This is a classic old-vine Barolo from La Morra which offers the complexity, elegance and power of Nebbiolo

2016 is undoubtedly the best one vintage of this decade. This wine is an excellent example of Barolo from La Morra – full of flavour and elegance. This wine is packed with the signature aromas of wild roses, liquorice, cinnamon and dark chocolate along with powerful tannins. La Morra is one of the most prized villages in Barolo. Paolo Demarie’s vineyard has off-white soils, rich in blue-grey marls. All of the grapes come from a single vineyard, made up of 50 years-old vines. These old vines tend to produce fewer grapes, but they’re better quality. In 2016, Paolo only harvested 5,800 kg of grapes per hectare – way below the permitted 8,000 kg. The vineyard faces south-east, which is a favourable orientation and helps the grapes to ripen well.

Winemaking

In the cellar, the grapes are fermented for 23 days at a controlled temperature of 24-25°C, in stainless steel tanks. During the process, the cap is punched down once per day, and wine is pumped over twice per day, to extract the colour and flavours from the skins. After fermentation is finished, Paolo leaves the wine in contact with the skins for twenty more days. This helps to extract more tannins, giving this Barolo its desired taste and complexity. The wine is aged for 24 months in large, 2,500-litre barrels made from “second-use” Slavonian oak. This wood is less over-bearing than French oak, lending a more delicate taste with hints of black pepper, spice and vanilla. Finally, once the wine is bottled, it spends over two years in the cellar to integrate all the complex tastes and reach its full potential.

Tasting notes

In the glass, this Barolo has a medium garnet colour. It offers a pronounced aroma of black plum, red cherry, wild rose and liquorice, underpinned by notes of vanilla, cinnamon and black pepper. This is complemented by hints of dark chocolate, prune, and meat. In the mouth, the wine is dry, with medium acidity and powerful tannins – as you’d expect from a Barolo of this age. Each sip tastes like plums and dried figs, cinnamon and chocolate, leading into a long finish.

Awards

Decanter World Wine Awards 2021 – Bronze Medal (2016 vintage) | The WineHunter – Rosso (2016 vintage) | James Suckling – 94 points (2016 vintage) | Wine Enthusiast – 90 points (2015 vintage)