Barolo, Barolo, Barolo…..I am ready to propose to you. Your unending complexity, your strong yet feminine nature, your vast beauty, your humility, your hospitality, your long caress in the cold of night…..
Of all my trips to this region, this years trip was by far the richest and most enlightening. Perhaps it was the producers I visited, perhaps it was the questions I asked, but as I drove through the precipitous hills of Barolo and Barbaresco this time, it felt more like a second home. Google maps wasn’t alerting me to turn left or right, mental snapshots of vineyards and their characteristics started to stick in my mind. As I look back on this trip, it only cements Barolo as the king of wine, but not just wine, of place, people, lifestyle, food…. A rich tapestry of the most elemental parts of life that we should all aspire to but often fail to enjoy.
There is something to traveling wine country alone, your thoughts are more personal, your conversations with the wineries more intense. The day is yours, familiar or adventurous, its up to you. On my last trip to Piedmont I found myself taking corners I had never taken, to new vineyards, wineries and discoveries.
From my tastings, the first thing that struck me is that Barolo is in the midst of a profound string of vintages that provide a style of wine for every type of wine lover. From 1996 to 2010 there are very few duds when it comes to quality vintages. At the same time within Piedmont there is a sense of gratefulness for their increasing fortune and I believe that because of the challenging history that preceded the modern scene that is Barolo, they are aware that the fortunes of mother nature and the future are not guaranteed. I see a people making the most of every vintage, of every piece of vineyard, in an effort to put forth some of the most profound terroir driven wines in the world, now. This was certainly borne out in my tastings as wines across the board showed wonderfully from producer to producer.
Secondly I heard the word elegance more on this trip than ever before. In fact, I heard it almost universally from every producer that I visited. Tying into the conversation about creating wines of elegance, Burgundy was referenced at almost every producer. Piedmont has a rich tie with burgundy and there are many similarities between the regions. Both produce 100 percent mono-varietal wines as well as the grapes of Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo sharing many attributes.
Lastly the more one tastes through the different communes of Barolo, the dividing of the Barolo zone into 2 zones ( Barolo + La Morra) and (Castiglione Falletto, Monforte and Serralunga) is far too simplistic. Each vineyard has a very specific microclimate and there are shades of “left” and “right” bank Barolo even within certain vineyards. Parts of vineyards that sweep down from castiglione falletto and monforte towards Barolo have major soil variation resembling both communes in different parts of the vineyard, yet the vineyard is entirely located in one commune. Just because a vineyard is labeled as Monforte or Castiglione does not tell the whole story. As I like to say, listen to the wine. Barolo and Burgundy may be two of the most daunting areas of the wine world to learn because of their complexities, but the reward for your pursuit is a thrilling and never boring adventure into the pinnacles of fermented grape juice.
Secondly I heard the word elegance more on this trip than ever before. In fact, I heard it almost universally from every producer that I visited. Tying into the conversation about creating wines of elegance, Burgundy was referenced at almost every producer. Piedmont has a rich tie with burgundy and there are many similarities between the regions. Both produce 100 percent mono-varietal wines as well as the grapes of Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo sharing many attributes.
Lastly the more one tastes through the different communes of Barolo, the dividing of the Barolo zone into 2 zones ( Barolo + La Morra) and (Castiglione Falletto, Monforte and Serralunga) is far too simplistic. Each vineyard has a very specific microclimate and there are shades of “left” and “right” bank Barolo even within certain vineyards. Parts of vineyards that sweep down from castiglione falletto and monforte towards Barolo have major soil variation resembling both communes in different parts of the vineyard, yet the vineyard is entirely located in one commune. Just because a vineyard is labeled as Monforte or Castiglione does not tell the whole story. As I like to say, listen to the wine. Barolo and Burgundy may be two of the most daunting areas of the wine world to learn because of their complexities, but the reward for your pursuit is a thrilling and never boring adventure into the pinnacles of fermented grape juice.
Barolo will you marry me?
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