News from Piemonte
A few wines we tasted in June, just landed.
WINEMAKERS
Gaia and Niccolò took over from their father Pierangelo in 2014. The family farms 12 hectares, mostly in Boiolo, La Morra, but makes wine from just three. Their first Barolo release was 500 bottles.
Cristina Prandi started bottling under the family name again in 2019. Her uncle Giuseppe had kept farming but had stopped bottling. The family’s history in Barolo dates to 1860; Cristina now works between Barolo, La Morra and Serralunga.
Barolo is made entirely from Nebbiolo within a defined area of the Langhe. It requires at least 38 months of ageing, including 18 in wood.
Langhe Nebbiolo comes from a wider area and allows more freedom in ageing and style. It can be fresh and ready to drink young, or more structured, with time in wood.
Barolo, Langhe Nebbiolo and the decisions behind these bottles.
Nebbiolo is the grape behind both wines. They can share vineyards, growers and cellar methods, as well as floral aromas, red fruit and firm tannins. Grapes from a vineyard eligible for Barolo can also become Langhe Nebbiolo. The choice reflects what the grower wants from that fruit: how to vinify it, how long to age it and when to release it.
Langhe Nebbiolo covers a wider area and gives the vigneron more freedom in the cellar. Steel, concrete and oak can all have a place. A grower might choose it for younger vines, a particular parcel or a wine intended for earlier drinking. It allows Nebbiolo’s fruit and perfume to take the lead, without committing to Barolo’s ageing requirements.
Barolo requires grapes grown within its defined boundaries, exclusively Nebbiolo, and at least 38 months of ageing, including 18 in wood. A grower chooses it when the vineyard qualifies and the fruit suits the wine they want to develop over that time. The rules still leave room for different approaches to maceration and oak: Barolo can carry both structure and finesse.
