Barolo
Barolo wine is without a doubt the best appellation in Italy.
The best Barolo wine perfectly expresses the elegance of the Nebbiolo. The best vineyards are sometimes on fairly steep slopes and are surrounded by the hills of the Langhe. The soil is mainly calcareous, with high concentrations of magnesium and manganese in the northwestern part and a lot of iron in the southeastern part. This difference explains why the wines from the northwest are elegant and the wines from the southeast are powerful.
The quality of Barolo wine
The quality of the Barolo wine is only more due to humans than to the soil. It has become customary in recent years to bottle wine separately from the best vineyards and to state the name of the vineyard on the label. Goria’s law states that such “from one vineyard” wines must meet certain conditions. One of those conditions is that the yield per hectare is much lower than normal. This guarantees quality.
Modern Barolo wine
Modern Barolo wine is riper and creamier than traditional. This is due to the use of new wood. Traditional Barolo wine is often much more complex. It does not simply smell of vanilla, but also of tobacco, tar and smoke. All good Barolo wines have an ink-black color and contain rich fruit aromas, a powerful structure and are refined for such heavy wines.
Color, odor and taste
Barolo smells of tar, violets and roses. The wine can turn orange when it gets older. A traditionally made Barolo has a substantial tannin structure and therefore requires long maturation. A number of producers nowadays make Barolo that can be drunk youthfully.