Barolo

Visit Barolo wines are not classified as "premier cru" and "grand cru" in the Burgundian manner, but the notion of cru is very much present. For example, two famous Monforte d'Alba crus are Sori Ginestra and Bussia. Barolo is aged for at least 3 years in oak barrels. Reserve wines are aged in barrels for at least five years. The Barolo wines are tannic in their youth, and often need at least five more years of ageing to acquire more smoothness and flavour. After this aging, they will have more body and complexity, with reminiscences of truffle, chocolate and violet. Producers such as Renatto Ratti or Josetta Saffirio offer wines that perfectly express all the characters of the terroir. Barolo.

Barolo, king of Italian wines

Located in the Piedmont vineyards in ItalyThe Barolo appellation covers an area of over 1,500 hectares spread over the Alpine hillsides. The classification of Italian wines differs from that of French wines, but Barolo red wine enjoys the highest hierarchical distinction, DOCG classification. Visit the most prestigious Barolo appellations are the communes located in the province of Cuneo, south of Turin, the best known being La Morra, Monforte d'Alba, Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d'Alba.

A unique terroir for powerful wines

The vast majority of Italian Barolo red wines are made from a single grape variety: Nebbiolo. This black grape gives the wines an intense garnet color and highly developed tannins. The vineyards' soils are laden with limestone, clay and marl, and the climate of the Alpine escarpments on which the vines rest ensure exceptional harvests. The structure of Barolo wines is both complex and incredibly aromatic. 

By definition Italian Barolo wines must be aged in oak or chestnut barrels for at least three years. Although the wines can be quite austere in their youth, Barolo red wines have great ageing potential, and some exceptional vintages can even be kept for very long periods to affirm their potential, as in the case of Barolo 2005 or Barolo 2013, which are still great years. Some of these vintages can be cellared for over 50 years without altering their tannins or texture - quite the contrary!

Atypical estates for personalized wines

Some Barolo winegrowers benefit from the geographic positioning of their vines, which produces wines with different characteristics and characters, such as the Domaine de Giovanni Manzone Barolo, whose vineyards are the highest in Piedmont. The steep vineyards of Manzone Barolo is located at an altitude of 450 meters, and the Barolos that emerge from the cellars are highly reputed, such as "Bricat" and "Gramolere".

Incomparable aromatic richness

When discovering the intense color of Barolo wineYou can only guess at the power of the tannins. The aromatic palette of Barolo wines gives pride of place to aromas of very ripe red fruits such as raspberry and plum. This is followed on the palate by dark flavors of spice, licorice and cocoa that leave no one indifferent to the distinctive charms of these exceptional wines.