Spurred on by a quality revolution in the 1980s, smaller winemakers like Elio Grasso, the holder of the monopole cru Gavarini, sold less of their increasingly better grapes to the large producers, instead opting to bottle their own Barolos.
PHOTO: PAOLO TENTI
Safeguarding Barolo -the king of soul in the midst of a stellar vintage,produttori debate the region's boundariesBy KERIN O'KEEFEAs the superb 2004 Barolos begin hitting store shelves, appassionati of the pedigreed wine will quickly discover that despite the difficult 2002 and 2003 harvests, the King is alive and well. And there's more good news: In addition to the simply fantastic vintage, the number of outstanding smaller producers - those who both grow grapes and make wine - is also up. Their role is being strengthened, in part, because of stricter vineyard designations meant to further guarantee grape origin and, therefore, wine quality.
Yet the proposed measures also threaten to split the denomination as did the now-infamous "Barolo Wars" - the heated debate between so-called Modernists and Traditionalists that, at the close of the last century, divided the appellation into two schools of winemaking thought. Though a few die-hards remain on both sides, most producers now agree that innovation and tradition have been equally essential in achieving ever-greater Barolo quality. But just as winemakers have begun to embrace this middle ground, the planned creation of official boundaries for the wine's celebrated crus endangers the newfound harmony and seems destined to erect fences between those producers who agree with the new proposals, and those who don't.
On the one side, there are those who believe that the importance of terroir has to be protected by officially delimiting Barolo's crus. This contingent even includes many producers who blend grapes, though always nebbiolo (the only grape allowed in Barolo), from different sites, but who nonetheless believe that great crus are the key to the resulting cuvée. Not surprisingly, many producers in favor of the plan own vineyards in the undisputed hearts of the famed vineyards.
On the other side are those producers who have long used the names of lauded vineyard sites and individual vineyards, even if their holdings lie in the contested outskirts of acclaimed vineyards that critics say are continually expanding. Obviously, the latter may soon find themselves just outside of Barolo's top sites and forced to use names of more obscure areas, or just simply the Barolo designation. These producers are therefore opposing any action that would eject them from the denomination's celebrated crus, as is the case most notably with many growers in Cannubi and Bussia, two of Barolo's most hotly disputed and esteemed sites.
One intriguing result of the new debate is that as the detailed origin of Barolo's famed grape comes under increased scrutiny, grower-vintners who know their vineyards intimately are taking center stage. Though the most commonly available labels on U.S. shelves are made by several large firms producing millions of bottles of relatively good quality Barolo each year - generally with grapes bought from myriad small growers - nebbiolo, like pinot noir, does not excel when mass produced. It should be no surprise, then, that today's most seductive Barolos are coming from the area's boutique producers. For generations, these small, family-run firms were solely grape suppliers for the big houses. Now many are making their own wine, often from mere fragments of famous vineyards; the Barolos they are turning out are largely distinctive and full of personality. As might be expected, there is no uniform philosophy among these smaller producers.
Elio Altare, one of Barolo's leading names, and long considered the father of the Modernist movement in Barolo (a contingent that drastically cut yields, introduced aging in small French barrels of new oak and is often accused of homogenizing a wine's unique flavor and aromatic profiles), explains the philosophy behind the new wave of Barolos being released: "Though there are fundamentally only two types of wine, good wine and bad wine, with today's winemaking know-how, most wines made in Italy today can be considered good from a technical point of view. So now, it's become a question of industrialized, but perhaps technically perfect Barolos, versus Barolos that demonstrate the character of their winemakers and their vineyards that have an extra element not found in industrialized versions." In other words, Barolo with soul.
To that point, Altare says, "Wine lovers should learn to distinguish between Barolos made by small farmers, the contadini, and the large firms run by entrepreneurs. The contadini pour their hearts into making unique Barolos and tend to feel a moral obligation to defend their vineyard environment, not only to make wines that express their terroir, but also so they can preserve and pass down family holdings to the next generation. Many of the large firms, on the other hand, that source grapes from growers, are simply looking to turn a profit after all their investment," he asserts.
Altare, who forgoes pesticides, limits the use of chemicals in the vineyard and eschews selected yeasts in the cellar, also shuns terms such as modernist. Yet he readily recounts why he and a band of pioneers shook the status quo more than a quarter-century ago: "I can remember standing around the main square in Alba in 1975, along with all the other nebbiolo growers, trying to sell my grapes to buyers from the big Barolo houses. I had the most beautiful grapes from that extraordinary vintage, and was asking for what I thought was a fair price. But the buyers deliberately waited two weeks before buying, letting the grapes go bad, forcing us to sell at a loss."
Altare and other young growers went to Burgundy in 1976, and came back invigorated by what they discovered. "It was another world in regards to winemaking and vineyard management when compared to Barolo, where only a few large companies sourced grapes from many growers and where prices were based on weight instead of quality," he remembers. Altare desired swift change, and his ideas resulted in a bitter battle with his father over what were seen as radical techniques at the time in Piedmont.
"I began reducing yields in the vineyards by eliminating excess grapes through green harvesting, and my father thought I was spilling money on the ground and begged me to stop. And in 1983, when he refused to replace his leaking and rotten casks, I bought a chainsaw and hacked them to pieces," Altare recounts, now chuckling. Though it was far from funny at the time - Elio was duly disinherited by his father and later had to buy back the vineyards and cellar in the small commune of La Morra, known for yielding the most perfumed and refined Barolos, from his sisters. Today Altare's rich yet elegant single vineyard Barolos, Vigneto Arborina and Brunate, both aged in a combination of new and used barriques, are among the most sought-after bottlings from Piedmont's Langhe hills. Like many of his contemporaries, Altare bottles his single vineyard wines separately to demonstrate the distinct characteristics that set them apart from other Barolos, which the winemaker believes is essential for producing inspiring wines.
On the other end of the Barolo spectrum, with sharply different winegrowing and vinification ideas, is Giuseppe (Beppe) Rinaldi, a traditionalist who is no less passionate or eccentric than the innovative, chainsaw-wielding Altare, as the BMW motorcycle parked in his living room between elegant settees aptly suggests.
At his country house estate situated just outside the town of Barolo, Rinaldi, fondly known as Citrico (the equivalent of acidic in Italian) by the locals because of his sometimes scathing bluntness, crafts classic Barolos whose tiny volume can never satisfy demand for this cult favorite. Down in the cellar, crammed with large casks known locally as botti, the fiercely proud and forthright Rinaldi embraces many of the time-tested practices. "Our fathers and grandfathers profoundly thought about what this land could give us, which vines outperformed, and the best way to age their wines," says Rinaldi, who would never dream of using barriques for aging or selected yeasts for fermentation.
Rinaldi also fiercely adheres to the area's hallowed tradition of blending nebbiolo from different vineyards. "This was how previous generations obtained a natural balance and harmony in Barolo, and, for me, it is still the perfect method," he declares. "I'm not much of a believer in any one cru or individual vineyard sites because I don't think any single vineyard or area can perform well every year. This has become especially evident over the last decade as global warming has made a noticeable impact in the Langhe. Now blending is even more important as some of the historically best sites are heating up too much, resulting in a loss of acidity in grapes and the resulting wine," the grower-winemaker explains with his trademark clarity.
Today Rinaldi produces two bottlings, Barolo Brunate-Le Coste and his Barolo Cannubi San Lorenzo-Ravera, from the family's 9.5 acres of prime vineyards that are spread throughout the villages of Barolo and La Morra. The two wines, vinified in exactly the same way, are noticeably different: Brunate-Le Coste boasts lovely floral notes and is quite complex, while the Cannubi San Lorenzo-Ravera is rounder with marked fruit sensations and will be ready to drink sooner. Both are hallmark Barolos of impeccable balance and structure.
Even though Rinaldi's wines are blends, he indicates his cru names on labels and staunchly believes distinctions should be made between the historic vineyard sites and new, fanciful names that have no link to the area's proven vineyard sites. "Some of the names that are now appearing on labels are pure fantasy names created by winemakers, and these days some of the most commercially successful single vineyard Barolos are even being confused with the historic vineyard sites that our ancestors chose based solely on the quality of the grapes. This, and delimiting only the historic sections of crus and not the expanded versions we find today, are going to be difficult issues to resolve," Rinaldi insists.
Dividing up the areas is the biggest problem, and adding to the tension over these acclaimed sites, the area's top producers all appear to have their own take on the situation. Distinguishing, if not delimiting, the historical heart of Cannubi, one of Barolo's most famous crus as well as one of the most intensely debated, is easy according to Maria Teresa Mascarello, Rinaldi's cousin. "To see the true Cannubi vineyard area, just drive out to the hill the first good day after a snowfall. Where the snow has melted is the historical heart of the cru, singled out because of its mild microclimate," says the no-nonsense daughter of the late Bartolo Mascarello, one of the last of the great Barolisti who died in 2005. He was nearly as famous for his sharp wit and outspoken political views as he was for his majestic and elegantly earthy Barolos. His hand-drawn label, "No Barrique, No Berlusconi," which ridiculed both the small French barrels and Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's seemingly perennial prime minister who has revolved in and out office over the last two decades, has become a much sought-out collectors item.
Maria Teresa has held up her iconic father's ideals, as she continues to make classic Barolos that are fermented in concrete tanks without automatic temperature control and made without selected yeasts unless, like in 2003, fermentation would not naturally commence. And, like her father, Maria Teresa ages her wine in large, Slavonian oak barrels. She also adamantly continues her father's custom of blending from seven acres of estate vineyards - Cannubi, Le Rocche, San Lorenzo and Ruè - that are sited in Barolo and La Morra. "My father and grandfather blended nebbiolo from these top vineyards to achieve the right balance. I still do this because I think this method is crucial to making the best Barolos," Mascarello asserts. "Crus are important - in fact, my father always wished he had had a vineyard in Serralunga to lend some muscle to the refinement that hallmarks wines hailing from both La Morra and Barolo," adds Mascarello. "Crus are fundamental and should be defined once and for all to stop those on the outskirts of these areas from exploiting these recognizable names. But crus here in Barolo have, unfortunately, become a commercial and marketing tool, leading consumers to believe that single cru bottlings are more prestigious, which is not always the case."
Not everyone believes all of the boundaries are in contention. Luciano Sandrone says the hallowed Cannubi hillside "has had established boundaries for 25 years." Anyone who does not agree can "go to the land registry office in Barolo; they have already delimited all of its vineyards, including Cannubi. Though the whole hill is known as Cannubi, the four subzones of the famed crus Boschis, Muscatel, San Lorenzo and Valletta are also official," attests Sandrone, whose new, spacious farmhouse winery faces Cannubi Boschis at the entrance to the village of Barolo.
Sandrone, formerly the cellarmaster at the large Marchesi di Barolo winery, began acquiring vineyards and vinifying his own grapes for the first time in 1978. His polished renditions of the local classic were an overnight success, and he has not slowed down since. Sandrone, who runs the winery with his brother Luca, judiciously blends tradition and innovation. Rather than the month-long-plus pre-fermentation macerations of yesteryear, he is careful to pick at just the right ripeness, which allows him to cut maceration down to about ten days; in addition, he employs 500-liter French tonneau. Like most of his top-rank colleagues, Sandrone avoids pesticides and herbicides, as well as selected yeasts (each vineyard imparts its own strain of natural yeasts on the clusters, proving again that great wines start in the vineyard).
"Even in difficult vintages, great vineyards always perform well," notes Sandrone, who has both a single vineyard Barolo, Cannubi Boschis, a wine of singular depth, as well as his blended Barolo Le Vigne made from four vineyards. "But even for my blended Barolo, I don't just blend the grapes, but rather vinify them separately and later blend the wines together to obtain perfect harmony. My blended Barolo becomes the most important bottling in average years, while Cannubi Boschis is the best in outstanding and in difficult years."
Unlike Sandrone, Enzo Brezza, the fourth generation of the storied Brezza Barolo house with prime vineyards in the heart of Cannubi, insists that the hill's boundaries are still being intensely disputed. "Cannubi still has not been officially delimited. The town of Barolo must do this in correlation with the consorzio, and so far, they have not reached a final decision," he states. Located in the town of Barolo, Brezza's cellars are crammed with winemaking artifacts from the turn of the century, as well as the Slavonian oak casks in use today. The estate turns out classic, earthy Barolos, and in addition to its blended version, the crus of Cannubi, Sarmassa and Castellero are bottled separately. Because the wines are vinified in exactly the same manner, the differences between each are only derived from the terroir, as tastings of the 2004 Cannubi, with its creamy wild cherry flavors and refined tannins, already enjoyable, and the fuller-bodied and more austere Sarmassa, destined for lengthy aging, demonstrate. Brezza also underscores the importance of any vineyard divisions being done by local or regional officials, not by private individuals. "Unfortunately, commercial interests have gotten in the way here," he notes.
Brezza's cousin Maria Teresa Mascarello raises another issue: the increasing use of even more specific vineyard names. "It's now not enough to add the name of a cru, which is really a hill divided up into different vineyards held by any number of producers. Now, to try and be even more exclusive, Barolo makers are adding to labels the names of their individual vineyards found within a cru," she explains. The multitude of Barolo names beginning with Bricco and Sorì are examples of these single vineyard bottlings, but once again, many of these monikers are purely made up and have nothing to do with the historic crus.
Mascarello is one of the many producers questioning just how Barolo's crus and vineyards are being delimited, a not very enviable task that Claudio Rosso, the president of the consorzio and co-owner, along with his brother Maurizio, of the Gigi Rosso winery, is determined to carry out. "By the end of the year, all eleven communes making Barolo must be mapped out. This will automatically result in official borders for all of Barolo's vineyard sites," Rosso explains. While establishing legally recognized vineyard boundaries has been tried in the past by the consorzio, heated arguments have caused the project to be abandoned several times over the last 20 years. But Rosso emphasizes that zoning is not only fundamental for the future of the denomination, but that new European Union laws governing wine production now demand more clarity and guarantee regarding grape origin. "According to these new laws, only names of officially recognized crus will soon be allowed on bottles, as well as some registered trademarks if the producer can demonstrate that his customers associate a certain name with his wine. Because Barolo is one of the leading Italian wines, we have to obey these new regulations, which, so far, have not been enforced," he notes.
Rosso himself, however, is a firm believer in highlighting cru and vineyard sites, as he does with his well-structured and polished Barolo Arione and Barolo Arione Sorì dell'Ulivo, a tiny vineyard situated on the larger Arione hillside where even olive trees survive the usually rigid Piedmont winters. "Of course, the producer's individual winemaking style is crucial, but consumers should realize that, unlike some of the most lauded winemaking areas in the world that are more uniform, Barolo's production zone is spread over many different hills with varying altitudes, climates and soils. So crus are essential to help understand the differences between the over ten million bottles of Barolo now produced throughout the denomination," Rosso explains.
He is convinced, too, that past attempts at zoning Barolo prove the job must be done as a joint effort between administrators in the individual towns, who are mapping out every inch of their municipalities based on records and land registers, and the consorzio, who represent the growers and winemakers. "This is the first step, and the resulting crus will be defined as geographical mentions, so producers won't have to fear a classification system because the resulting areas will be strictly geographical," Rosso explains. This is the current system that came into effect in 2007 in Barbaresco and, like Barbaresco, there will be strict regulations regarding the ulterior use of single vineyards. "If a winemaker decides to name a single vineyard, the first step is that this vineyard must be in a delimited cru. Secondly, winemakers will have to reduce grape yields by 10 percent, which should, in theory, make a better quality wine," Rosso elaborates.
The strictly geographical aspect of the proposed boundaries may seem fair, unless you are the sole proprietor of one of Barolo's most esteemed vineyard sites and the town is expanding the confines of your beloved cru. This is the improbable situation for Mauro Mascarello of Cantina Giuseppe Mascarello, the sole proprietor of Monprivato, one of the most renowned names in Barolodom. The Giuseppe Mascarello winery (no relation to Bartolo) was founded in 1881 by Mascarello's grandfather; it has owned more than half of Monprivato since 1904. After much financial sacrifice, its present-day owner has managed over the years to acquire the rest of the exalted 15 acres located in the heart of Castiglione Falletto, the commune in the center of the Barolo production zone. Mascarello points out that Monprivato was listed as the equivalent of a grand cru by the late Renato Ratti, the trailblazing winemaker who audaciously classified Barolo's vineyards according to quality based on a system modeled on Burgundy's grands and premiers crus. >
"Monprivato's ideal southwest exposure means grapes benefit from sunshine from early morning until evening, resulting in optimum grape maturation," Mascarello explains. Standing in the middle of Monprivato in his tweed blazer and rolled up corduroy trousers after a soaking rain that has turned the vineyard's trademark white calcareous soil into a thick paste, Mascarello exudes infectious enthusiasm and one cannot help but be reminded of a whimsical college professor. "In 1970, I decided to vinify Monprivato's grapes apart and, since then, in outstanding years I bottle the vineyard separately," the winemaker notes. His exquisite Monprivato is redolent of roses, strawberry and cherry with hints of tar and minerals, and is capable of lengthy cellaring. In truly exceptional vintages, Mascarello also crafts Ca' d'Morissio Riserva from an exclusive selection of Monprivato grapes of a particular clone of nebbiolo called michet that was originally planted by his grandfather. Each of these Barolos are vinified by strictly traditional methods and aged in large Slavonian oak, usually for longer than required by the production regulations.
Though the vineyard has been a benchmark for local winemaking for centuries, according to Mascarello, the town of Castiglione Falletto is expanding the cru's sacred boundaries. "The vineyard as is can be traced to old land registry archives dating back to 1666. But the town has proposed expanding the vineyard to include another adjacent area that has never been under vine due to its northern exposure. Anyone who plants vines here could use the name Monprivato, though wines from this added section would not have the elegance and finesse associated with the name," Mascarello contends. Although rules exist as to specific sunlight exposure for Barolo, and critics of Mascarello's opposition say that grapes for Barolo will not be allowed there, Mascarello is not appeased. "Boundaries should guarantee quality and origin, not open up the possibility of including acreage never before under vine," he states.
Castiglione Falletto is also home to the notable family-run Cavallotto estate, which boasts a distinctly Mediterranean microclimate. Today Laura, Giuseppe and Alfio are the fifth generation to run the winery and, while their classic Barolos are a touchstone for consistent quality, vintage after vintage their 2004 Bricco Boschis is simply stunning with perfect balance and intense sensations of violets, wild cherry and leather.
Located at the top of the Bricco Boschis hill, the newly renovated winery is surrounded by the estate's own immaculately tended vines, an unusual set-up in Piedmont, where most cellars are quite distant from their vineyards due to the fragmented nature of vineyard ownership here. "I think that, above all, the name and reputation of a producer offers consumers the best quality guarantee, but it's no coincidence that behind the area's best producers are Barolo's greatest crus," Laura surmises. Entirely owned by the Cavallottos, Bricco Boshis' predominantly compact clay soil, originating from different geological periods, allows roots to reach far underground. This means that even in scorching years like 2003, the estate is able to make noticeably fresh wines. In truly excellent vintages, Cavallotto also produces the superlative single vineyard Riserva San Giuseppe from nearly 50-year-old grapes grown in the southwest-facing vineyard of the same name found within the confines of cru Bricco Boschis.
Brovia is still another exceptional winery in Castiglione Falletto with vineyards in some of the most enviable crus in the denomination, including Villero and Rocche in its home village, and Ca' Mia, also known as Brea, in Serralunga. A strictly family affair, daughters Cristina and Elena, along with Cristina's husband, Alex Sanchez, carry on Papa Brovia's tradition of handcrafting classic Barolos that improve with lengthy aging. The Brovias are all for the proposed zoning, though according to marketing director Sanchez, it is far from a true classification system. "I would have greatly preferred that the vineyards become classified in a hierarchy based on quality, like they did in Burgundy years ago, but it is far too late to do that now in Barolo," Sanchez observes. "There have already been so many complications and interruptions just in trying to geographically delimit the vineyard sites, I can't imagine what would have happened had the denomination tried to classify them."
Elena Brovia insists that even if the proposed measures aren't a quality hierarchy, they are still a major step in the right direction: "We have to officially recognize boundaries of both vineyard sites and single vineyards for Barolo. Controlling the micro-origin will, in turn, help us to better control the quantity and quality of both the grapes and the wine." They are already doing a wonderful job, as their intensely floral and exquisite Rocche, made with fruit from 50-year-old vines, and the more masculine Ca' Mia with its notes of earth and leather and heroic structure typical of Serralunga Barolo, clearly show.
Of similar mind with Elena Brovia is Tino Colla of Poderi Colla: "We have to get more serious in Barolo. For example, what do crus really mean in terms of quality if these vineyard areas are growing uncontrollably every year? Drawing up official boundaries, just as we have recently done in Barbaresco, is at least a first step in the right direction because this will stop the continued expansion of Barolo's top vineyards." He and his legendary older brother, Beppe Colla of Prunotto fame, and Beppe's daughter, Federica, together run Poderi Colla. Their Barolo Bussia, from the family's Barolo estate in Monforte d'Alba, is a flagship bottling from this prestigious cru and is brimming with classic nebbiolo sensations of wild cherry, tar and roses.
The concept of distinguishing crus is not new to the family. Beppe Colla is credited with being the first in the area to use a cru name on a label when he vinified, aged and bottled Bussia separately for the first time in 1961 at Prunotto. "That caused a lot of outcry back then throughout the Langhe when Barolo was labeled simply as Barolo and Barbaresco simply as Barbaresco," the veteran winemaker says. "But it was too early, and six or seven years would pass before a few others, namely Giacosa, and Gaja in Barbaresco, began using cru names."
No discussion of Barolo's great crus is complete without broaching Bruno Giacosa. Indeed, Giacosa is one of Italy's most esteemed winemakers. Even Piedmont's leading producers agree that no one else knows the Langhe's vineyards as profoundly as does this quiet virtuoso from Neive.
For decades, Giacosa has secured the best grapes available from a trusted network of quality-minded growers with whom he had forged generational ties. Searching for top-quality grapes gave him first-hand knowledge of the Langhe's vineyards, but it was his remarkable palate that allowed the reserved and dedicated winemaker to identify the very best vineyards in both Barolo and Barbaresco. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Giacosa began buying some of those vineyards where, for years, he had sourced what he believed were the finest grapes, including Falletto in Serralunga.
The Serralunga village is home to the most heroically structured Barolos boasting tannic structures that enable them to age for decades. Giacosa explains that Falletto's perfect south-southwest exposure, "means that the grapes ripen under the best conditions and allows for a long growing season, which combined with the vineyard's calcareous soil gives Barolo Falletto its complexity."
His Barolo Falletto and Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto, and even more so the red-label Riserva edition of Le Rocche del Falletto made in exceptional vintages, are among the most coveted offerings from all of Italy due to their uncommon combination of power, depth and finesse. The estate has also debuted, with the current 2004 vintage, its Barolo Vigna Croera from La Morra. Its full structure and intense floral sensations make it destined to become a classic.
"All our red wines are vinified exactly the same with no selected yeasts and aged in large French casks, so the differences, which are noticeable on the nose and palate, are all derived from the vineyard," says Giacosa, who began bottling single vineyard Barolos and Barbarescos in 1967. Although he suffered a serious stroke in January 2006, he is still active in the winery and his palate is as sharp as ever. At 79, he continues to taste alongside his new enologist Giorgio Lavagna, former winemaker at Batasiolo, and guide his wines from grape to bottle.
Giacosa's single vineyard Barolos inspired an entire generation of local winemakers, including Franco Massolino at the eponymous family winery. "Giacosa's Barolo Vigna Rionda was phenomenal and demonstrated to the world just what this vineyard was capable of," Massolino enthuses. Though Giacosa no longer produces Barolo Vigna Rionda, presumably because the grower he bought from began producing his own wine, Massolino, founded in 1896, makes a majestic Barolo Vigna Rionda. Daytime temperatures in the celebrated vineyard, sited along the hilly backbone of the Serralunga hamlet, are among the highest in the Langhe, and the extreme temperatures and limestone combination lead to Barolos with monumental tannins that age for decades. "These are powerful, classic Barolos," says Massolino, whose own version boasts leather, tar, roses and earth.
Another excellent producer of Vigna Rionda is Oddero. Once staunchly traditional, Oddero now uses more French oak in different-sized barrels; its polished yet powerful 2004 Riserva Vigna Rionda will be released in 2010. But fans of finely crafted Barolo can enjoy some of the firm's other 2004s now, including a graceful Brunate, an impeccably balanced Villero, and an heroic Bussia Soprana Vigna Mondoca. "Our Bussia Soprana is the wine that holds a special place in my heart," says patriarch Giacomo Oddero, an enlightened traditionalist who is now well into his 80s. "Even if the proposed sub-zoning is strictly geographical, once consumers learn the names of the newly regulated vineyards, they will decide which sites are superior," Oddero notes.
Barolo adherents have already made certain distinctions, and one of the most sacrosanct names to which they're drawn is undoubtedly Monfortino. Its name alone sends shivers up the spines of aficionados. Hailing from the Cascina Francia vineyard in Serralunga, which is entirely owned by the Giacomo Conterno winery, Monfortino is a selection of the top grapes that the estate bottles separately in outstanding years. The wine's stratospheric prices, rarity and lofty reputation have put it on par with even the most esteemed grands crus.
Spending an average of seven years in large Slavonian oak casks, Monfortino is made with an almost obsessive attachment to tradition, and Roberto Conterno, grandson of the founder, is not the least bit interested in catering to market whims by turning out ready-to-drink Barolos. With its trademark licorice and mint sensations and bracing tannins, Monfortino can age for decades. "I agree that crus should be delimited to give credibility to the crus for consumers," says Conterno, who adds that he is all for stricter controls that guarantee Barolo's authenticity, from grape to the cellars. He notes, however, that one of the more recent boundary proposals would have had Francia annexed to a larger cru because, at the time, it was deemed that no single producer could own an entire cru. "Thankfully, that proposal, which would have prohibited me from using one of the most recognized names in Barolo, was shot down," Conterno recounts. Not content to rest on his much-sought bottlings, he has just purchased a vineyard in another Serralunga cru, Ceretta. "The Barolos will be made exactly the same way, and I'm curious to see the differences."
Another important monopole cru in Barolo is Gavarini in the town of Monforte d'Alba that is owned entirely by Elio Grasso. His estate is one of the most beautiful in all of the Langhe with his manicured vineyards crowned by thick woods, a rarity in the Langhe because trees have largely been forsaken to make room for revenue-generating vineyards. From the terrace of Grasso's lovingly renovated 19th-century winery one of the most breathtaking views of the imposing Serralunga Castle and the distant Alps unfolds. Happily, his wines are equally impressive and include Barolo Vigna Chiniera Gavarini and Barolo Runcot, also from the Gavarini cru, and Barolo Ginestra Vigna Casa Matè from estate vineyards in Monforte d'Alba. While Runcot is distinctly modern and aged in barrique, the firm's other Barolos, aged in medium-sized Slavonian casks, are modern-day interpretations of the local classic. Though both are supple and rich, the Ginestra bottling has more tannic backbone, due to the vineyard's clay soil, while Gavarini's sandy limestone imparts more elegance.
According to Grasso, the quality revolution of the 1980s stimulated local growers to reach higher. "For the first time, producers were looking not only for grapes, but for great grapes to try and make better wine, and small growers with prime vineyards could sell at higher prices. Many of them saved and invested and became winemakers in their own right, while many producers began buying their own vineyards. All of this raised the bar on quality," explains Grasso, who came back to his father's farm in 1983 to make wine after leaving a good job in the city of Turin. Though it was risky at the time, the successful winemaker, now joined by his wife, Marina, and son Gianluca, has no regrets.
Pietro Ratti, son of the late, aforementioned Renato Ratti, also believes that the last two decades have been sea-changing in Barolo. "My father bought 80 percent of his grapes back in 1988, while now we only buy 20 percent. We had to buy our own vineyards because so many growers have now become winemakers," affirms Ratti, whose smooth and refined single vineyard Barolos are only made with estate grapes from the family's La Morra Marcenesco vineyard. His father also may have helped facilitate the monumental shift that has forever changed Barolo from a denomination presided over by a few large houses to a dynamic winegrowing zone with numerous artisans handcrafting fine Barolos.
Renato Ratti's Burgundian-style classification of Barolo's top sites mentioned earlier is based solely on traditions practiced by Barolo's old timers and historical documents. His research revealed ten "grand cru"-level vineyard sites that include Cannubi, Brunate, Rocche and Villero, not to mention Gabutti in Serralunga where philosopher and winemaker Teobaldo Cappellano makes stunning Barolos from ungrafted vines. Ratti also identified more than a dozen "premiers crus" including Vigna Rionda, Bussia Soprana and Bussia Sottana.
Ultimately, his work encouraged many growers with holdings in these sites to produce the best grapes possible and eventually to make their own wine. Or, as Pietro Ratti says, "Crus help even small producers to set themselves apart from the many producers making Barolo today because many of these sites already have name recognition among consumers."
Yet, as in Burgundy, perhaps the most important quality guarantee for exceptional Barolo is the name of the producer. Thankfully, there are now many who are turning out soulful bottlings that, especially in this milestone 2004 vintage - which Bruno Giacosa compares to the legendary 1964 - will prove unforgettable.
Contributing Editor Kerin O'Keefe is an American wine writer who has lived in Italy since 1989 and covers the Italian wine scene for numerous international publications
Tasting BAR
The Barolos that follow were tasted open by the author in Italy. An inordinate number of high scores, which were awarded based on this magazine's BuyLine rating system, can be attributed to the greatness of the 2004 vintage.
Attilio Ghisolfi, 2004 Barolo Bricco Visette - $40: Bright nose of candied red fruit with leather and truffle nuances. Succulent cherry-berry and earthy underbrush flavors balanced by hair-raising tannins. Classic Barolo that needs time. Best after 2012. Score: 91
Aurelio Settimo, 2004 Barolo Rocche - $58: Exquisite perfume of rose and black cherry with candied cherry flavors and a hint of licorice. Still very closed and tannic yet shows great potential. Best after 2010. Score: 90
Bartolo Mascarello, 2004 Barolo - (2009 release date): Intense aromas of rose and ripe red fruit. Creamy cherry and raspberry flavors impeccably balanced by lively acidity and bracing yet smooth, tannins. Long, clean finish. A textbook Barolo. Score: 95
Boroli, 2004 Barolo Villero - $59: Typical nebbiolo nose of underbrush, cassis and rose. Lively, ripe fruit is somewhat restrained by toasty wood and tight tannins. Closes on a licorice note. Score: 90
Brezza, 2004 Barolo Cannubi - $75: Classic nebbiolo aromas of cherry and underbrush with a hint of leather. Delicious, ripe berry flavors elegantly balanced by smooth tannins. Closes on a tobacco note. Score: 93
Bric Cenciurio, 2004 Barolo Costa di Rose - $90: Quintessential nebbiolo nose of leather, truffle and rose petal. Mouth-watering wild cherry flavors balanced by big, but supple, tannins. Finishes on a spicy sandalwood note. Score: 93
Brovia, 2004 Barolo Ca' Mia - $70: From 50-year-old vines. Layered scents of earth, black fruit, menthol and licorice. Succulent blackberry and spice flavors balanced by impressive acidity and broad, fine tannins. Rich, concentrated and heroic. Best after 2012. Score: 95
Bruno Giacosa, 2004 Barolo Falletto - $300: Wild cherry aromas with earthy hints of tobacco, forest floor and truffle. Layers of rich berry-cherry flavors and minerals elegantly balanced by firm yet smooth, tannins. Incredible length. Gorgeous; best after 2012. Score: 95
Bruno Giacosa, 2004 Barolo Vigna Croera - $300: The newest Barolo from Giacosa's own La Morra vineyard. Enticing aromas of rose and violet with hints of truffle. Crushed raspberry flavors dominate the palate. Full bodied yet graceful with a long, spicy finish. Score: 94
Bruno Giacosa, 2004 Barolo Le Rocche di Falletto Riserva - (2010 release date): Intense aromas of violet, rose, licorice and ripe dark fruit. Rich, concentrated and creamy cherry flavors with layers of spice, and fine yet bracing, tannins. A rare combination of depth, purity and power. A monument to nebbiolo that will easily age for 30 years or more. Score: 98
Cascina Adelaide, 2004 Barolo - $64: Heady dark fruit aromas with hints of violet, graphite and rosemary. Lush yet restrained wild cherry flavors with smooth tannins. Finishes on a tobacco note. Ready now. Score: 92
Cascina Ballarin, 2004 Barolo Tre Ciabot - $50: Ripe black cherry scents with hints of underbrush. Concentrated flavors of wild berry and eucalyptus balanced by sweet tannins. Finishes on a black tea note. Score: 91
Cascina Luisin, 2004 Barolo Leon - $50: Typical aromas of Marasca cherry, strawberry, leather and tobacco. Bitter cherry flavors with a hint of tea leaf balanced by firm, round tannins. Score: 90
Castello di Verduno, 2004 Barolo Massara - $70: Classic Barolo notes of earth, leather and ripe berry. Rich and elegant on the palate with creamy fruit flavors and truffle nuances. Big, ripe, mouth-filling tannins drive a long finish that concludes on a tobacco note. Score: 95
Cavalier Bartolomeo, 2004 Barolo Solanotto Altinasso - $35: Elegant floral aromas of rose and violet. Delicious plum and berry flavors with a hint of truffle. Closes on a coffee note and warmth of alcohol. Score: 90
Cavallotto, 2004 Barolo Bricco Boschis - $60: Heady bouquet of violet, rose, earth and leather. Ripe dark fruit flavors layered with minerals. Beautifully balanced by smooth tannins. A complex wine of depth, personality and great length. A hallmark Barolo. Drink now through 2018. Score: 96
Ciabot Berton, 2004 Barolo Roggeri - $70: Ample nose of ripe black cherry with hints of new leather and licorice, all of which echo on the palate. Well balanced and powerful with big, dusty tannins and racy acidity. Best after 2012. Score: 93
Damilano, 2004 Barolo Lecinquevigne - $50: Bright aromas of crushed cherry and violet with a hint of truffle. Austere palate shows fresh berry flavors, steely minerals, lively acidity and tight yet smooth tannins. Enjoyable now, but best after 2010. Score: 91
Elio Altare, 2004 Barolo Vigneto Arborina - $175: Enticing and ample bouquet of rose, black tea, earth and wild cherry. Flavors of earthy berry and spice; supple tannins generate a sumptuous mouth-feel. Very elegant and enjoyable now through 2015. Score: 96
Elio Grasso, 2004 Barolo Ginestra Casa Matè - $72: Bouquet of lush dark fruit, spice and coffee with a wisp of eucalyptus. Rich plum and berry flavors with secondary coffee and spice qualities. A wine of power and depth. Best after 2010. Score: 94
Elvio Cogno, 2004 Barolo Ravera - $77: Sweet raspberry aromas with earthy scents of spice and leather. Full bodied with ripe plum-berry flavors and a hint of thyme. Score: 90
Fantino Alessandro & Gian Natale, 2004 Barolo Cascina dei Dardi - $49: Classic nose of leather, underbrush and ripe fruit. Mouthwatering berry flavors with hints of mint, licorice and tobacco conclude on a clean menthol note. Alessandro spent ten years in the apprenticeship of Bartolo Mascarello and it shows in this quintessential Old School bottling for modern palates. Best after 2010. Score: 94
Gabutti di Boasso Franco, 2004 Barolo Margheria - $75: Lush plum-berry aromas with hints of earth, truffle and meat juice that are replicated on the palate. Still youthful with aggressive tannins that need time, but should evolve wonderfully. Score: 90
Giacomo Conterno, 2004 Barolo Cascina Francia - $150: Intense floral nose with earthy notes of mint and licorice. Rich flavors of mouthwatering strawberry and cherry, powerfully structured and neatly balanced with vibrant tannins. Closes on clean mineral note. Very impressive. Best after 2012. Score: 95
Giacomo Conterno, 2001 Barolo Monfortino - $450: Complex nose of licorice, mint, dried rose and leather. Incredibly powerful structure with ample layers of dark fruit and spice flavors. Still a bit closed, but will evolve into a legend. Not for the faint of heart. Score: 96
Gigi Rosso, 2004 Barolo Arione - $48: Slightly closed nose of dark fruit, earth and underbrush. Impressively concentrated and balanced flavors of ripe raspberry and black cherry. Still tight and tannic, but will age splendidly. Best after 2012. Score: 94
Giuseppe Mascarello, 2003 Barolo Monprivato - $100: Ripe strawberry and cherry aromas with hints of earth and mint. Rich yet supple mouth-feel boasts succulent strawberry flavors balanced by vibrant acidity and supple tannins. Complex, elegant and surprisingly fresh for the vintage. Score: 95
Giuseppe Mascarello, 2001 Barolo Ca' d'Morissio Riserva - $190: Hailing from select Michet clones in the small Ca' d'Morisso plot in the Monprivato vineyard and made only in exceptional years. Concentrated, earthy aromas. Bold fruit flavors balanced by a powerfully tannic structure. A wine of depth and complexity. Simply gorgeous. Best after 2012 and will continue to age well for decades. Score: 97
Giuseppe Rinaldi, 2004 Barolo Brunate - Le Coste - $100: Intense nose of red rose and strawberry with a hint of tar. Pure cherry-strawberry flavors layered with licorice and minerals. Classic Barolo of uncommon depth with a tightly tannic structure that will evolve into a masterpiece. Impressive length finishes on a mineral note. Score: 96
Lucio Sandrone, 2004 Barolo Cannubi Boschis - $190: Intense floral bouquet and creamy berry flavors elegantly balanced by supple tannins. Closes on a mineral note. Complex and extremely polished. Score: 94
Massolino Az. Agr. Vigna Rionda, 2004 Barolo Margheria - $94: Ripe red fruit on the nose with licorice nuances and hints of mineral and truffle. Concentrated black cherry flavors with notes of mint and licorice balanced by tooth-coating yet fine tannins. Simply wonderful. Best after 2014. Score: 95
Oddero, 2004 Barolo Bussia Soprana Vigna Mondoca - $86: Rich berry aromas laced with licorice and rose. Restrained flavors of cherry and raspberry with a hint of truffle; still tightly tannic and youthful. A well-structured wine of pedigree that will bloom into a beauty. Best after 2012. Score: 94
Poderi Aldo Conterno, 2004 Barolo - $150: Vibrant nose of lush cherry and rose with a hint of licorice. Creamy cherry flavors layered with more licorice, vanilla and a hint of coffee; superbly balanced with silky smooth tannins. A polished Barolo that still maintains nebbiolo's typicity. Score: 95
Poderi Colla, 2004 Barolo Bussia Dardi Le Rose - $76: Classic bouquet of wild cherry, violet and rose with a hint of leather. Rich, bright black cherry flavors intricately layered with leather, mint, eucalyptus and meat juice balanced by vibrant yet refined tannins. Closes on a pipe tobacco note. A Barolo of depth and complexity. Best after 2012, but will cellar for ages. Score: 96
Renato Ratti, 2004 Barolo Conca - $87: Intense aromas of blackberry and black cherry with hints of cedar and minerals. Lush dark fruit flavors balanced by firm tannins. Long finish concludes on a mineral note. Score: 94
Rivetto, 2004 Barolo Leon - $60: Aromas of ripe dark fruit, earth and smoke. Dark fruit flavors layered with truffle, rosemary and citrus balanced by smooth tannins. Ends on a candied cherry note. Ready now. Score: 91
Rocche Costamagna, 2004 Barolo Bricco Francesco - $65: Exquisite bouquet of violet, crushed berry and tobacco with a wisp of truffle. Rich dark berry flavors layered with pronounced licorice sensations and balanced by smooth tannins. Enjoy now through 2018. Score: 94
Ruggeri Corsini, 2004 Barolo Corsini - $50: Enticing aromas of rose petal, wild cherry and truffle, all of which resonate on the palate. Perfectly balanced by fresh acidity and firm yet fine-grained tannins. Score: 93
Silvio Grasso, 2004 Barolo Giachini - $60: Plum-berry nose with a hint of leather. A mouthful of lush dark fruit balanced by a strong tannic backbone. Ends on a truffle note. Score: 93
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