Winemaker Notes
The Barolo born from these vineyards has the characteristics that reveal its origin, that have the
rich and the intense bouquet and the body that always plays its great balance. In the palate it is opening in moments. It is warm and round and with the tannins that are silky and immediate but also fused enough into the wine. It pours a brilliant garnet color with ruby reflections. The aroma is rich with the delicate mature fruit (blackberries and blueberries), with some hint of spices and some balsamic notes typical of that terroir. This is the Barolo with a good persistence and that does not necessarily need great bottle ageings to reveal its potential.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Savory spices open first with hints of saffron, intermingled with dried roses and an alluring, persistent floral fragrance. The palate has a supple and elegant feel with ripe, sweet tannins holding long and on point.
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Wine Enthusiast
Cocoa, toasted hazelnut and underbrush form the subtle nose along with a whiff of pressed rose. The smooth, taut palate offers cranberry compote, strawberry and a hint of white pepper accompanied by polished tannins and fresh acidity.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
The center of the production of the world’s most exclusive and age-worthy red wines made from Nebbiolo, the Barolo wine region includes five core townships: La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and the Barolo village itself, as well as a few outlying villages. The landscape of Barolo, characterized by prominent and castle-topped hills, is full of history and romance centered on the Nebbiolo grape. Its wines, with the signature “tar and roses” aromas, have a deceptively light garnet color but full presence on the palate and plenty of tannins and acidity. In a well-made Barolo wine, one can expect to find complexity and good evolution with notes of, for example, strawberry, cherry, plum, leather, truffle, anise, fresh and dried herbs, tobacco and violets.
There are two predominant soil types here, which distinguish Barolo from the lesser surrounding areas. Compact and fertile Tortonian sandy marls define the vineyards farthest west and at higher elevations. Typically the Barolo wines coming from this side, from La Morra and Barolo, can be approachable relatively early on in their evolution and represent the “feminine” side of Barolo, often closer in style to Barbaresco with elegant perfume and fresh fruit.
On the eastern side of the Barolo wine region, Helvetian soils of compressed sandstone and chalks are less fertile, producing wines with intense body, power and structured tannins. This more “masculine” style comes from Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba. The township of Castiglione Falletto covers a spine with both soil types.
The best Barolo wines need 10-15 years before they are ready to drink, and can further age for several decades.