An Insider’s Guide to Barolo and the Langhe
This article is written by our colleague, Jacqueline Mitchell, a native Californian who is lucky enough to live in the Langhe in Piedmont, Italy, and is a chef at a local favorite trattoria. So a great resource to have on our team and to share interesting, enlightening stories like this one!
In the beginning, my first days working in the Langhe, every day-off I woke up early, grabbed my car keys, and took off exploring the various cities and villages scattered throughout the Langhe vineyards. I never used a map, if I got lost (as I often did), it just meant discovering new off the beaten track places and getting home a little later than planned. However, as the years went on, this habit faded in lieu of errands, appointments and the day-to-day realities of living life creeping in.
Recently, I decided to get back a flash of this initial wanderlust, and one Monday morning, I left my apartment to let my car wind its way out of Alba into the Barolo hills. Passing first through Barolo, then close to Monforte, I found myself pulling into the courtyard of Aldo Clerico’s winery.
Visiting with Aldo
Aldo Clerico’s Monforte winery, where he ages his Barolos.
I’ll admit it, I drive an old junker, and as I arrived Aldo’s first words were 'I am worried about your car, it shouldn’t sound like that! Can I look at the radiator fluid?’ I think this first impression, shows his true personality and character: a practical and overwhelmingly kind man. After my assurances that, yes it is normal that it runs more like a tractor than a car, Aldo guided me into his tasting room for a taste and chat.
There is really no better way to describe the afternoon that followed other than ‘taste and chat’. When with Aldo, the theme of wine is present, yet like the Barolo roads, it seamlessly winds its way through a myriad of other topics. We sipped and talked more about life than anything; about Aldo’s desires to stay a small winery that exemplifies quality over quantity, about mutual commiserations of the thus far poor white truffle harvest this year (Aldo also has truffle dogs and enjoys hunting for the prized truffles in the area), and about changes to the area from Covid-19.
Of course, however, we were sitting in a tasting room with some of the finest wines the Langhe has to offer in front of us. As Aldo lined up his three Barolos, I couldn’t wait to taste and find out what was the difference between these three Barolos. Starting off, we sipped on what he defined as his ‘Classic Barolo’, crafted from the vineyards of Bricco San Pietro surrounding his Monforte home and winery. Aldo explained his philosophy behind the wine as a desire to create an accessible, easy to enjoy yet complex Barolo. As it is not a single-vineyard wine like this other two, he enjoys to take the opportunity to ‘blend’ the best of the best from his Monforte vineyards. Each vineyard is vinified separately, then just before bottling he truly crafts this Barolo by selecting certain vineyards because of their tannins, fruit, or softness, masterfully blending them to create a single classic Barolo that is more an example of what Barolo can be, rather than an example of a particular cru or area. On the contrary, his other two Barolos from Serralunga and the prestigious cru Ginestra, are crafted from single vineyards. These two Barolos, as Aldo explained, are representations of the terroir. Here, the grape truly shines, as Aldo believes a good wine comes from nothing less than an excellent grape.
The three Barolos were amazing in their diversity, from the well-rounded Classic Barolo, to the intense but pleasant Ginestra, and the delicious Serralunga. I asked Aldo if he had a favorite. He smiled as he said it was like picking a favorite child, but his heart was truly embedded in the Ginestra. His first year of production for this wine was in 2014, the same year of the birth of his daughter. In fact, the two handprints on the bottle represent the touch of his two daughters, and for this, he explained, Ginestra is always his most important wine to him.
The Vineyards of Barolo
On my way home, I decided to prolong my ‘tourist moment’ and trace familiar roads throughout the Barolo area. As discussed in a previous article, Barolo wine can only be made in specific, delineated comuni or towns. There are 7 recognized comuni: Barolo, La Morra, Monforte, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto, Novello, and Grinzane Cavour. Additionally, in the 4 comuni of Verduno, Diano d’Alba, Cherasco and Roddi Barolo can be made, but only in certain demarcated areas, not the entire comune. This day, I stuck to the more classic Barolo haunts, starting out in Monforte, traversing eastward to Serralunga, then home through Castiglione Falletto, La Morra, and Grinzane Cavour before arriving in Alba.
A view from above Barolo, seeing the village center and castle.
As I drove, I occasionally spotted workers harvesting the the last nebbiolo grape clusters destined for Barolo bottles, thinking about where that vineyard was located and how that soil changed those grapes. Barolos, like Aldo Clerico’s single-vineyard Serralunga Barolo, that have the benefit of coming from the eastern end of Barolo production and feature an older soil. The soil here has a more chalky, limestone consistency, and being a thinner overall layer of soil, many believe it causes the vine roots to grow deeper helping develop rich tannins and flavors. In general, aficionados live by the rule that Barolos from this area are very age-worthy and do better with time in the cellar.
Heading back towards the western area near La Morra, the soil becomes more clay-like with a bit of sandy texture mixed in. While both regions were once sea-beds, around La Morra, the soil is younger by several million years. Generally, it is believed that this different soil creates Barolos that have a little less tannins and body and can be enjoyed younger than their Serralunga counterparts.
During my afternoon with Aldo however, he explained that, yes, the soils can make a difference, but a lot of differences come down to each winery and how they handle the vines, grapes, and vinification. All Barolos, by law, must be aged a minimum of 3 years, with 18 months minimum in barrels. However, as Aldo explained, there is a lot of changes that happen in the vineyards and even in the initial processing of the grapes. So, while there are regulations for consistency, each winemaker has a multitude of ways to add their own personal touches, methods, and beliefs. This means, he told me in classic Aldo fashion, drink what you like! Some comuni will produce wines that are easier to drink and enjoy, other comuni Barolos that have more tannins and more body, but in the end, each winery will come up with different results based on their methods.
As I drove home, I thought about Aldo’s warmth and as I looked outside at the beautiful rolling Langhe hills I was reminded of why I fell in love with this area in 2011 and never left. It’s more than just good food and wine; it’s the people, natural beauty, and most importantly the attitude. The idea that to fully explore an area or a region, you need to taste and try. So my lesson learned from Italy and Aldo Clerico? Experiment and try, discover which you like, and enjoy it to the fullest.
Taste the Lands of Barolo, One of the Kings of Italy
