Size & Type
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Nebbiolo from Piedmont, Monforte d'Alba, Italy, Bussia, Barolo
$175
Moving to Monforte at the top of Bussia we see the hallmarks of the top Bussia. The acid tannin complex is true to the form for the commune showing a playful grip. Bright red fruit with a certain delicacy combine with energetic acid.
Again a beautiful perfume with a dark mineral slatey edge. Blood orange and a little phenol. Another great example of grape first Barolo showing its part of the commune of Monforte. Like the Monrobiolo a few more years in bottle will see this resolve, build and offer a complete expression of Nebbiolo.
***Due 2nd Half August 2023***
In stock
Barale had not bottled most of their 2019s Barolos when I stopped by in November to taste. “Harvest started on October 12,” Elenora Barale told me. “We gave the wines 15 days on the skins, as we did not think it was a year for extended macerations.” Barale has come on strong in recent years. I am looking forward to revisiting these wines once they have been bottled.
Antonio Galloni
On the edge of Barolo village, just a few metres down and across the cobblestones of the via Roma from Cantina Bartolo Mascarello, is the unprepossessing cantina frontage to one of the most exciting discoveries in my many years of going to the Langhe. It’s not as though Barale just emerged, but these firmly traditional wines are now being made to the full potential of the family’s remarkable vineyards and this unforced, traditional style is now being fully appreciated.
Barale present a catalogue of superb, authentic Barolo and a cru Barbaresco, bell-clear Piemontese varietals, Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto, along with a slight twist in the form of a wonderful metodo classico – as good a sparkler as I’ve ever had in Italy. Another great asset is a wonderful, typically far-sighted museum collection, an archive the last 2 decades of Barale winemaking. Oh, and that Chinato, all elegant, fragrant and addictive.
The Barale family have in fact been at it for centuries and while they are amongst the first recorded producers of Barolo wine, from 1870, they appear in the village register of the early 1600s as owners of parts of some pretty familiar vineyard names; Coste di Rose, Cannubi, Castellero and Preda. The current custodians, Sergio Barale and his daughters Eleonora and Gloria owe their heritage to the acquisition, over generations, of vineyards in not only Barolo comune, but also in Monforte d’Alba and Barbaresco. By the 1970’s the family had brought more Cannubi and added Monrobiolo (in Barolo) and some Bussia (in Monforte) and into the 90’s had virtually swapped their long-held Rabaja vineyard in Barbaresco for some Serraboella in Neive planted in 1969. All this covers only 20 ha, with Sergio tailoring his plantings almost precisely only to the best soil and aspect combinations. Virtually the whole of Cannubi was replanted at the end of the 2007 vintage, and although just back in production, it’s with startling results. Vineyards are everything to Barale.
The initial approach is the same for all the reds; delicate crushing in order to keep skins intact, fermentation with indigenous yeasts, controlled temperature and maceration with frequent basting of the skins. The fermentation vessel, temperatures and macerations change according to the grape.
While based in Barolo, Barale makes this beautiful wine from the Serraboella vineyard in Nieve, Barbaresco. This wine comes from San Giovanni on the Bricco immediately outside the village – therefore strictly speaking Barolo commune but effectively it’s just as much Bussia. On calcareous sand facing south-east.
The 2019 Barolo Bussia is terrific. Rich, deep and explosive, the 2019 possesses tremendous intensity, with a rush of dark fruit, leather, spice, menthol and licorice. A Barolo of brooding power and intensity, the Bussia is an old-school, strapping wine with tons of personality. As good as the Bussia is, its potential here is even greater. This beguiling and complex wine really captures the mystique of Nebbiolo.
Where in the world does the magic happen?
Barale Fratelli, Via Roma, Barolo, Piedmont, Province of Cuneo, Italy
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