Eleven hillside towns to the South-West of Alba form the grand area that constitutes the birthplace of Barolo. The hills beside the road that sets out from Alba and soon reaches the town of Barolo have been the home of vineyards planted with "Nebbiolo" since time immemorial. On the left stand the hills of Diano d'Alba, Grinzane Cavour, Serralunga, Castiglione Falletto and Monforte d'Alba. The soil here is generally more compact and favours the production of well-structured, full-bodied wines that last for years. This hills on the right - Roddi, Verduno, La Morra, Novello and Cherasco - are composed of softer soils. Their wine is elegant, strongly perfumed and ready for drinking rather earlier.
The town of Barolo itself is located in the centre, at the confluence, as it were, of these two zones. Its wine is thus of an intermediate nature, possessing both structure and elegance.
A land and a wine imbued with fascination, always regarded with a benevolent and interested eye by the powers-that-be over the course of the centuries so much so that Italy's royals-enthusiastic drinkers of Barolo established various residences in the area (at Serralunga d'Alba, Verduno and Pollenzo).The prestige of a Barolo, a first-class wine, commences in the vineyards. These are set in the sunniest places, free from too much wind and damp.
Then comes the hand of man, skilled in supporting Nebbiolo's claims to recognition, and lastly the cellar, where technique and tradition achieve an advantageous blend of the quality and pleasantness of the wine. When it comes to the table after many months of refinement and maturation, Barolo is well aware that it is a personality with its garnet hues that recall the red of summer's poppies, with its intricate, ample and varied aromas, which hint of roses, violets, fruit just picked and take a leaf from the book of the spices, and lastly with its full, dry, persistent taste, sealed by the distinct perfume of liquorice that haunts the aftertaste.
Yet the pleasure of tasting a good bottle of old Barolo is not necessarily associated with the delights of the table, but a sign of hospitality and friendship. It is then that Barolo shows that it can also be a fine companion and a promoter of meditation.
Last updated 30-Jun-97
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