2 3 Red Harvest A progreive aance oconemporary and radiionaechniquehave ranormed he oherwie unyieding Neioo grape For the uninitiated, the ormidable Barolo is a ull-bodied Italian red wine produced in the Piedmonte region onorthwest Italy rom the idiosyncratic and indigenous Nebbiolo grape. he wines are iercely tannic, with pronounced angular acidity and high alcohol levels, and until recently they had a reputation or requiring some 20 years bottle age beore they were approachable, and 30 to 40 to reach optimum maturity. Barolo is unquestionably an exceptional and truly unique wine region, with a complex mosaic osingle vineyards. Nowhere else in the world has been able to replicate the complexities that the Nebbiolo achieves in the hills othe Langhe, with its hedonistic bouquet oantique woods, cedar orest and pine needles; wild mushrooms and trues; dried Provencal herbs and Oriental spices; violets, red roses and darkcherry; liquorice and balsamic and a much lauded cigar-box aroma. Like many othe ‘Old World’ wine regions, there was an inherited resistance to change in Barolo, with the old guard winemakers obstinately adhering to time- honoured traditions and techniques. he Nebbiolo grape possesses prouse tannins, but the thin skins othe Nebbiolo actuallyhave very low colour pigmentation, which traditionally meant prolonged maceration othe skins ater ermentation, up to orty days or more, ollowed by lengthy sojourns oseven or more years in large chestnut or Slovenian oak barrels to tame the excessive phenolics. 1 WINE
For the uninitiated, the ormidable Barolois a ull-bodied Italian red wine produced inthe Piedmonte region o northwest Italy romthe idiosyncratic and indigenous Nebbiolo
grape. he wines are iercely tannic, withpronounced angular acidity and high alcohollevels, and until recently they had a reputationor requiring some 20 years bottle age beorethey were approachable, and 30 to 40 to reachoptimum maturity.
Barolo is unquestionably an exceptionaland truly unique wine region, with a complexmosaic o single vineyards. Nowhere else in the
world has been able to replicate the complexitiesthat the Nebbiolo achieves in the hills o theLanghe, with its hedonistic bouquet o antique
woods, cedar orest and pine needles; wildmushrooms and trues; dried Provencal herbsand Oriental spices; violets, red roses and dark cherry; liquorice and balsamic and a muchlauded cigar-box aroma.
Like many o the ‘Old World’ wineregions, there was an inherited resistance
to change in Barolo, with the old guard winemakers obstinately adhering to time-honoured traditions and techniques. heNebbiolo grape possesses prouse tannins,but the thin skins o the Nebbiolo actually have very low colour pigmentation, whichtraditionally meant prolonged maceration o the skins ater ermentation, up to orty daysor more, ollowed by lengthy sojourns o sevenor more years in large chestnut or Slovenianoak barrels to tame the excessive phenolics.
It is the changes in thevineyard that are signicantto the Barolo
he use o these practices promotedpremature oxidization and volatile acidity,
which stripped the wine o its ruit andinstilled a leathery, tarry character with a driedout, over-savoury palate and an unyieldingastringency. Barolo devotees cherished these
characteristics and deended them as uniqueand authentic qualities that dened the wine.But the rst winds o change came to the
Barolo in the mid 1960s when neighboringBarbaresco winemaker, Angelo Gaja, introducedstainless steel tanks and temperature-controlledermentation, malo-lactic ermentation andmaturation in French barrique , 225 litreBordeaux oak barrels. Completely radical inItaly at the time, these methods were promptly adopted by many Barolo winemakers and
marked a watershed in transorming the quality o the wine. Around the same time, BeppeColla o Prunotto inaugurated the concept o single-vineyard Barolo’s.
However, the most radical modernisation was the inception o rotary-ermenters o
varying types, some resembling a concretemixer where the whole tank rotates, others with blades and plungers that gyrate inside o the tank during the ermentation process. Teprimary objective was to achieve the desiredcolour extraction in the minimum amounto time, with little or no maceration o skins,thus avoiding the over-extraction o tanninsand acilitating a much shorter maturationperiod in wood with an accent on soter moreirtatious French oak.
Unortunately in their enthusiasm orthese new methods many overindulged, bothin technique and the lavish use o new Frenchoak, which masked much o the Nebbiolo’sunique characteristics.
Nowadays the dierences between
the modernists and the traditionalists havebeen steadily diminishing as the modernistsprescribe to gradual, gentler ermentationsand reduce their use o new wood, whilethe traditionalists relinquish the drawn outermentations and macerations and adopt acleaner, less oxidative winemaking process withuncontaminated maturation.
On my recent tour o Piedmonte I singledout Giacomo Brezza & Fils who have beenmaking Barolo since 1885, as my litmus test.
Revered as a staunch traditionalist, I expectedto encounter a staunch bastion o tradition.
Te old Brezze cellars below the legendary Hotel Barolo, have been in operation since1910. hey exude an aura o heritage thatconveniently camoulages the insightul
approach o ourth generation winemakerEnzo Brezza, who is an exemplary model o contemporary Barolo, where wisdom andastuteness take the best rom both the modernand the traditional worlds.
I had an illuminating tasting o juicy,succulent ruit-laden Barolos, deceptively approachable, yet brooding with rm tannins,in part due to the reduced maceration time o around 15 days, depending on the vineyardand condition o the grapes. Brezza himsel
believes it is the changes in the vineyard thatare more signicant to the metamorphosis o
Barolo, than changes in the winery. He citesthe dening actors as being: green harvesting,progress in clone selection, sustainablearming, organic and biodynamic practicesand global warming.
he Nebbiolo grape ripens later thanany other red variety, ordinarily being pickedin Barolo mid to late October, sometimeseven as late as early November, by whichtime the autumnal morning clouds and mistblanket the region, hence the associationbetween the grapes’ name and nebbia, theItalian or og.
In the past Barolo producers would belucky i there were two vintages in a decade
that achieved ully ripe grapes, as the Nebbioloneeds the extended hang-time to ripen
suiciently, preerably with warm, dry latesummer conditions. But in the last decadethere has been an unprecedented run o very good to excellent vintages with 2002 being theonly of-year.
Changing weather patterns in the regionmean the wineries have been picking theirgrapes successively earlier over the last tenyears, and are achieving wines that are muchmore accessible than in the past, with morephenolic ripeness, less astringent tannins andincreased dry extract.
Green harvest is a relatively new, labour-intensive process where young berries areselectively removed, signiicantly reducing
Te last decade has seen anunprecedended run o excellent vintages
4 A tasting at the Barolo
auction
5 Nebbiolo on the vine
Touring the picturesque Barolo and neighboring
Barbaresco wine regions o Piedmonte is the equivalent
o gastronomic and vinous nirvana. Most wineries
welcome visitors, although it always advisable to make
advance appointments to enjoy the visit ully.
The best time to tour is the last week o September
when the Barolo auctions are held at Gianni Gagliardo
winery, with a live simultaneous satellite telecast in Hong
Kong and Singapore. This celebrated extravaganza o
Barolo eatures guest Italian ches rom all over the world
creating a perect introduction to the cuisine o the
region with the added bonus o potentially acquiring rare
older vintages rom top producers.
October sees the start o the d’Alba white true
season with the annual True Market Auction attracting
some o the world's greatest ches. The auction is
held every weekend throughout October and the irst
weekend o November at the Alba Trule Fair and
market; an event that showcases Piedmontese specialty
oods and cheeses as well as true related produce.
Alba is the perect location to be based with the
Barolo and Barbaresco vineyards only 20 minutes away
and central to the other wine regions o Piedmonte. It
is also the chocolate and hazelnut capital o Italy, and
is home to a plethora o bakeries and delicatessens.
On the Wine RouteOther local specialties include abundant orchard ruits
and honey.
The best place to stay in Alba is the Hotel
San Lorenzo, located in the charming old town in a
reurbished 19th Century building just behind the
Cathedral. I you want to be right in the heart o Barolo,
there is the legendary Hotel Barolo with its views across
the vineyards and Barolo Castle. It has rooms decorated
with regional antique urniture and oers genuine
Piedmonte hospitality complemented by one o the best
restaurants in the region and a wine list that eatures over
seventy producers with vintages dating back to the fties.
At any time o the year, the Gagliardo winery
is a must-visit, with its Ristorante and Barolo wine bar
Vineria del Barolo eaturing over 350 dierent wines and
celebrated che Alessandro Neri presenting authentic
regional dishes.
Essential to discovering the very best authentic
restaurants in the region is the inallible Slow Food Osterie
and Locande Guide and you should also obtain a copy o
theGambero Rosso Italian Wines, by Slow Food Editore.
UsEfUl WEbsItEs:
www.hoearoo.i. www.aeia.org
www.owood.com www.gamberorosso.it
www.albergo-sanlorenzo.it
Ado Conerno www.poderialdoconterno
Angeo Gaja
brezza Giacomo e figi www.brezza.it
bruno Giacoa www.brunogiacosa.it
Conerno fanino www.brunogiacosa.it
Domenico Cerico
Eio Aare www.elioaltare.com
Enzo bogiei www.enzoboglietti.com
Cavaoo www.cavallotto.com
franceco Rinadi & figi www.rinaldi
fraei brovia www.brovia.net
Giacomo Conerno www.conterno.it
Gianni Gagiardo www.gagliardo.it
Giueppe Macareo www.mascarello1
luciano sandrone www.sandronelucian
luigi Einaudi www.poderieinaudi.com Maoino www.massolino.it
Michee Chiaro www.chiarlo.it
Pauo scavino
Pio Ceare www.piocesare.it
Renao Rai Ratti www.renatoratti.com
Top Barolo Produ
yields and subsequently divertinenergies to the remaining grape
riper, more intense avor compoinancially painul with the recrop level.
Clearly there are undamenoccurring in the wines rom Barolhas never been a better time to
with the superb 2004 vintage nowTere are also some other stunnibe ound. Bottles o the excellenstill easily sourced and there is good vintages o the last decade tthe secondary market. Looking ais considered a good medium-te
whilst 2006 is already being touto the 2001 and 2004.
