This is a classic old-vine Barolo from La Morra which offers the complexity, elegance and power of Nebbiolo

2016 is undoubtedly the best one vintage of this decade. This wine is an excellent example of Barolo from La Morra - full of flavour and elegance. This wine is packed with the signature aromas of wild roses, liquorice, cinnamon and dark chocolate along with powerful tannins. La Morra is one of the most prized villages in Barolo. Paolo Demarie's vineyard has off-white soils, rich in blue-grey marls. All of the grapes come from a single vineyard, made up of 50 years-old vines. These old vines tend to produce fewer grapes, but they're better quality. In 2016, Paolo only harvested 5,800 kg of grapes per hectare - way below the permitted 8,000 kg. The vineyard faces south-east, which is a favourable orientation and helps the grapes to ripen well.

Winemaking

In the cellar, the grapes are fermented for 23 days at a controlled temperature of 24-25°C, in stainless steel tanks. During the process, the cap is punched down once per day, and wine is pumped over twice per day, to extract the colour and flavours from the skins. After fermentation is finished, Paolo leaves the wine in contact with the skins for twenty more days. This helps to extract more tannins, giving this Barolo its desired taste and complexity. The wine is aged for 24 months in large, 2,500-litre barrels made from "second-use" Slavonian oak. This wood is less over-bearing than French oak, lending a more delicate taste with hints of black pepper, spice and vanilla. Finally, once the wine is bottled, it spends over two years in the cellar to integrate all the complex tastes and reach its full potential.

Tasting notes

In the glass, this Barolo has a medium garnet colour. It offers a pronounced aroma of black plum, red cherry, wild rose and liquorice, underpinned by notes of vanilla, cinnamon and black pepper. This is complemented by hints of dark chocolate, prune, and meat. In the mouth, the wine is dry, with medium acidity and powerful tannins - as you'd expect from a Barolo of this age. Each sip tastes like plums and dried figs, cinnamon and chocolate, leading into a long finish.

Awards

Decanter World Wine Awards 2021 - Bronze Medal (2016 vintage) | The WineHunter - Rosso (2016 vintage) | James Suckling - 94 points (2016 vintage) | Wine Enthusiast - 90 points (2015 vintage)

Award-winning single-vineyard Barolo wine from the Ravera cru. Flavours of rose, red cherry, chocolate and espresso.

This Barolo wine comes from the Ravera cru in Novello. The vineyard is planted at an altitude of 390 metres, and has a south-facing exposure. The vines are 25 years old, and Guyot-trained.

Winemaking

The Broccardo family style is to preserve and capture the nuances of each cru vineyard they own. This Barolo Ravera is no different. After the grapes are pressed, the juice is drained by gravity. Filippo Broccardo, the winemaker, doesn't use mechanical pumps so that the juice is not "disturbed".

Fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats for 15 days, at a controlled temperature of 25-29 °C. During this period, the cap is punched down once every day. This helps the wine to absorb more colour and flavour from the skins. This Barolo wine is aged in a combination of large French and Slavonian oak barrels for 24 months. Finally, the wine is bottled and ages for another 24 months.

Only 3,000 bottles of Broccardo Barolo Ravera are produced each year.

Tasting notes

This Barolo wine has a typical garnet colour, but of a slightly darker hue. Straight out of the bottle, this Barolo Ravera bursts with aromas of rose, red cherry, mint and dried cranberry, with tempting notes of chocolate cherry liqueurs and espresso.

Awards

Decanter World Wine Awards - Silver Medal (2017 vintage) | The WineHunter – Rosso (2017 vintage) | James Suckling - 93 points (2017 vintage) | Wine Enthusiast - 91 points (2017 vintage) | Gambero Rosso - Two Red Glasses (2017 vintage)

Award-winning Barolo from cru vineyards in La Morra and Monforte: dried raspberries, violets, cinnamon and dark chocolate

This particular Barolo by Francone is definitely one of my favourites. It is made in the “classic” style, using long fermentation and ageing in large oak barrels. This way, Francone is able to preserve the precious natural flavour of the grape.

And yet this Barolo is very drinkable and not overly tannic – it won’t dry your mouth. To tame the Nebbiolo’s powerful tannings, Francone ages his wine for 30 months – which is much longer than 18 months required by the disciplinare. The resulting wine is well-balanced and just delicious to drink.

Winemaking

Vineyards: Bricco Chiesa MGA, La Morra, 260 metres above sea level; Ravera di Monforte MGA, Monforte d'Alba, 400 metres above sea level.

Grapes are harvested by hand in the first week of October, when they are perfectly ripe. After crushing, grapes undergo fermentation for 22 days in stainless steel vats, at a controlled temperature between 24-28°C. For the first 16 days, the wine is fermented on grapes skins to extract flavours and tannins. Then, the skins are removed, and the wine continues fermentation for another six days.

Following the malolactic fermentation, the wine is transferred for refinement in French oak barrels for 30 months. By using medium-sized oak barrels of 700 litre and 1200 litre, Francone is able to introduce visible hints of oak, but not overpower the natural flavour of the grape. Finally, the wine is bottles and stored in the cellar for at least six months, where it finishes its integration and development.

One very important thing is that Francone Barolo has an incredibly low level of sulphites: about 39 mg /l of SO2.

Tasting notes

In the glass, this Barolo has a medium garnet colour. It offers flavours of dried violet flowers, dried raspberry and dark fruits - think of cherry and blackberry. The flavours from oak are quite delicate, because the wine was aged in large second-use oak barrels. Expect hints of cinnamon, cloves, and a touch of dark chocolate. The wine is dry and full-bodied. It's still rather young, so do expect a high level of tannins, but they are balanced and the wine is already quite drinkable.

Ageing potential

20 years

Awards

Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 - Silver Medal (2018 vintage) | The Wine Hunter - "Rosso" (2016 vintage) | The Wine Enthusiast - 90/100 points