, accepting the allocations they took the previous year, safe in the knowledge that they are in position to purchase the next touted, great vintage that comes along. History has shown that the price of leading Burgundy is more than a store of value, so if clients accrue too much stock for their own personal consumption, they are aware of a very active market in the leading Burgundy that can absorb any excess - this underwrites the routine purchasing. Barolo isn’t in this position yet – demand can blow hot and cold. In time, things may very well change to move closer to the Burgundian model. For now though it remains possible to pick up great wines from the region’s leading growers in very good, even if not widely lauded vintages, for incredibly fair prices with no real downside for the consumer.
This is certainly the case here with the following trio of Barolo from Chiara Boschis in the overlooked 2017 vintage.
While the vintage may be deemed lesser, the skilled winemaking that has become more prevalent is not. This point is illustrated in the following quotations from Antonio Galloni on vinous.com which highlight over the last 5 vintages, Chiara Boschis as a winemaker at the very top of her game.
2017 Vintage - Chiara Boschis's 2017 Barolos are among the most succesful wines of the vintage. In 2017, the Cannubi and Mosconi are especially fine, but it has gotten very hard to choose here.….. Boschis has settled comfortably into a style that takes the best elements of both traditional and more modern approaches.
2016 Vintage - There are the best wines Chiara Boschis and her brother, Giorgio, have ever made. I was just blown away by what I tasted. The purity and class of the 2016 is magnificent.
2015 Vintage - Chiara Boschis continues to make some of the most compelling wines in Barolo. Her 2015s are all quite pretty.
2014 Vintage - These are three highly expressive, nuanced Barolos from Chiara Boschis. The Via Nuova is once again the star of the show. Blending fruit from various sites was quite possibly the best way to deal with the conditions of 2014
2013 Vintage - Year in, year out Chiara Boschis quietly makes some of the most compelling wines in Barolo without getting either the attention or recognition of some of her neighbors.
Please see below for the trio of 2017s at the best UK market prices:
2017 Barolo, Cannubi, E. Pira (Chiara Boschis)
£350 per 6 bottle case in bond
95 points, Antonio Galloni, vinous.com
The Barolo Cannubi is absolutely gorgeous in 2017. Hot and brutally dry conditions notwithstanding, the Cannubi is creamy and sensual in the glass, with impeccable balance, soft, racy edges and tons of allure. It is easily one of the most sensual, compelling Barolos of the year. Ripe dark red/purplish fruit, spice, mint and cedar meld into the beautifully textured, resonant finish. I am so impressed with the wine's freshness. Perhaps the anti-hail netting helped keep some shade on the fruit. What a wine. Drink 2025-2037
2017 Barolo, Via Nuova, E.Pira (Chiara Boschis)
£300 per 6 bottle case in bond
94 points, Antonio Galloni, vinous.com
The 2017 Barolo Via Nuova is stellar. In 2017, the Via Nuova is a bit nervous, the sign of a Barolo that is going to need a number of years to unwind. Bright red-toned fruit, chalk, crushed rocks, mint and white pepper add pretty aromatic top notes. As always, the Via Nuova is the most taut Barolo in the range. Via Nuova is a blend of seven vineyard sites; Terlo, Paiagallo and Liste (in Barolo); Ravera and Mosconi (in Monforte); and Gabutti and Baudana (in Serralunga). Drink 2025-2037
2017 Barolo, Mosconi, E.Pira (Chiara Boschis)
£300 per 6 bottle case in bond
95 points, Antonio Galloni, vinous.com
The 2017 Barolo Mosconi is a powerful, brooding wine. Black cherry, gravel, dried herbs, scorched earth, spice and leather add to an impression of gravitas. This is an especially somber, potent Barolo that needs time to soften. Even so, it will always be a brute. The substantial finish is a thing of beauty. The Barolo Mosconi emerges from the estates oldest vines, which are 70-80 years old, and is aged in barrique. Drink 2025-2037
And in case you are curious, her wines achieved the following scores with Antonio Galloni in 2016 and trade at the approximate prices shown below.
2016 Cannubi, 98 points, trades at £700 per 6 in bond
2016 Via Nuova, 100 points, trades at £925 per 6 in bond
2016 Mosconi, 96 poinst, trades at £340 per 6 in bond
That is the effect of critical acclaim and supply vs. demand, but there is certainly something for the canny drinker at those levels on the 2017s!
Please let us know of your interest.
All the best,
Simon