Borgogno Langhe Nebbiolo 2021

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

In 2005 Borgogno submitted a cask sample of Barolo for routine evaluation by the regulatory commission who chose to deny the wine its DOCG status, not due to any glaring faults but because the wine was considered stylistically irregular for Barolo. Such was the ire of the 250 year old estate that in every vintage since Borgogno has chosen to voluntarily declassify a cask of their DOCG Barolo – drawn from the famed crus of Cannubi, Fossati and San Pietro – to Langhe Nebbiolo DOC status as “a quiet protest against the bureaucracy that afflicts Italian winemakers.” Borgogno stridently calls the wine ‘No Name’.

“Consumers should take note: this is one of the best values in the world of wine.”
Antonio Galloni, Vinous

About Borgogno

The first wines I drank from Borgogno would be described as rustic often with edgy tannins. With one foot firmly planted in history the estate has evolved to a place where the rustic is now refined, the textures supple, and a good deal of sophistication has come to fruition.

Proprietor Oscar Farinetti has engineered a remarkable turnaround Borgogno over the last few years. Farinetti bought Borgogno at the end of 2007 then promptly sent his son, Andrea, off to oenological school, while the Boschis family continued to make the wines through 2009. Today, the Borgogno range is solid from top to bottom. Andrea Farinetti, just 25, shows flashes of brilliance as a winemaker, but he needs to grow into the important role with which he has been entrusted. Beginning with 2008, Borgogno has expanded their single-vineyard Barolos to include new bottlings from Cannubi and Fossati that join the Liste in the range. I recently had a bottle of the 1931 Borgogno Cannubi and it was stellar. Let’s hope the Farinettis can restore Borgogno to its former glory. Based on his prior track record of success and his sheer will, Oscar Farinetti is not a man I would bet against. Antonio Galloni, Vinous

Borgogno has been undergoing a mini-renaissance with thoughtful progression in the winery and vineyards surrounding their Barolo base, with a little expansion with the purchase of 3 Ha of vineyards in Tortona to make Timorasso in 2015, and, 11 Ha of vineyards in the Madonna di Como area of Alba.

In the Vineyard

The estate covers about 39 hectares, 8 of which are cultivated with woods and 31 with vineyards.

About 60% is cultivated with Nebbiolo, with the remainder divided between Dolcetto, Barbera and Freisa. Five of these hectares are dedicated to the cultivation of white grape varieties, two of Riesling and three of Timorasso.

Borgogno hold the five Barolo cru vineyards: Liste, Cannubi, Cannubi San Lorenzo, Fossati and San Pietro delle Viole.

Like so many around the world Borgogno has shifted to organic practices in the vineyard.

In the Winery

Spontaneous fermentation carried out by indigenous yeasts for about 12 days in concrete tanks, controlled temperature (22 – 25 C initially, 29-30 at the end ), followed by submerged cup maceration for 30 days, stable temperature 29 C. After the racking off, the malolactic fermentation starts, and it lasts about 15 days at 22 C. Ageing: 4 years in Slavonian oak casks (4500L) with a further refining in bottle for 6 mounths.

I love the contrast in the two images below with the old school winemaking kit and the modern concrete fermenters and destemmer.

Where in the World is Borgogno?

Borgogno is based in the very heart of the Barolo region in the Commune of Barolo named after the region. The list of vineyards held covers Liste, Cannubi, and, Cannubi San Lorenzo, Fossati, and San Pietro delle Viole.

If you have a Barolo MGA 360º subscription check out the Cannubi Cru & other Cru’s in exceptional detail.

This 3D flyover is Epic covering each of the communes you can see just how varied and extreme the aspect of each vineyard is and how in the space of a few metres just how dramatically the change.