Barolo is the king of wines, they say, and today more than ever one is inclined to agree. Not only because it is so majestic with all its richness, massive tannins and power. It also never subordinates itself.
Good Barolo cannot be drunk on the side, it demands attention, patience and understanding like hardly any other wine in this world. Above all, its tannins are often misunderstood. They are often enormously present even and especially in first-class Barolo and tend to scare off inexperienced wine drinkers. Yet healthy Barolo tannin is never brittle, but taut and astringent in a mouth-watering way. It is thanks to this and the natural acidity of the Nebbiolo, from which a Barolo must be 100 per cent vinified, that this powerful wine never seems heavy in the hands of good producers, but racy and exciting - regardless of style.
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| Vineyards in front of Barolo Castle |
For half a century now, a dispute has been simmering in the area between traditionalists, who reject barrique barrels and tasting new wood, and modernists, who shorten the skin contact to keep the tannin in check and give their wines the finishing touch in new wood. Today, it is impossible to say that one camp makes better wine than the other; both have outstanding interpretations of Barolo. But only those who also love the classic versions can say they have understood Barolo.
We tasted 245 Barolos, about half of them from the 2008 vintage, the rest from various older vintages.