Italian wine twins: What you need to know about Barolo and Barbaresco
Made from the same grape, the wines of Barolo and Barbaresco are perfumed and complex, with each region offering its own unique characteristics.
(Artwork: Jasper Loh)
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Barolo and Barbaresco, two wine regions spread across the Langhe hills in northwestern Italy’s Piedmont, make some of Italy’s finest wines, often with a stunning combination of elegance and complexity. Both regions –essentially neighbours separated by the town of Alba – can be tricky to understand, though.
Barolo and Barbaresco make wines from the same red grape variety, Nebbiolo. However, each region has its own unique geographical and geological features, resulting in wines that are (often) stylistically different from each other but still share the main characteristics of a Nebbiolo – high acidity, aroma of roses and notes of cherries. In short, Barolo and Barbaresco are two sides of the same coin.
DIFFERENT WINES BUT STYLES DO OVERLAP
Located southwest of Alba, Barolo is the bigger region of the two, with almost 2,000 hectares of vineyards. The appellation consists of 11 villages: Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d’Alba, Cherasco, Diano d’Alba, Grinzane Cavour, Novello, La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Roddi, and Verduno.
Barbaresco, located northeast of Alba near the Tanaro river, is home to 677 hectares of vineyards and comprises the four villages of Barbaresco, Neive, San Rocco Seno d’Elvio, and Treiso.
Both Barolo and Barbaresco make wines under the DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) label, the highest appellation classification for Italian wine – only Nebbiolo grapes from the regions’ south-facing vineyards are allowed for the production of DOCG wines. Both regions also have calcareous marl soil, a kind of lime-rich clay-based soil; however, the soil in Barbaresco is softer, sandier and higher in nutrients, characteristics that result in wines that are usually softer and less tannic than Barolo’s.
Apart from the soil, Barbaresco’s environment also plays a part in shaping its wine style. “On average, Barbaresco is 50 metres lower in elevation when compared with Barolo, so it receives a higher temperature. Barbaresco is also more influenced by the Tanaro river, especially for the communes of Neive and Barbaresco,” said Chan Wai Xin, a wine educator and Italian wine expert. “These factors contribute to the grapes’ earlier ripening in the vineyard and subsequent shorter maceration period.”
Thus, both wines have different ageing requirements before they are released. Barbaresco must be aged for 26 months, with a minimum of nine months in oak. Barolo undergoes a longer period to soften its stronger tannins and bolder flavours – it must be aged for 38 months, with at least 18 months in oak.
Most wine textbooks will tell you that the fuller, more tannic Barolo has better ageing potential and thus deserve some time in your cellar, while Barbaresco is usually meant to be drunk younger. It is a useful theory but one that is not set in stone. Chan said such an observation is a “simplistic generalisation” of Barolo and Barbaresco as there are times when a Barolo can taste like Barbaresco and vice versa.
“Within Barolo, if we compare the wines from the communes of La Morra and Serralunga d’Alba, we have two different styles of Barolo. La Morra will be rounder with a richer fruit aroma, [resulting in] a Barolo that is approachable at an earlier age. Serralunga d’Alba’s is often bone-dry with cherry notes and a very textured mouthfeel,” he explained. “The former will be closer to a ‘typical’ Barbaresco while the latter is what people would call your ‘typical’ Barolo.”
“Similarly, in Barbaresco, if we take the wines of Neive and Treiso, we will get two different wine styles: Neive gives a fleshier, more luscious wine, whereas Treiso gives a wine that is leaner with angular acidity; a ‘harder’ Barbaresco,” he added.
The idea that Barolo should be strictly made as a wine that is tannic and intense is also an outdated concept these days. In the 1980s, the region saw the emergence of the Barolo Wars, a battle of winemaking ideologies between two factions the media coined as the traditionalists and the modernists. The former were steadfast in their old ways: Higher yields, long maceration, and extended ageing in large oak casks. The latter opted for lower yields, shorter fermentation, and shorter ageing in small French oak barriques, which introduced vanilla notes that tamed the tannins and made the wine more drinkable at a younger age.
Today, the Barolo Wars are dead as disco; a truce has been reached. Zachary Tay, head sommelier of wine bar La Terre, said he has noticed the distinction between the traditionalists and the modernists blurring in recent years. After the Barolo Wars petered out, both camps, he added, acknowledged each other’s strengths and began integrating them into their winemaking methods.
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Tay reckons it’s too early to say if this combination of old and new winemaking will be beneficial to Barolo in the long run. “The Barbarescos and Barolos of recent years are much approachable than those from 10 years ago,” he said. “Whether this style allows for Barbaresco and Barolo to age and improve for decades [in the bottle] remains to be seen. In today’s current climate where most drinkers seek instant gratification, winemakers are only responding to market demands.”
“But many consumers and even some F&B professionals still have the misconception that you can’t drink a Nebbiolo if it’s less than 10 years old,” added Tay. “I think [the approachable wines] would help change this incorrect perception but it would require an industry-wide effort.”
Looi Wan Teng, owner of Luigi’s Wines, a wine importer specialising in Italian wines, said Barolo and Barbaresco would appeal to fine wine drinkers who love elegance and aromatic complexity. “They tend to be Pinot Noir or Burgundy drinkers, but some of these ‘crossover’ drinkers may struggle a bit with the higher level of acidity and tannins in Nebbiolo, which can create a ‘prickly’ sensation in the wine that, to me, is not uncommon in Italian wine,” he said. “But this combination, with the firm but fine tannins, is what makes Barolo and Barbaresco truly unique, even in the Italian context.”
CNA Luxury picks three Barolos and two Barbarescos for your next wine party.
PIO CESARE, BAROLO 2018
Currently managed by fifth-generation owner Federica Boffa, the renowned Pio Cesare winery owns about 70 hectares of vineyards across Piedmont. This flagship Barolo is made from Nebbiolo sourced from Serralunga d’Alba, Grinzane Cavour, La Morra, Novello, and their recently acquired vineyard in Monforte. Ageing is done in large French oak barrels for 30 months, with a small amount in barriques. The wine offers excellent structure, freshness, notes of cherries, and soft tannins.
S$110, from Grand Vin
FRANCESCO RINALDI, ‘BRUNATE’ BAROLO 2018
Established in 1870, Francesco Rinaldi remains till this day a Barolo traditionalist. The Brunate’s fruit comes from two hectares of vineyards in La Morra and Barolo. Aged for three years in large Slavonian oak barrels (5,000 litres capacity), the wine is classic Barolo, offering a tannic, linear profile with notes of cherries, roses, and grilled meat. It’s still a youthful ambrosia that will benefit from a few years of cellaring.
S$133, from Luigi’s Wines
CORDERO DI MONTEZEMOLO, ‘MONFALLETTO’ BAROLO 2018
The Cordero di Montezemolo estate sources its grapes from only organic-certified vineyards on the hills around Alba. Made from grapes from vineyards in La Morra, the Monfalletto is the winery’s signature Barolo. Cordero di Montezemolo calls it a Barolo “that can be enjoyed from an early age”. The wine is aged in various types of French and Slovenian wood for a period of 18 to 24 months. Expect notes of cherries or raspberries intertwined with spices and floral notes.
S$146, from ewineasia
GAJA, SORI SAN LORENZO, BARBARESCO 2020
Gaja is a name synonymous with modern Barbaresco winemaking – fourth-generation winemaker Angelo Gaja is largely credited for introducing small barrique-ageing to the region in the 1970s. The Sori San Lorenzo is a single vineyard bottling that remains a critic’s favourite. The 2020 vintage is a brooding, full-bodied wine offering a profile of cassis, mustard, liquorice, and herbs.
S$888, from Pinnacle Wine & Spirits
CIGLIUTI ‘BRICCO DI NEIVE, VIE ERTE’ BARBARESCO 2019
One of the small but renowned producers of Barbaresco, the Cigliuti family has been running the eponymous winery for four generations. With fruit sourced from Bricco di Neive, the Vie Erte is powerful, savoury and rather tannic, and, if served blind, could be easily mistaken for a Burgundy from Gevrey-Chambertin. Its soya and balsamic notes lend a gentle umami character to the wine.
S$93, from Luigi’s Wines
