Barolo Wine School
(To get a printable version of Barolo Wine School including the story of our very own Mauro Veglio click HERE)
BAROLO WINE SCHOOL
Time to get initiated!
In Barolo, 2016 was heralded as the perfect vintage. I asked Fabio Burlotto of G.B. Burlotto was there any circumstance he could think of that would allow improvement on this stellar vintage in the future. No. How can you improve on perfect fruit? There is consensus that this is the best vintage the region has ever seen. The wines will be snapped up and will soar inn value as the years go on. 2016 was a flashpoint in the modern history of Barolo - Italy’s most sought after expression - 2021 is the first vintage to manage to come close.
Barolo is the most famous expression of Italian wine and it hails from Piedmont in the North West of the country. Barolo must be made from 100% Nebbiolo. Nebbiolo is remarkably similar to Pinot Noir in terms of colour, acidity and ethereal perfume, but packs much more of a punch because of its tannic intensity. Given the high levels of acidity, tannin and alcohol, the wines are capable of ageing as long as any age worthy red in the world of wine - and indeed longer. Augmenting this is the fact Barolo must be aged for 38 months before release, with a minimum of 18 in oak (many will age their wines for far longer). They are built for aging.
WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT BAROLO?
For starters….everything. Tasting Barolo gives you an out of body experience. When you look at the wine, you immediately notice its light orange tinge (not dis-similar to the orange tinge thrown by heavily oaked and oxidised Rioja’s). It has a haunting perfume you expect a light wine - then it smacks you in the face with its structural intensity and massive tannin - it is the ultimate iron fist in a velvet glove.
When you LOOK: Nebbiolo’s unique orangey appearance, unlike Rioja, is natural and has nothing to do with winemaking. When you SMELL the wine the first thing that strikes you is its delicate floral aromatics, rose petals and violets are common descriptors. Earthy aromas such as fennel and truffle are very common, as well as licorice, tar, chocolate, tobacco and spice. Cherry is the predominant fruit profile. All of this prepares your mind for a very light and delicate wine on the palate. When you TASTE the wine you realise that while it is (in the best cases) light and elegant, structurally it packs a huge punch. Forget about aromas and flavours though, what you smell and taste is up to you. What is unmistakable, is the huge and drying, chewy tannins and the layers of flavours and complexity of the wine. While it will reward cellaring and add to it’s huge depth, it will evolve in the glass as soon as you pour it, and stay with you long after it’s finished.
IT'S LIKE BURGUNDY? Barrolo is often likened to Burgundy because of its sensitivity to changes in its terroir. Burgundy is a myriad of fragmented villages and vineyards (730 premier cru) each with many growers. Appellations and vineyards will have very identifiable geological profiles and flavour traits, at the same time several producers can produce vastly different wines from the same row of vines.
IT'S SIMPLER! Barolo is also an enigma, a tackleable enigma. There are less communes (11 with 5 main villages) & differences are marked mostly by geology. An individual producer's approach will obviously impact the wine hugely, but things are helped by a marked distinction between traditional and modern producers. There are no sure things in wine and it is far from simple, but it is far easier than Burgundy & just as rewarding.
TRADITIONAL VS. MODERN
Historically Barolo has always been the King of wine, having been the favoured tipple of many reigning dynasties over the centuries. Nebbiolo has been grown in the area since the 13th Century. Barolo (coming from the Celtic ‘Bas Ruel’) as a term appeared much later when the wine world transitioned to bottles from cask. There has been an understanding of the importance of terroir for at least over 250 years, given that there exists a bottle from 1752 that makes no mention of variety or Barolo, but Cannubi, one of Barolo’s most famous contemporary terroirs.
Traditional drinking styles have changed across the wine world and wines that take an age to drink have largely now disappeared (Bordeaux now owns that amphitheatre exclusively). Barolo used to be extremely robust and unapproachable in its youth. In the 70s and 80s as the commercial market proliferated, there was a move to make a more modern Barolo, and so began THE BAROLO WARS!
PEACE was achieved when the new wines appeared and they were not the devils spawn as they were initially touted. A more pliant wine allowed Barolo to be enjoyed by larger segments of the markets. As time went on the warring factions even began to borrow from each other and eventually it simply precipitated overall improvement. Producers will still identify as a mod or trad, and one suspects that when the Godfather of tradition Guiseppe Rinaldi passed away last year, his last words were probably a sharp reference to the scourge of modernity.
In a nutshell, traditional approaches utilised long maceration times, with long fermentations and wild yeast. Maximum extraction and austerity was the goal. Long fermentation in large Slovenian casks (botti) followed. Modernist rebels led by Elio Altare aimed to be more accessible. Rotofermenters to cut down the maceration period (less extraction and tannin) & use of French oak helped develop a more pliant style.
CASUALTIES OF WAR - the Barolo Wars were no joke. When the new methods were introduced, many saw it as sacrilege to this ancient style. Many saw it as pandering to critics like Robert Parker. New Baroli were contaminated, and told that they were not real. Elio Altare was written out of his father's will for blackening Barolo's name. Families divided and the region fractured. Thankfully, debate is more academic and civil these days.
WHO WAS RIGHT?
Everyone! Given how ancient the methods of traditional production are, they needed updating. However one could suggest that these beautiful traditions should have been respected. Do the new methods vulgarise the style? Initially, commercial yeasts in the modern wines stopped the many stuck fermentations of the natural yeast-driven old school style. Shorter maceration times resulted in a cleaner style, but also less volatile acidity. Conversely though, the use and overuse of French oak threatened to cause many to lose their way and cover the authentic flavours.
It is now peace time, and both camps are borrowing from each other, with modern standards of hygiene in the winery playing a big part in the overall improvement. (One winemaker told me last year that the old guys just needed to clean up their workplaces!).
Many will identify as Trad or Mod, but many just want to make the best possible wine they can - which means the best expression of TERROIR.
TERROIR & THE M.G.A.
As mentioned already, there exists a bottle of wine from 1752 that simply says Cannubi, proving that the terroirs of Barolo have long been distinguishable.
Within Barolo, there are 11 different communes. 5 of them make up the big five, which contain the vast majority of the best vineyards and producers: BAROLO, SERRALUNGA D'ALBA, MONFORTE D'ALBA, CASTIGLIONE FALLETO & LA MORRA (of the other 6, VERDUNO is the most prolific and important).
TARTONIAN - predominant soil of La Morra, Barolo, Verduno (AKA the Central Valley). It is a blue tinted compact, calcareous marl soil with lots of sand. It is rich in magnesium and it is fresh and more fertile. The resulting wines are generally more perfumed and elegant. the wines are softer, rounder & more approachable. The colour is a lighter ruby hue resulting in wines that mature a lot quicker.
HELVETIAN - predominant soil of Monforte & Serralunga d'Alba & Castiglione Falleto. Chalky beige, looser marl soil, less fertile with lots of reddish weathered sand & limestone. High levels of iron & phosphorous. Produces wines that have more colour, body, aging potential. Wines are more bold & intense, heavily structured with lots of tannin that mature more slowly.
Like in Burgundy, each commune will have certain distinguishable characteristics. Each will contain a number of crus/vineyards. While winemaking (Trad Vs Mod) will have a bearing on it, the main factor in the style of wine will be the terroir and the soil. The 2 main types are Tartonian and Helvetian. The following stylistic generalisations can be applied to achieve a starting point:
BAROLO / Classic, plush, warm and velvety yet with structure and concentration.
SERRALUNGA D'ALBA / More extracted, tannic, structured & age worthy, full & rich.
MONFORTE D'ALBA / Most depth, structure, potency, concentration & age potential.
CASTIGLIONE FALLETO / Bold & rich, middle ground between aromatics & tannin.
LA MORRA / Most feminine, graceful & aromatic, supple & seductive, early drinking.
In 2010 the region established M.G.A.s - Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive (additional geographic mentions) laying out 170 subzones with the 11 villages.
GET ON AND DRINK THE WINES!
The best way as always to get to grips with a region is to try the wines. A great starting point to do this is with Mauro Veglio, our favourite Barolo producer. We import several of his wines and above the above communes can give you snapshots of Barolo, Monforte & Serralunga d'Alba and La Morra, his range is available HERE while his story can be read HERE.
