Piedmont gets Wine Spectator's 100-point vintage
Staff Writer - December 12, 2003
For the first time ever, Wine Spectator Magazine, the undisputed wine authority in the United States, gives a 100-point vintage rating; it goes to Piedmont for its Nebbiolo-based reds in the 2000 vintage.
According to Wine Spectator magazine's European Bureau Chief James Suckling, the 2000 vintage will be the point of reference for Piedmont and its Nebbiolo grape for decades to come.
"Prior to my extensive tasting of 2000 Barolos and Barbarescos this year", said Mr. Suckling, "I thought that the 1997 vintage, which rated 99 on our 100-point scale, produced the greatest wines in this region's series of fantastic harvests, even though some producers and Nebbiolo fans prefer 1996."
"When we asked Suckling what prompted him to go to 100 points", writes Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher of Wine Spectator magazine, he replied, "the 2000 Barolos and Barbarescos were simply better than the 1997s, so they deserved an higher rating."
According to Mr. Suckling, 2000 is the perfect vintage, accumulating the virtues of both the extraordinary 1996 and 1997 vintages. The wines produced have a wonderful opulence but extraordinary structure of ripe, racy tannins and fresh, lively acidity.
The 2000 Barbarescos are now on the market, while the Barolos, which are generally bottled later, will be released in 2004.
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