Barolo, Italy

You’ll often hear Barolo associated with some of Italy’s greatest wines. This is because the wine here is grown at altitudes with south-facing slopes (towards the sunlight) allowing the grapes to ripen slowly developing perfumed aromas, sour cherries, herbs, and floral characteristics. Barolo’s are infamous for being the biggest and boldest of the black variety Nebbiolo. In the best years, Barolo will develop high acidity and high tannin with a full body and the potential to continue to develop its characteristics within the bottle. Many Barolo’s will actually benefit in complexity and structure from further bottle aging. These wines can be sourced from different villages or purely from one village, which would then be stated on the label. The best wines here will come from a single-named vineyard or “cru.” In Barolo DOCG, the primary designated area, the wine must be made entirely from the Nebbiolo grape, spend 18 months in oak, and aged for three years before release.