2000 Vintage Piedmont Wine Tasting Including La Spinetta, Vietti, Paolo Scavino and more Friday, August 8, 2025 - 7:30 PM and all the Barbaresco in the store on SALE!!
Thoughts on the matter: “I like all paintings. I always look at the paintings, good or bad, in barbershops, furniture stores, provincial hotels. I’m like a drinker who needs wine. As long as it is wine, it doesn’t matter which wine.”
Pablo Picasso - Painter
The Piedmont saw an unprecedented string of outstanding vintages from 1995-2001, each vintage being different but all of them offer wines of unprecedented quality. The 1999 vintage may prove to be one of the longest lived along with 1996 and 2001. The two vintage that received the highest accolades from the press were 1997 and the 2000 vintage (the perfect –100 point vintage according to the Wine Spectator). We would agree with the critics that 2000 was an outstanding vintage but we can now see if the press was correct as these wines are now approaching their 25th b-day. We just picked up a small collection including some top-level Barolo and Barbaresco from the 2000 vintage and rather than selling them I thought we should put an event on the calendar to drink them.
The initial reviews on the 2000 vintage were outstanding and although some feel the wines have aged quicker than expected (check out Antonio Galloni’s review of the vintage in 2010 and 2011) there are some that feel these wines are now drinking at their peak (Check out the review from wineseracher). That’s why we do the hard work of checking on these things periodically and the 2000 vintage Piedmont wines that I have had recently have been fantastic.
Join us as we test drive a dozen wines from the 2000 vintage and for those of you that can’t make it I have included all the Barbareso in the store on SALE on this offering. The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $295 + tax and there are only 14 spaces available. For reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.
2000 Vintage Piedmont Wine Tasting
Friday, August 8th
7:30pm
2000 Azelia Barolo DOCG
2000 Bruno Rocca Rabaja Barbaresco DOCG
2000 E. Pira & Figli Chiara Boschis Cannubi Barolo DOCG
2000 Fontanafredda Serralunga d'Alba Barolo DOCG
2000 Giovanni Manzone Bricat Barolo DOCG
2000 Moccagatta Barbaresco Cole DOCG
2000 Paolo Scavino Carobric Barolo DOCG
2000 Silvio Grasso Bricco Luciani Barolo DOCG
2000 Vietti Ravera Barolo DOCG
2000 La Spinetta Barbaresco Gallino DOCG
2000 La Spinetta Barbaresco Starderi DOCG
2000 La Spinetta Barbaresco Valeirano DOCG
Menu
Selection of Cheese and Charcuterie
Mushroom Soup
Beef Tartar Served Over Bone Marrow with Truffle Aioli and Whole wheat Toast Points
Gnocchi with Black Truffle Alfredo Sauce
Tiramisu
The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $295 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com. Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have any food allergies or preferences and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.
Checking in on Piedmont’s 2000 Vintage
By Antonio Galloni
Piedmont’s 2000 vintage attracted considerable attention early on. I was living in Italy at the time and visiting the region frequently. I still remember the buzz the vintage was generating, even before the wines had been bottled. I began tasting the wines from barrel around 2002. At that time the wines were already open, radiant, and frankly delicious. It was clearly an anomalous vintage. Personally, I had always preferred the 1999s to the 2000s and dedicated an early issue of The Piedmont Report to that vintage. But there was no denying 2000 was a very consistent year across the board, even if it lacked the visceral thrill of a truly great Piedmontese vintage. Over the years I have been surprised to see some wines evolve faster than expected. This series of tastings provided a great opportunity to get a broad and deep look at the 2000s. Unless noted otherwise, I tasted most of these wines from producers’ cellars in November 2010. I then re-tasted a number of wines from my cellar in January and February 2011. A handful of wines were tasted from magnum, where that was the only format available. I have noted all wines tasted from larger formats.
The 2000 vintage was defined by very hot, dry weather during the entire year, leading up to the harvest, which was also carried out under warmer than usual temperatures. A hot summer is not necessarily a bad thing for Nebbiolo, which can be a tricky grape to ripen. But, as the old saying goes, it is the last month of the growing season that makes the harvest. For Nebbiolo in particular, the last month is critical as the grape needs the influence of cool nights to develop its aromatic profile and color. In a perfect world, cool September nights extend the growing season into October which also allows for full phenolic ripeness of the seeds and stems. In 2000 that was not the case. The grapes ripened quickly, especially at the end of the season, when sugars climbed rapidly. The harvest took place under calm circumstances, with no rain but under high temperatures. Growers talked about harvesting in shorts and t-shirts.
I found a number of wines with aromas and flavors that are already quite forward. The wines have enough density of fruit to hang on for some time, but they won’t improve. Part of the issue comes to a central question; what exactly defines a great Piedmont vintage? Most Piedmont lovers have a preference for ‘classic’ years,’ which usually means colder vintages that yielded firm, structured wines, such as 1978, 1996, 1989 and in more recent times 1999 and 2001. As great as the best wines are from those years, there can be no denying that the best examples from warmer, atypical years such as 1985 and 1990, have also aged quite well. The problem with the 2000s is that most of them aren’t going to even be around at age 20-25. As time passes, it becomes clearer that 2000 is not a great vintage, ‘classic’ or otherwise. It is a good to excellent vintage with a handful of overachievers. The vast majority of the wines need to be enjoyed over the next few years.
--Antonio Galloni
Wine-Searcher Editorial
Last updated 01-Dec-2019
Vintage quality: Excellent
Current condition: Ready to drink
The 2000 Piedmont vintage was, overall, extremely good.
A warm spring saw an early flowering but a cold wet July hindered the growing season but August was extremely hot. Late August then saw heavy hail damaging a fair few of the vineyards. The harvest began mid-September finishing a month later.
The harvest was smaller than usual, particularly for reds, but the quality was still mostly high. The low yields of Barbera and Nebbiolo produced deeply concentrated, rich wines with relatively high alcohol. Other grape varietals like Moscato also performed very well.
Despite the vintage for Barolo and Barbaresco being limited, what was produced tended to be very good and is likely worth hunting down for drinking now.
A bit about Barbaresco in the store on SALE!!
Barbaresco is a red wine produced in northwest Italy’s Piedmont region. Made from 100% Nebbiolo, Barbaresco, like its Barolo counterpart, is a highly tannic and acidic wine that needs years of cellaring to reach harmony. Prior to being released in the market, DOCG regulations require that the wines are aged for a minimum of 26 months, with at least 9 months spent in wood barrels; for the riserva bottlings, there is a mandated period of 50 months aging, with at least 9 months spent in wood barrels. Although Barbaresco and Barolo have much in common, traditionally Barbaresco tends to express a more feminine side, while Barolo is characterized as masculine and stately—but certainly exceptions exist. Expressive aromatically, scents of dried cherry, raspberry, licorice and rose petals are typical of the wine.
All the Barbaresco in the store on SALE!!
1982 Le Colline Barbaresco Cascina Bordino Piedmont, Italy
Price: $195.00 Sale Price: $155.00 Quantity in Stock: 46
1988 Produttori Del barbaresco Moccagatta Barbaresco Riserva
Price: $260.00 Sale Price: $215.00 Quantity in Stock: 2
1989 Giuseppe Cortese Rabaja Barbaresco
Price: $185.00 Sale Price: $155.00 Quantity in Stock: 13
1993 Cantina Vignaioli Elvio Pertinace Vigneto Nervo Barbaresco DOCG, Italy
Price: $78.00 Your Price: $68.64 Quantity in Stock: 4
1996 Cantina Vignaioli Elvio Pertinace Barbaresco
Price: $69.00 Your Price: $60.72 Quantity in Stock: 6
1996 Pelissero Barbaresco Annata
Price: $160.00 Your Price: $140.80 Quantity in Stock: 3
1997 Pelissero Barbaresco Annata
Price: $171.00 Your Price: $150.48 Quantity in Stock: 9
1997 Moccagatta Bric Balin Barbaresco (Magnum)
Price: $275.00 Sale Price: $220.00 Quantity in Stock: 1
1997 Dante Rivetti Barbaresco Bricco Neuevis Riserva MAGNUM
Price: $244.00 Your Price: $214.72 Quantity in Stock: 1
1997 Traversa Starderi Barbaresco DOCG
Price: $150.00 Sale Price: $120.00 Quantity in Stock: 1
1998 Pelissero Barbaresco Annata
Price: $152.00 Your Price: $133.76 Quantity in Stock: 7
1999 Pelissero Barbaresco Annata
Price: $159.75 Your Price: $140.58 Quantity in Stock: 12
2000 Bruno Rocca Rabaja Barbaresco
Price: $145.00 Sale Price: $115.00 Quantity in Stock: 6
2000 Moccagatta Barbaresco Cole DOCG
Price: $115.00 Sale Price: $95.00 Quantity in Stock: 7
2000 Paitin di Pasquero-Elia 'Sori Paitin Serraboella' Barbaresco DOCG
Price: $156.25 Sale Price: $125.00 Quantity in Stock: 2
2000 La Spinetta Barbaresco Valeirano
Price: $270.00 Sale Price: $215.00 Quantity in Stock: 1
2000 La Spinetta Barbaresco Gallina
Price: $270.00 Sale Price: $215.00 Quantity in Stock: 1
2001 La Spinetta Vursu Vigneto Gallina Barbaresco
Price: $270.00 Sale Price: $215.00 Quantity in Stock: 6
2003 Pelissero Barbaresco Tulin
Price: $185.00 Your Price: $162.80 Quantity in Stock: 12
2004 La Spinetta Vursu Vigneto Gallina Barbaresco
Price: $250.00 Sale Price: $199.00 Quantity in Stock: 3
2004 La Spinetta Vursu Vigneto Valeirano Barbaresco
Price: $250.00 Sale Price: $199.00 Quantity in Stock: 3
2004 La Spinetta Vursu Vigneto Starderi Barbaresco
Price: $250.00 Sale Price: $199.00 Quantity in Stock: 3
2005 Fratelli Grasso Vallegrande Barbaresco DOCG
Price: $75.50 Your Price: $66.44 Quantity in Stock: 1
2006 Albino Rocca Barbaresco Duemilasei
Price: $87.50 Your Price: $77.00 Quantity in Stock: 1
2006 La Spinetta Barbaresco Starderi
Price: $235.00 Your Price: $206.80 Quantity in Stock: 1
2006 La Spinetta Barbaresco Gallina Piedmont
Price: $215.00 Your Price: $189.20 Quantity in Stock: 4
2006 La Spinetta Barbaresco Valeirano
Price: $235.00 Your Price: $206.80 Quantity in Stock: 2
2007 La Spinetta Barbaresco Gallina
Price: $215.00 Your Price: $189.20 Quantity in Stock: 2
2007 La Spinetta Valeirano Barbaresco
Price: $235.00 Your Price: $206.80 Quantity in Stock: 1
2008 La Spinetta Barbaresco Starderi
Price: $235.00 Your Price: $206.80 Quantity in Stock: 3
2008 La Spinetta Barbaresco Gallina
Price: $215.00 Your Price: $189.20 Quantity in Stock: 7
2008 La Spinetta Barbaresco Valeirano
Price: $235.00 Your Price: $206.80 Quantity in Stock: 4
2010 Pelissero Barbaresco Tulin
Price: $250.00 Your Price: $220.00 Quantity in Stock: 1
2013 Gaja Costa Russi Barbaresco
Price: $565.00 Sale Price: $445.00 Quantity in Stock: 2
2014 Gaja Sori San Lorenzo Barbaresco
Price: $565.00 Sale Price: $449.00 Quantity in Stock: 2
2016 Pelissero Barbaresco "Nubiola" MAGNUM
Price: $108.00 Your Price: $95.04 Quantity in Stock: 6
2016 Moccagatta Bric Balin Barbaresco DOCG, Italy
Price: $87.50 Sale Price: $70.00 Quantity in Stock: 3
2016 Tenuta Carretta Cascina Bordino Riserva Barbaresco
Price: $75.00 Sale Price: $59.00 Quantity in Stock: 1
2016 Prunotto Barbaresco DOCG Piedmont, Italy
Price: $118.75 Sale Price: $95.00 Quantity in Stock: 2
2016 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Asili Riserva
Price: $529.50 Your Price: $465.96 Quantity in Stock: 3
2017 PELISSERO BARBARESCO TULIN
Price: $169.00 Your Price: $148.72 Quantity in Stock: 11
2017 Giuseppe Cortese Rabaja Barbaresco
Price: $55.25 Your Price: $48.62 Quantity in Stock: 4
2018 Cigliuti Barbaresco Serraboella DOCG
Price: $85.50 Your Price: $75.24 Quantity in Stock: 4
2018 Cigliuti Barbaresco Vie Erte DOCG
Price: $61.25 Your Price: $53.90 Quantity in Stock: 1
2018 PELISSERO BARBARESCO TULIN
Price: $165.00 Your Price: $145.20 Quantity in Stock: 3
2019 Pelissero Barbaresco "Nubiola"
Price: $55.00 Your Price: $48.40 Quantity in Stock: 16
2019 PELISSERO BARBARESCO TULIN
Price: $153.00 Your Price: $134.64 Quantity in Stock: 10
2019 Giuseppe Cortese Rabaja Barbaresco
Price: $65.00 Your Price: $57.20 Quantity in Stock: 15
2020 La Spinetta Gallina Barbaresco
Price: $186.00 Your Price: $163.68 Quantity in Stock: 5
2021 La Ca Nova Barbaresco DOCG, Piedmont
Price: $48.00 Your Price: $42.24 Quantity in Stock: 9
2021 Massolino Barbaresco DOCG
Price: $60.00 Your Price: $52.80 Quantity in Stock: 11
2021 Prunotto Barbaresco DOCG
Price: $49.50 Your Price: $43.56 Quantity in Stock: 12
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