Luigi Giordano

The winery was founded by Giovanni Giordano in the 1930s, when Barbaresco was all but unknown. After a period of growing and selling grapes, Giovanni’s son Luigi made the bold decision to vinify and bottle his own grapes in 1958. He was one of the few visionary producers confident in the quality of his wine and potential of his terroir. This a brave move helped Barbaresco move forward on a path of quality winemaking, and Luigi’s decision paved the way for many Barbaresco producers.

Today, Luigi Giordano lies a stone’s throw from Barbaresco’s small village centre, run by Luigi’s grandson Matteo Rocca. Young, talented, and ambitious, he respectfully continues the winery’s elegant and staunchly traditional style, with long macerations on skins and maturation in large oak botti. Since joining in 2011, he has invested maximum time in the vineyard. Every year, the wines gain greater definition and detail, better articulating their impressive sites.

Dolcetto d'Alba

Dolcetto d'Alba is a DOC zone producing wines exclusively from the Dolcetto grape. D'Alba is one of the seven Dolcetto zones in Piedmont, the others being Acqui, Asti, Diano d' Alba, Ovada and Dogliani, as well as the less significant Langhe Monregalesi. D'Alba is regarded as the finest-quality zone of all for Dolcetto.

Dolcetto is an important Piedmontese grape, and the antithesis of Nebbiolo. It ripens a month earlier and produces wines that are low in acid yet high in tannins. Planted on the sites spurned by Nebbiolo and Barbera, Dolcetto is most suited to the light, white, sandy, calcareous tufa soils that are common in and around Barbaresco. It is generally made in an unoaked style to accentuate its natural violet perfume and juicy, bitter cherry and almond fruit. Dolcetto d’Alba is the grape’s most highly-regarded incarnation and makes the perfect antipasti wine.

Recommended producers: Diano, Dogliani

Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo is the grape behind the Barolo and Barbaresco wines and is hardly ever seen outside the confines of Piedmont. It takes its name from "nebbia" which is Italian for fog, a frequent phenomenon in the region.

A notoriously pernickety grape, it requires sheltered south-facing sites and performs best on the well-drained calcareous marls to the north and south of Alba in the DOCG zones of Barbaresco and Barolo.

Langhe Nebbiolo is effectively the ‘second wine’ of Piedmont’s great Barolo & Barbarescos. This DOC is the only way Langhe producers can declassify their Barolo or Barbaresco fruit or wines to make an early-drinking style. Unlike Nebbiolo d’Alba, Langhe Nebbiolo can be cut with 15% other red indigenous varieties, such as Barbera or Dolcetto.

Nebbiolo flowers early and ripens late, so a long hang time, producing high levels of sugar, acidity and tannins; the challenge being to harvest the fruit with these three elements ripe and in balance. The best Barolos and Barbarescos are perfumed with aromas of tar, rose, mint, chocolate, liquorice and truffles. They age brilliantly and the very best need ten years to show at their best.