Tom Hyland Food & Drink
I write about wine (and sometimes food) from around the world.
The Langhe – Barolo and Barbaresco Now we come to the most famous examples of Nebbiolo: Barolo and Barbaresco, produced exclusively from Nebbiolo in the Langhe district in southern Pied- mont. I’ll go into greater depth about these two wines in future articles, so for now, I’ll merely provide a thumbnail sketch.
Barolo – known as the “King of Wines and the Wines of Kings” – is produced from a zone comprised of eleven communes south of the city of Alba in the pro- vince of Cuneo. One of these communes, Barolo, lends its name to the wine, while other important communes include La Morra, Castiglione Falletto, Serra- lunga d’Alba and Monforte d’Alba. Traditionally, producers only aged their wines in grandi botti, but some producers in the 1970s and 1980s experimented with barriques, small French oak barrels. Today, only a few producers use barri- ques exclusively, as large casks as well as mid-size barrels known as tonneaux are regularly employed for the aging process. Regardless of aging, Barolo from a great site (or sites) from an outstanding growing season (as with 2010 and 2013) can age for 30-50 years, but even in an average vintage, a Barolo will drink well for 10-15 years. Aromatics are of red cherry, orange peel and tar, as well as notes of cedar (if aged in grandi botti), which change to balsamic as the wine matures after a few years in the bottle. These are powerful wines with rich tannins, yet the best examples offer finesse and elegance and are fine matches with foods such as rabbit, veal and lighter game. There are so many great producers – too many to list here (I'll write about the best Barolo producers in a future article). I’ve recommended a few wines at the end of the article.
Paolo Manzone Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d'Alba 2014 - Aromas of red cherry, tar, orange peel and cedar. Medium-full, this has outstanding varietal purity, subtle wood notes, elegant tannins and very good acidity. Quite stylish! Approachable now, but best in 7-10 years. Very good value. Excellent