Winemaker Notes
On the nose there are hints of plum, raspberry, ripe red and black cherry, blackberry, and licorice. The palate is classic: rich and powerful with silky, well-integrated tannins.
Pair this wine with pasta with meat sauce, braised or roasted red meats, and aged cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2021 Barolo San Giuseppe is laced with tar, incense, licorice, gravel, cured meat and dark fruits. Muscular and deep on the palate, the 2021 shows the wilder, more animal side of Nebbiolo. Readers should plan on opening this well in advance.
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James Suckling
A fresh Barolo with pomegranates and leaves on the nose. Full-bodied with firm, dusty tannins, youthful pomegranate and blood orange flavors and an austere finish. Try after 2026.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Barolo San Giuseppe pours a medium red hue and comes from a blend of small holdings in Le Coste di Monforte, Ravera di Monforte, and Bussia. Aromas of crushed stones, mint, anise, raspberries, and cinnamon lift from the glass. Medium-bodied, it’s elegant and balanced with silky, stony tannins and subtle saline and pepper accents that carry through the finish. 6,200 bottles were produced. Drink 2026-2036.
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Wine Enthusiast
High-toned red fruits are lifted and bright, with a whisper of florals drifting behind adding a gentle and pretty dimension to the nose. The palate is lush and plush and thoroughly enjoyable.
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.