1Barolo DOCG Piedmont
Italy
Why not put Barolo on your Christmas wines list especially if you intend to to ignore the fashion of eating Turkey and opt for Wild Boar instead or a heavy stew? Barolo reds are very well structured and full of concentrated fruit flavour. They are high in tannin and have to be left to mature for a good number of years. They are well balanced for acidity, alcohol and sweetness or rather dryness. They have long length on the palate. They are usually high quality wines which rival the best from France and the USA. You will have to pay much more than you normally do at the supermarket but if you cannot spend a few shillings more at Christmas or New Year when can you do it?
Geography
Barolo wines are located in the
Piedmont region of Italy. The Barolo appellation is located to the south of
Turin and Alba. The appellation is situated on the hills surrounding the two
tributaries of the Tanaro river; the Talloria dell ‘Annunziata and the Talloria
di Castiglione. The hills rise to about 400 meters and some of the newer vineyards
are too cool for the Nebbiolo grapes to ripen fully. There are two soil types
which are derived from calcareous marls. In the north west of the region the
soil is higher in magnesium and manganese salts but in the south east of the
region the soil is higher in iron salts.
The wines from the north west are
reputed to be more elegant than their fuller bodied counterparts in the south
east. The south eastern wines have a stronger structure of tannin which
requires a longer period of ageing before they become accessible.
There is around 1700 hectares of
land under vines. There are many domaine grower producers and the system of
wine growing is similar to the system in Burgundy where domaines are passed
down through the families.
Production is centred on 5
communes belonging to the towns of Barolo, La Morra, Castiglione Falletto and
Serralunga d’Alba and the northern part of the commune of Monforte d’ Alba.
The grape is of course matched
with the terrain and climate; the Nebbiolo tends to be late ripening.
Some history
From the first century AD the
Romans were writing about a grape variety that resembles the Nebbiolo grape.
And Pietro di'Crescenzi a, a writer on agriculture, recognised the grape in the 14th century.
Before the mid nineteenth
century, Barolo was a sweet wine. The Nebbiolo grape starts to ripen late in
October as temperatures are starting to fall. This meant that the grapes did
not ferment fully during November and December and a high degree of residual
sugar was left in the wine before it was it was left to mature in wooden
barrels. The wine became unstable because
of this and became infected with yeasts and micro-organisms which spoilt the
wine.
This situation was changed when the Count Cavour commissioned a French oenologist to improve wine making techniques. This winemaker was reputed to be Louis Oudart of Reims but quite possibly it could have been Comte Alexandre-Pierre Odart. One of the first modern Barolos was produced by Giulietta Falletti the Marchioness of Barolo. Improved usage of yeasts, controlled temperatures and winemaking hygiene produced a more stable product and a dry red wine which formed the basis of modern Nebbiolo.
This situation was changed when the Count Cavour commissioned a French oenologist to improve wine making techniques. This winemaker was reputed to be Louis Oudart of Reims but quite possibly it could have been Comte Alexandre-Pierre Odart. One of the first modern Barolos was produced by Giulietta Falletti the Marchioness of Barolo. Improved usage of yeasts, controlled temperatures and winemaking hygiene produced a more stable product and a dry red wine which formed the basis of modern Nebbiolo.
The new dry style of wine quickly
gained popularity among the winemakers of the region and the new style of wine
won the approval of the nobility of Turin and the House of Savoy. The wine
became a favourite with King Victor Emmanuel the second. Barolo became “the
king of wine and the wine of kings”.
Count Cavour went on to become
the first prime minister of the newly unified Italy in March 1861 – such is the
power of wine!
In 1848 the first bottle of
modern Barolo was bottled by the caves at Castello Grinzane and in 1873 Barolo started winning
prizes. In 1879 the wine connoisseur and agronomist Louis Fantini catalogued
the wine domaines of Barolo and termed the wine “The King of Wines”.
Just like Burgundy, negociants
dominated the wine market until the late 1960s with their blended house styles.
Modernity has seen a move to domaine based wine production and the marketing of
estate bottled wines.
Character of the wine
The wine can change rapidly from
plot to plot as in Burgundy. The vines are fussy about their soil so the
Nebbiolo grape variety is only really suited to the Piemonte region.
Barolos are high in tannin and even the modern
cuvees such as Renato Ratti reflect this. There are flavours of
cherry, spice, truffles, tar, flowers. They are complex and concentrated wines which must age to soften the tannin. The wines are full bodied and dry with
long length on the palate. They are designed to go with rich foods such as Wild
Boar and Truffles. They are weather and vintage
dependent.
Guyot training
The vines are cane trained to improve
canopy management and allow the sun through to ripen the grapes and to lower the yields
from pruning.
Wine making
Traditionally the wines were
subjected to maceration for long periods (20 to 30 days) in barrels. The wine
were stored in older and larger barrels. More modern techniques produce lighter wines
from a shorter period of maceration (7 to 10 days) at lower temperatures to preserve
the fruit flavour and pumping over also extracts the fruit character. The cellars
are then heated to encourage malolactic conversion to soften the harsher acid
components. Modern wines are matured in new French oak barriques to impart vanilla
spice flavour and softer tannins. This spice flavour can mask the floral
character of the wine.
Reputation
Barolo is one of the finest wines
of Italy and it competes internationally with French, Spanish and Californian
top cru. The best vineyards are located
on the slopes surrounded by the Langhe hills. The effects of terroir are
conditioned as much, however, by the vineyard and wine making techniques
deployed by the domaine and the producer. It is just as important to know the
name of a good producer in Piemonte as it is in Burgundy. But it is important
to bear in mind that a famous name does not guarantee a superior wine.
The producer must maintain high quality production year after year. The appellation laws (Goria Laws) dictate that lower yields are produced by domaines which claim single vineyard status.
The producer must maintain high quality production year after year. The appellation laws (Goria Laws) dictate that lower yields are produced by domaines which claim single vineyard status.
There are two camps; the
traditional camp and the modern camp. In the late 1980s there was a drive by
some producers such as Renato Ratti and Angelo Gaja to produce styles of wine which were fruitier with softer tannin;
wines which mature earlier than traditional styles.
Some of the traditionalist still
produced “dried out” wines which were very tannic because they were bottled to
order rather than when the wine was ready. However, the best of the
traditionalist wines can compete with the more modern producers, their wines
are more complex. Some of the best traditionalists are Giacomo Conterno and
Bruno Giacosa. There is room for both styles but
all Barolo should have strong structure.
Some Names
Renato Ratti, Angelo Gaja, Giacomo
Conterno and Bruno Giacosa,Gran Bussia, Rocche,Mascarello and Voerzio.
Websites
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