A Boot-full of Wine
Tasting notes from Italy
27 October 2010
The wines of Barolo get their name from the village of Barolo, around which the DOCG appellation is located, in the Piedmontese province of Cuneo in the Langhe hills. The wine is made from the Nebbiolo variety, which is an early budder but late ripener, thriving best in calcerous soil. Therefore, in cool North West Italy, sites which have the greatest sun exposure, by virtue of slope orientation, and the requisite soil type, provide the best conditions for Nebbiolo to thrive. Though a tannic variety, the skins of Nebbiolo are not so much thick as tough, accounting in part for the sometimes lighter colour of Barolo wines.
Barolo was “invented” in the 19th Century by a French winemaker, Louis Oudart, at the invitation of the Count of Cavour – prior to this, wines from the area were sweet rather than dry. In what would become tradition, wines were macerated and fermented for several weeks, thus explaining the extraction of tannic components, and then aged in large oak or chestnut butts for up to 3 years and more. The result was a wine best left to age in the bottle, to be drunk after a period of 10 years at least.
The oft referred to “Barolo Wars” of the 1970’s and 80’s refer to the development of the more widespread use of shorter maceration and fermentation times, the employment of aging in small French oak barriques, and longer bottle aging at the expense of time in oak. This led to a more approachable, “modern” style of Barolo, with the innovators at loggerheads with the so-called “traditionalists”.
The current situation has evolved so that, usually, some kind of middle ground is adopted by most producers. This is epitomised by the producer we visited in the Cannubi vineyard, smack bang in the commune of Barolo, considered to be one of the prime sites for production of quality Barolo. (Attempts to classify vineyards by quality into vineyards considered “cru” have as yet not been granted official sanction.)
Fratelli Serio & Battista Borgogno have been making Barolo for more than three generations. We were guided through our tasting by Danillo Boffa, who has married into the Borgogno family. Over the course of the tasting, Danillo espoused the virtues of the site, describing themselves as custodians of a great gift. As with many Old World winemakers, the importance of terroir, and in particular the terrabianca (white clacerous/clay) soil, and orientation of the slope of the vineyards, were seen as key. He also spoke about the importance of “tradition”, seeing it as an essential ingredient in the creation of any wine. In our brief discussion about Australian wines, he commented that it would be difficult to make great wine in any country without a “tradition” of winemaking.
Should I at this point talk about the history of Australian wine dating back to before Barolo was “invented”? To Sir James Busby? And the many greater than 100 year-old vines to be found in Australia? The many different “terroirs” that we, too, were discovering? The many passionate winemakers all over Australia, who marry the numerous Australian-led innovations in wine science to a respect for the art of winemaking? I thought better of it – perhaps another time….
In reality, the “tradition” that Danillo spoke about placed emphasis on the use of old large butts (bote) and no small French oak barrels. On this point, this producer is indeed “traditional”. However, in terms of maceration and fermentation times, temperature controlled fermentation, yeast innocula, – the list goes on – the producer has adopted some the more enlightened “modern” methods.
Though most of its 60,000 bottle production is derived from grapes grown in its own vineyards, the Dolcetto D’Alba, Barbera D’Alba and Barbaresco are made from grapes sourced from trusted growers in Fossati (a few kilometres south), Castellinaldo (in Monferrato) and San Rocco Senio d’Elvio, (a few kilometers northeast, close to Alba) respectively.
On to the wines (note: prices are ex-cellar):
Fratelli Serio & Battista Borgogno – Dolcetto D’Alba DOC – 2009 (15.5). Suffering somewhat from having spent a little too much time opened, the cherry fruit core was still evident. 15.5 pts (5 Euro)
Fratelli Serio & Battista Borgogno – Barbera D’Alba DOC – 2007 (16.5). Classed as “Superiore” for having spent 24 months in large boti (butts), this wine was understated yet showed great structure, a lovely medium weight palate with soft cherry/berry fruit. 16.5 pts (6.50 Euro)
Fratelli Serio & Battista Borgogno – Nebbiolo D’Alba DOC – 2005 (17.5). Light coloured, with the classic “tar and violets” signature of Nebbiolo, with perfumed fruit poking through its chewy tannins. A fantastic wine! 17.5 pts (7.20 Euro)
Fratelli Serio & Battista Borgogno – Barbaresco DOCG – 2007 (18). This wine had spent 2 years in large wooden butts, and showed mint, herb and spicey notes, even a whiff of scorched almonds, with chewy plum and berry fruit, and wonderful length, encased in mouth puckering tannins. 18 pts (14 euro)
Fratelli Serio & Battista Borgogno – Barolo Cannubi DOCG – 2006 (18). Opened earlier that morning, this wine was the quintessence of young Barolo – tight, with firm tannins and tarry notes, with a hint of prunes poking through. 18 pts (18 Euro)
Fratelli Serio & Battista Borgogno – Barolo Cannubi DOCG – 2005 (18). Showing a little more development than its younger sibling, more spice, truffle and tobacco notes. 18 pts (18 Euro)
Fratelli Serio & Battista Borgogno – Barolo Riserva DOCG 2004 (18). Spending a whopping 5 years in large butts, this showed even more development with anise, cinnamon, tar, truffles and smoky notes. 18 pts (19 Euro)
As can be seen by my points, this was a tasting of superlative quality. I cannot wait for my order to arrive! Interestingly, there were some back vintages on sale also, including Baroli from 1999, 2001, and, yes it is not a misprint, 1971!
After the winery visit, we popped in to the little town of Barolo. Once an impoverished part of Italy, the town has been transformed into a wine tourist’s paradise. Nowhere in Italy have I seen such a collection of trendy wine bars and tasting rooms. A visit to the old Barolo castle ended the day. Now refurbished largely using private money, the castle is now the home of an ambitious wine museum. Part art installation, part interactive exhibit, it has a comprehensive section on the history of wine, with special focus on the history of Barolo wine. (17.5 pts, 12 Euro entry fee!)
Ciao for now!
Brendan Jansen