Barolo DOCG

Italian Barolo DOCG

The Barolo has been defined more times the king of the wines; noble and generous known in Italy and to the foreign countries for his austerity, wealth of tastes and of aromas.

Produced south-west of Alba, in a region with rolling hills, which are steeper in some areas, Barolo is a wine with singular and precious characteristics that are determined by the complex geological profile of the area.

Today Barolo is the most esteemed Italian denomination, and the two castles of the Marchese of Barolo and Count Cavour, where it was created, are important oenological centers.

The vineyard

Production area: Santa Maria di La Morra
Height o.s.l.: 210 m
Sun exposure: sud-east
Vines per hectare: around 4100
Farming: modified guyot
Kg of grapes per hectare: no more than 78 quintals/hectares
Soil: calcareous with clay
Year of implant: 1960
Wine per hectare: no more than 5.400 litres

Production Process

Vinification: traditional
Fining: long maceration on the skins, alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Ageing 2 years in 60-80 hl Slavonian oak barrels.
Aging: a minimum of 6 months aging in bottle
Size / Format: 0,75 lt.
Ageing potential: up to 10-15 years after harvest

Chemical Analysis

Total SO2: 86 mg/l.
Alcohol vol. (%): 13.69%
Sugar rate: 2.51 gr/l.
Total Acidity: 5.76 gr/l.
Volatile Acidity: 0.73 gr/l.

The vine

Nebbiolo is the oldest indigenous red-grape vine of Piedmont and one of the noblest and most prestigious in Italy. Its name derives from ‘nebbia’, the Italian word for mist or fog: some say this is owing to the ‘misty’ look of its grapes, with their velvety covering, and others that it is because the late-ripening grape is often harvested during early autumn fogs.

Known also as ‘Queen of red grapes’ it is a finicky vine, requiring elaborate care and attention in order to thrive. It is precisely for this reason that it has known both heydays and moments of utter abandon in the past, although local producers have remained faithful to it through thick and thin, continuing to make the great wines it is capable of producing.

Nebbiolo is a demanding vine, needing exactly the right soil type, a south-facing hillside, pruning and training. A calcareous tufa-based soil is ideal for this vine that buds early – towards the middle of April – and ripens later than most other varieties, around the middle of October.

It suffers sudden changes in temperature but oscillations between day and night temperatures are an advantage during the grape ripening phase. For a correct formation of tannins in the grape skins, south or south-west facing hillsides are required, where spring frosts rarely occur.

The Nebbiolo vine produces strong powerful wines, rich in alcohol, that express their characteristics after a period of ageing. From the cultivation of Nebbiolo, Piedmont produces some of its greatest red wines, the pride of the Region.