Barolo

The Barolo wines are not classified as "premier cru" and "grand cru" in the Burgundian style, but the concept of cru is very much present. For example, two famous crus from Monforte d'Alba are Sori Ginestra and Bussia. Barolo is aged for at least three years in oak barrels. Reserve wines are aged in barrels for at least five years. The Barolo wines are tannic when young and often require at least five years of additional aging to acquire more smoothness and flavor. After this aging, they will have more body and complexity with hints of truffle, chocolate, and violet. Producers such as Renato Ratti or Josetta Saffirio offer wines that perfectly express all the characteristics of the terroir of Barolo.

Barolo, king of Italian wines

Located in the Piedmont vineyards in ItalyThe Barolo appellation covers an area of over 1,500 hectares spread across the Alpine slopes. The classification of Italian wines differs from that of French wines, but Barolo red wine enjoys the highest hierarchical distinction, namely DOCG classification. The the most prestigious Barolo wine appellations are the municipalities 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 variety gives the wines an intense garnet color and strongly developed tannins. The vineyard soils are rich in limestone, clay, and marl, and the climate of the alpine escarpments on which the vines grow produces exceptional harvests. Barolo wines are both complex and incredibly refined in their aromas. 

By definition, the Italian wines with the Barolo designation must be aged in oak or chestnut barrels for a minimum of three years. Although the wines can be quite austere when very young, Barolo red wines have great aging potential, and some exceptional vintages can even be kept for very long periods to assert their potential, such as Barolo 2005 or Barolo 2013, which remain excellent years. Some of these vintages can age in the cellar for more than 50 years without any alteration to their tannins and texture – quite the contrary!

Unusual vineyards for personalized wines

Some winegrowers in Barolo benefit from the geographical location of their vineyards, which produce wines with different characteristics and personalities, such as the estate of Giovanni Manzone Barolo, whose vineyards are the highest in Piedmont. The steep vineyard of Manzone Barolo is located at an altitude of 450 meters, and the Barolos that come out of its cellars are highly renowned, such as "Bricat" and "Gramolere."

An incomparable aromatic richness

When discovering the intense color of Barolo wine, one can only guess at the power of the tannins. The aromatic palette of Barolo wines gives pride of place to the aromas of very ripe red fruits such as raspberries and plums. These are followed on the palate by dark flavors of spices, licorice, and cocoa, which leave no one indifferent to the unique charms of these exceptional wines.