Barolo DOCG

DOCG area for dry red wine in the Italian region of Piedmont, named after the commune of the same name located 15 kilometres south of Alba. It was classified as DOC in 1966 and as DOCG in 1980. The area comprises around 1,300 hectares of vineyards with countless parcels in the Langhe mountains with the municipalities (or just parts of them) of Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Cherasco, Grinziano, La Morra (by far the largest area with one third of the surface), Monforte d'Alba, Novello Rossi, Serralunga d'Alba and Verduno. They are predominantly south-facing on steep slopes. The historic core areas of Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, La Morra, Monforte and Serralunga account for more than 80 percent of production.

The birth of Barolo

Until the middle of the 19th century, the wine was not vinified dry. Due to the late ripening of Nebbiolo and the fact that fermentation only took place in the cold season up to December, there were only insufficient yeasts available. This meant that there was always a relatively high residual sweetness in the wine. Giulietta Falletti (Marquesa of Barolo) called in the French oenologist Louis Oudart to help. He moved the fermentation process to newly built underground wine cellars, ensured constant temperatures and improved cellar hygiene. King Victor Emmanuel II (1820-1878) even provided the necessary funds for the cellar experiments. (1820-1878) even provided his hunting lodge Fontanafredda in the mountains of Serralunga d'Alba (province of Cuneo) and his son Emanuele Alberto (1851-1894) the vineyards. Oudart first vinified the wine dry around 1850 (he later provided similar support for Barbaresco). A second version, however, names the oenologist Paolo Francesco Staglieno as the main developer of the dry Barolo. He worked from 1836 to the 1840s at the royal vineyard, among other places. In any case, this was the beginning of Barolo's unstoppable triumphal march.

Soil type and vineyards

The DOCG classification also includes permission for vineyards or sites (vigna) to appear on the label. The most famous of these are Arborina, Arione, Cannubi, Cerequio, Brunate, Bussia, Fisaco, Francia, La Serra, Lazzarito, Monprivato, Ornato, Ravera, Rocche, Sarmazza and Vigna Rionda. Barolo is made from 100 per cent pure Nebbiolo (the addition of Barbera, which used to be allowed, is no longer permitted), which finds the best conditions here. Essentially, there are two different soil types. In the Barolo and La Morra districts, calcareous marl predominates (called tortonium here). These wines are somewhat milder and ripen faster. The second type of soil, with a higher content of sandstone in the Castiglione Falleto, Monforte and Serralunga districts (here called Helvetium), produces more intense wines that require a longer ripening period. However, all Barolo wines have common features. That is a garnet red colour, relatively high alcohol, tannin and acid content as well as a complex aroma of plums, roses, tar and liquorice.

Maturation

A Barolo needs a long maturing period of up to ten years or more to completely shed its tannin hardness. The colour changes from ruby to brick red. It can be kept for an extremely long time, up to at least 25 years or more. It rightly enjoys cult status; the Italians call it the "king of wines and wine of kings". The Barolo has to mature for 38 months, 18 months of which in wood, the Riserva for 62 months, 18 months of which in wood. Both have a minimum alcohol content of 12.5% vol. There is also a bitter version "Barolo Chinato"which is blended with cinchona bark and other spices and fortified to around 16% alcohol by volume. From the mid-1990s, the younger generation of winemakers in particular began to try out new techniques. These include short maceration periods, mash heating and barrique age ing. Excellent vintages are 1982, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2010.

Producers

Well-known producers are the wineries Angelo Negro, Altare, Ascheri, Azelia, Batasiolo, Bel Colle, Silvano Bolmida, Borgogno, Brezza, Brovia, Cabutto, Cagliero, Cavallotto, Ceretto, Chiarlo, Aldo Conterno, Giacomo Conterno, Paolo Conterno, Cordero di Montezemolo, Cascina Cucco, Damilano, Deltetto, Domenico Clerico, Erbaluna, Fontanafredda, Gianni Gagliardo, Gaja, Giacosa Bruno, La Spinetta, Manzone, Marcarini, Marchesi di Barolo, Franco M. Martinetti, Bartolo Mascarello, Guiseppe Mascarello, Massolino, Mauro Molino, Monti, Piazzo, Pertinace, Pira, Principiano, Prunotto, Ratti, Rinaldi Giuseppe, Rocca Giovanni, Sandrone, Terre del Barolo, Vajra, Mauro Veglio, Vietti, Gianni Voerzio and Roberto Voerzio.

Castle: By A. M. Frukko - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Map: By Pelaverga - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link