2021 Giacomo Borgogno e Figli Barolo 750 ml

Every generation or so, a Barolo vintage arrives that resets the conversation. The 2021 is one of them. The resulting wines carry structure and aromatic purity in equal measure. Critics have placed the vintage as one of the finest in a generation—Wine Advocate grouped it with 2001 and 2016 as among the best years of the modern era.

Into that vintage steps Giacomo Borgogno & Figli—a producer whose credentials are entirely equal to the occasion.

Borgogno was established in 1761, making it among the oldest wineries in the Langhe. Its Barolo was poured at the celebratory lunch marking Italy’s Unification in 1861 and served at a banquet for Tsar Nicholas II at Racconigi Castle. When Oscar Farinetti, the founder of Eataly, acquired the estate in 2008, and his son Andrea became the winemaker, the mandate was not to reinvent but to recommit. Concrete fermentation tanks were restored. Native yeasts remained the only option. Long macerations continued, followed by aging in large Slavonian oak. The vineyards achieved organic certification with the 2019 harvest. Antonio Galloni of Vinous has described the results as “super-polished, sexy wines with tons of finesse and appeal”—earned vintage after vintage under the Farinettis.

The Barolo draws from five of the most storied vineyards in the commune—Cannubi, Cannubi San Lorenzo, Fossati, Liste, and San Pietro delle Viole—each among the most celebrated sites in Barolo. Blending across them has been the estate’s approach for generations, the aim being a more complete expression of the village than any single cru can deliver alone.

The 2021 vintage gave growers everything they wanted: A wet winter replenished the Langhe’s fast-draining soils, a warm but measured summer kept disease pressure minimal, and cool nights through September and October coaxed Nebbiolo to full phenolic maturity without sacrificing freshness. It comes through in the glass. The 2021 shows Borgogno’s signature: Morello cherry, black tea, dried roses, tobacco, and camphor on the nose, with a full, structured palate of dark fruit and spice carried on firm, persistent tannins.