Located due south of Alba and the River Tanaro, Barolo is Piedmont's most
famous wine DOCG, renowned for producing Italy's finest red wines from
100% Nebbiolo.
Its red wines were originally sweet but in 1840 the then Italian monarchy,
the House of Savoy, ordered them to be changed to a dry style. This
project was realised by French oenologist Louis Oudart whose experience with
Pinot Noir had convinced him of Nebbiolo's potential. The Barolo appellation
was formalised in 1966 at around 1700 ha, only a tenth of the size of Burgundy
but almost three times as big as neighbouring Barbaresco.
Upgraded to DOCG status in 1980, Barolo comprises two distinct soil types.
The first is a Tortonian sandy marl that produces a more feminine style of wine
and can be found in the villages of Barolo, La Morra, Cherasco, Verduno,
Novello, Roddi and parts of Castiglione Falletto. The second is the
older Helvetian sandstone clay that bestows the wines with a more muscular
style. This can be found in Monforte d'Alba, Serralunga d'Alba, Diano
d'Alba, Grinzane Cavour and the other parts of Castiglione Falletto. Made
today from the Nebbiolo clones Lampia, Michet & Rosé, Barolo has an
exceptional terroir with almost every village perched on its own hill. The
climate is continental, with an extended summer and autumn enabling the fickle
Nebbiolo to achieve perfect ripeness.
Inspired by the success of modernists such as Elio Altare, there has
been pressure in recent years to reduce the ageing requirements for
Barolo. This has been mostly driven by new producers to the region, often
with no Piedmontese viticultural heritage and armed with their roto-fermentors
and French barriques, intent on making a `fruitier', more modern style of
wine.
This `modern' style arguably appeals more to the important American market
and its scribes, but the traditionalists continue to argue in favour of making
Barolo in the classic way. They make the wine in a mix of epoxy-lined cement or
stainless-steel cuves followed by extended ageing in large 25hl slavonian
barrels (`botte') to gently soften and integrate the tannins. However, even
amongst the `traditionalists' there has been a move since the mid-1990s towards
using physiologically (rather than polyphenolically) riper fruit, aided by
global warming. Both modernist and traditional schools can produce exceptional
or disappointing wines.
Registered company 05492886. BB&R Limited, trading as Berry Bros & Rudd,
3 St James's Street, London, SW1A 1EG.
All rights reserved. You must be 18 or over to order.
* Calls may be recorded.
