All About Barolo!

In the south of Piedmont, the small municipality of Barolo has given its name to some of the greatest red wines of Italy and the world.

Located 25 km from the city of Alba, this appellation covers 1,700 hectares and is synonymous with powerful, elegante, intense red wines with great potential for ageing.

There are 5 principal Barolo communes with two very distinct soil types producing different styles of wine. Blue tinted Tortonian soils gives softer, fruitier and early maturing wines, whereas the beiger Helvetian soils make more structured, powerful wines that need longer to mature.

Tortonian soils: La Morra, Barolo

Helvetian soils: Monforte, Serralunga

The fifth commune Castiglione has elements of both soils.

Nebbiolo, whose name evokes the fog (nebbia) that covers the hills of Langhe region in autumn, is the only grape variety of Barolo wines.

A very late ripener, requiring full maturity to give its best, it is planted on south-facing slopes at an altitude between 150 and 450 metres, on soils of low fertility made up of limestone marl, sandstone or sand.

Appearance: Intense garnet colour, turning to brick and then orange hues with age.

Nose: They develop a rich nose combining powerful aromas of very ripe red fruits (plum, raspberry) and flowers (violet, faded rose, iris) with dark aromas ranging from spices to smoky notes, undergrowth, liquorice, cocoa and tar. When mature, the bouquet of a great Barolo shows extraordinary complexity (truffles, spices and dried fruits).

Palate: These are concentrated and intense wines with particularly strong tannins and high acidity. Despite a legal minimum of three years of barrel ageing, these wines often require more time to shed their austerity and youthfulness. When mature, the palate is silky, smooth, elegant and long.

Serving temperature: 17°C

Ageing potential: 10 to 30 years

Red meat in sauce, braised meat.

Game (wild boar, venison, hare, pheasant, pigeon, duck), Mushroom-based dishes (porcini, truffles for mature wines).