A progressive balance of contemporary and traditional techniques have transformed the otherwise unyielding Nebbiolo grape.
For the uninitiated, the formidable Barolo is a full-bodied Italian red wine produced in the Piedmonte region of northwest Italy from the idiosyncratic and indigenous Nebbiolo grape.
Curtis marsh reports on modern-day Barolo and Barbaresco where a progressive balance of contemporary and traditional techniques have transformed an otherwise unyielding style of red.
Like many of the Old World wine regions, there was an inherited resistance to change in Piedmont, with the old guard Barolo and Barbaresco winemakers obstinately adhering to time-honoured traditions and techniques. Indeed, Barolo was seemingly cemented in time with little variance from the winemaking methods introduced in the early 1800s by French oenologist Louis Oudert.
Curtis Marsh confesses he cannot get enough Nebbiolo, indeed more than just a passing phase, it is becoming an obsession.
It is not often that I have a preoccupation for a single variety; after all, I do purport to have a ‘wandering palate’. I was for a period last year, fixated with Sangiovese or Chianti Classico to be more precise, having been to Tuscany twice in three months and totally besotted in the idyllic countryside and indigenous produce. Although I remain an advocate, this infatuation has diminished somewhat with the passage of time.
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