Barolo comes from the hills south of Alba, in an area of eleven municipalities that includes Barolo, La Morra, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d'Alba, Monforte d'Alba and parts of Novello, Grinzane Cavour, Verduno, Diano d'Alba, Cherasco and Roddi. It became a DOC in 1966 and a DOCG in 1980. Today the vineyard area exceeds two thousand hectares, at altitudes between 170 and 540 metres: the hillside band where Nebbiolo ripens late and fully.
The regulations allow a single grape, Nebbiolo, and demand patience: at least 38 months of ageing from the harvest, 18 of them in wood, rising to 62 for the Riserva. Minimum alcohol is 13 degrees. Since 2010 labels may carry one of 181 additional geographical mentions, the individual vineyards and hamlets that producers have always distinguished by name. Barolo Chinato, flavoured with cinchona and spices, starts from this base but is a product in its own right.
In the glass the colour is garnet with an orange rim that deepens with age; the nose moves from violet and cherry to notes of tar, leather and tobacco. Its tannic structure and acidity give it a long life and point it towards braised meats, roasts, game and aged cheeses.
