Barolo: An Overview

The Barolo wine region is arguably the most famous DOCG in Italy.

It’s located in the northern Italian region of Piedmont, south of Alba, and has UNESCO World Heritage status.

Before the mid-19th century (1800s), it was made in a richly sweet and fruity style which wasn’t to the taste of the Count of Cavour.

Louis Oudart, a French winemaker from Champagne, was hired to create the style we know today – a dry red wine.

Known as the ‘King of Wine’, Barolo is produced from the Nebbiolo grape. It’s one of the first varieties to bud and the last to ripen, with harvest taking place in mid-to-late October.

The wines have a minimum ageing requirement of 3 years.

Image Credit: Wine Folly

Key terms:
• Riserva Aged for a minimum of five years
• Vigna on a label indicates a single vineyard wine

THE COMUNES

The DOCG consists of 11 villages: Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d’Alba, Cherasco, Diano d’Alba, Grinzane Cavour, La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Novello, Roddi and Verduno.

These ‘communes’ each have vineyards which contribute their own unique styles, and this was solidified in 2010 when the Consorzio ratified the MGAs for Barolo and Barbaresco.

The area benefits from a continental climate, classified as warm and temperate, with an extended summer and autumn which is perfect for producing top quality grapes.

Image and Copy Credit: Decanter Magazine.

Fratelli Alessandria “Comune di Verduno”

Image Credit: North Berkeley Imports

At the northern edge of the Barolo zone, the sun-bleached, sandstone homes in the village of Verduno glow in the soft morning light. A cool breeze from the river Tanaro rustles the leaves of oak trees that border south-facing vineyards, soaking up the sun’s early rays.

The Alessandria family since the mid-19th century has called this gentle landscape home. In 1870, when the family first established their farm, calling it Fratelli Alessandria, Verduno was the center of Barolo winemaking—it was here where families first crafted dry Nebbiolo wines in the style we know today, and also bottled wines individually instead of shipping in cask. Because of this, the village was internationally recognized as the face of Barolo and sought out by collectors across the European continent.

Today Verduno is experiencing a renaissance, and it is the “brothers” Alessandria who are guiding the wines of Verduno back to the heights they once held. It is of course a family affair—the brothers Gian Battista and Alessandro, and Alessandro’s son, Vittore, are the stewards of this generations-old estate.

What Verduno gives is exactly what we crave in our Barolo wines: complexity without heaviness, structure with finesse. The Alessandria family provides a “mirror to the landscape,” Vittore says, respecting the history of their forefathers yet “looking ahead” to ensure that what’s in each bottle reflects the true essence of Barolo from Verduno.

“The family’s 30 acres of vineyards are located in Verduno and Monforte d’Alba, with a focus on Nebbiolo; other grape varieties include Dolcetto, Barbera and the rare Pelaverga, a grape native to Verduno and grown only in the region. White grape varieties include Favorita and Chardonnay.

Local soils are called “marne di Sant’Agata,” a mix of sand and clay with a high proportion of limestone, unique to Verduno. Vineyards are farmed according to organic practices, but the estate is not certified.

Grapes are harvested by hand, are destemmed and fermented on indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks. Wines are aged in the family’s 19th-century underground cellar, which maintains a constant temperature of 52-62 degrees Fahrenheit and 80% humidity, in older Slavonian and French oak casks (20-40HL).”

— Alessandria Family

A new wine as of the 2017 vintage, the Barolo del Comune di Verduno highlights the elegance and suave fruit of the Alessandria family’s home village, Verduno. We can’t think of a better tribute to this northern Barolo town, renowned for centuries for its refined Nebbiolo wines, not to mention its talented winemaking families!

Note: The family’s first Barolo was released in 1880! They used to produce this standard “Barolo” designated wine, using fruit from the same five different vineyards in Verduno, with varying altitudes and expositions, plus a small amount of fruit from ‘Gramolere,’ in Monforte d’Alba (not part of Verduno).

As of the 2017 vintage, the family has stopped making their Barolo ‘normale,’ to instead highlight exclusively Verduno fruit in their new Barolo del Comune di Verduno. 

VINEYARDS: A selection of fruit from five vineyards within the Verduno comune:

• Pisapola (southeast, 840-1,050 feet);

• Campasso (east, 750-1,050 feet);

• Riva Rocca (southeast, 750-1,020 feet);

• Boscatto (east, 750-1,110 feet);

• Rocche dell’Olmo (east, 930-1,080 feet)

AGE OF VINES: 25 years, on average

SOILS: Soils are “marne di Sant’Agata,” a mix of sand and clay with a high proportion of limestone, unique to Verduno.

WINEMAKING: Hand-harvested. Destemmed; fermented on indigenous yeasts in steel tank. Aged for 3 years in Slavonian and French oak casks (20- 40HL); 2 months in tank and then 6 months in bottle. Unfined and unfiltered.

TASTING IMPRESSIONS: Aromas of dark cherries, red plums, herbs, spices and warm leather. Structured yet silky, with fine-grained tannins.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS: Grilled steak; osso bucco; truffled dishes
NOTES: The “comune di” Barolo designation is reserved for Barolo wines in which 85% of the grapes hail from a single “comune” or village.

Daniele Conterno “Bussia” Riserva Barolo

Coming soon.