Stefano Chiarlo reflects on the memorable 2021 harvest and announces the decision not to bottle crus in 2024: a gesture rooted in consistency, respect for the land, and commitment to quality.
Calamandrana, September 2025 – The 2021 harvest will be remembered by the Chiarlo family (link) as one of the truly great vintages, marked by ideal climatic conditions and resulting in extraordinary quality for Barolo. In the midst of the current harvest, Stefano Chiarlo, winemaker and vineyard manager leading the family estate alongside his brother Alberto, looks back on the highlights of the 2021 vintage and its Barolos, while also anticipating the challenges and decisions that have led the winery to important choices for the 2024 vintage, in the name of safeguarding quality.
The 2021 Barolo Vintage – the Quintessential Great Vintage
“I would define 2021 as the quintessential Great Vintage; it has rare traits that remind me of 1990 and 2001,” says Stefano Chiarlo. “ September and early October were key: dry, sunny days and significant day-night temperature swings provided ideal conditions for a slow and gradual ripening of tannins and polyphenols. This combination allowed Nebbiolo to reach extraordinary complexity and depth, with silky tannins – the essential foundation for crafting Barolo with remarkable character and aging potential. The identity of each cru is already clear and well-defined, unlike other great vintages that needed more time to express themselves with such clarity.”
According to Stefano Chiarlo, his thirty years of experience and sensitivity in the vineyard were decisive. Crop thinning, harvest timing, and parcel-by-parcel care turned an already exceptional year into a masterpiece of balance. “The photos I took during harvest looked like paintings: the size and color of the berries, the changing color of the leaves… a perfect balance which, in nature, is by definition unattainable.”
The 2021 Barolos are already showing intensity and harmony, confirming the estate’s consistency in outstanding vintages. “It’s the third consecutive five-star vintage: after 2019, spicier and more austere, and 2020, with rich bouquets and softer, rounder tannins, 2021 is the most complete. The wines already have expressive, varied bouquets in their youth, while on the palate they are deep and rich, with a dense, silky tannic structure. It’s a vintage that can be appreciated after only a few years, yet will deliver great emotions in the future.”
Looking Ahead – and a Tough Call on 2024
The vintages that followed brought different challenges. “2022 was drier and lower-yielding: the Barolos are ready on the nose, but less complex on the palate – silky, but with less longevity,” explains Stefano. “2023 was more balanced, where our experience in the vineyard and the strength of our best sites really paid off. 2024, by contrast, was cooler and wetter, requiring frequent thinning and precise harvest timing. The resulting wines are elegant, fresh, and floral – but less complex, with finer tannins.”
Faced with this scenario, the estate has taken an important decision: “For the 2024 vintage, we will not bottle any single-vineyard Barolos. All of the cru selections will be blended into our Barolo Tortoniano, which will be a wine of great class even in this vintage. It is a difficult, at times painful decision, but it reflects our method and philosophy: we vinify each parcel separately, evaluate through blind tastings, and if the character of the vintage does not fully convince us, we prefer not to release the crus,” Chiarlo explains. Over the past thirty years, this method has led Chiarlo to forgo cru bottlings in five previous vintages (1992, 1994, 2002, 2008, and 2014). “It’s not just a winemaking decision – it’s about respect for the land, for the MGAs, and above all, responsibility toward the consumer. We want to maintain consistency over time and protect the Chiarlo style – a style that doesn’t follow trends, but is defined by recognisable elegance and character. This allows those who taste our wines to always find what they expect in the glass: wines of great finesse and identity, with clear expression of variety and origin, and above all, genuine drinking pleasure.”
