This Barolo is one of the wines from my collection that requires patience, which will definitely be rewarded if you taste such beverages at the best moment, at the peak of their development.
This bottle attracted my attention long time ago, but knowing the characteristics of Barolo and their potential for aging, I firmly decided to wait until it would have at least fifteen years old. It would be a shame to open such wine before it fully opens up. The reward for patience was a unique, harmonious wine with a strong structure and a complex, developed, but not faded bouquet.
Nebbiolo – the main and only permitted variety for Barolo
Nebbiolo is an ancient variety, known since the 13th century, according to the archives of the city of Turin, under the name of Nibiol, and was the most widespread variety in Piedmont. One of the most common versions of the origin of the name “Nebbiolo” is a derivative of the Italian word “nebbia”, which means “fog”, with a reference to the autumn fog that covers the hills of Piedmont during the harvest of Nebbiolo. According to another version, “nebbia” is not a fog, but a whitish haze covering the skin of ripe berries. Over the centuries of Nebbiolo’s existence, the variety has acquired several mutations and clones:
- Nibbiolo Lampia is the most common
- Nebbiolo Michet is a form of the previous variety, formed as a result of infection with the grapevine fanleaf virus
- Nebbiolo Rosé is a pink Nebbiolo, which today is considered as an independent variety, and not a clone of Nebbiolo
- Nebbiolo Bollo is a previously common, but now rare variety
Nebbiolo has a long vegetative cycle – the bud break occurs early, but the grapes ripen quite late. The variety is also quite picky about soils, preferring a mixture of marl and limestone, especially in the north and south of Alba and on the right bank of the river Tanaro (which is precisely the area of Barbaresco and Barolo, famous for the quality of their Nebbiolo wines). Like Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo offers a surprisingly vivid reflection of the terroir and is capable of producing wines with a multilayered palette of nuances, high acidity and rich tannins. Here are just some of the aromas characteristic of wines from Nebbiolo: resin, rose, violet, wet leaves, licorice, dried cherry…
Barolo Terroir
The appellation is located in the south-eastern part of Piedmont, at the foothills of the Alps. Most of it is steep hills and slopes are facing south. The soils here are mainly a mixture of marl and limestone of marine origin, rich in magnesium and manganese or iron, depending on the site. It is here, surrounded by the Alps and the Apennines, under the sun and on such special soils that Nebbiolo matures sufficiently and shows its best in wines that will not even appear on the market for at least five years after the harvest (according to the requirements of the appellation), and will require at least twice as much patience.
Tasting: Bovio 2006 – Barolo
The Bovio winery produces elegant Barolos using traditional methods, in a classic style. Careful and meticulous work in the vineyards, selection of plots producing wines with different characteristics, long maceration, aging in large oak “botti” barrels and subsequent maturation in concrete vats – Nebbiolo from Bovio is an example of both classic Barolo and is able to reveal the individuality of individual Barolo Crus.
Color: garnet, medium intensity
Nose: expressive, slightly jammy, with delicate notes of dried berries (dried black cherry, dried raspberry, dried cranberry, dried strawberry, strawberry jam), black olives, and dried thyme. The wine gradually opens up in the glass, acquiring mineral (graphite), resinous and spicy hints (clove, cumin), and then floral (dried cornflowers, violet, dried rose), coffee, bitter almond, cherry stone, dried and fresh herbs (rosemary, dried basil, fresh and dried peppermint), cocoa and dried black berries (blackcurrant, blackberry and blueberry). Characteristic tertiary notes (dried porcini mushrooms and truffles) are noticeable, but pleasant and delicate.
Palate: First of all, powerful, but velvety, “polished” by time, tannins and high acidity, characteristic of Nebbiolo are felt. The bouquet first reveals herbal notes of dried and fresh peppermint, basil and rosemary, complemented by the fruity acidity of dried raspberry, black cherry, fresh sweet cherry, black and red currant, as well as a mineral note of graphite, tertiary hints of white truffle, resin and dried rose. A long, developing finish and a complex bouquet.
Overall impression and quality: a fine Barolo at the peak of its development, which has retained youthful notes, acquired delicate nuances of maturity and an elegant tannic structure.
Matching with food: A classic is fresh white truffle, but the wine is perfect on its own, which is even better to fully appreciate it.
