Barolo at Borgogno
We taste some very old and utterly delicious Barolo at Borgogno and then eat too much antipasti in a very marvellous place. By Kate
We leave Barberesco after lunch and drive to Barolo to visit the winery and cellars of Borgogno, a winery with a fantastically long history. Founded in 1761, it was owned by the Borgogno family (latterly known as Bosci) until 2008, when it was sold to the Farinetti family. The latter are owners of a small chain of very upmarket food shops called Eataly which is about to go global.
They now also own a number of wineries and since I'm familiar with some of their other brands I wonder about the future for this incredibly historic house. Certainly, the winery is not at all what I expect from a producer of wines with a distinct edge of rusticity to their elegance. We walk first into a very sleek and shiny shop where the wines, particularly the older vintages, are on sale for considerably more than we retail them for. The walls are hung with glossy pictures captioned with the story of Borgogno. It is all a bit Disney-Barolo.
Borgogno own 15 hectares of vineyard from which they produce about 120,000 bottles a year, explains the young lady who is our guide on what is clearly a very well-rehearsed cellar tour. Most of this is Barolo, but they also make Barbera, Dolcetto and Freisa. They make two Barolo’s; one from the Liste vineyard and another which has been labelled Classico and is a blend of grapes from 5 different vineyards, all owned by the family.
They recently lost the right to use the word ‘Classico’ on the label as it is not an official designation (Indeed, no such thing exists in the region) and so these wines will henceforth be labelled simply as Barolo. Fermentation is modern and simple. For the Nebbiolo, this means about 15 days at around 25 degrees in stainless steel, with twice daily pump-overs. They age their Barolo for a minimum of 3 years in wood and one in bottle before release. In many cases, the time in wood (a mixture of large, old Slovenian and French barrels) will be longer.
What makes Borgogno extra special though is the fact that in good or great vintages they like to keep 15% to 20% of production back for release much later. Thanks to this amazing generosity and foresight, we are now selling the 1978 – one of the greatest vintages of the last century. We walk through the ancient cellar, one of the oldest in Barolo, and past the foundation stone of the original winery where the 1761 in relief is still discernable. The old concrete fermentation tanks are now used to store bottles and row up row of these are stacked floor to ceiling. There are around 250,000 bottles stored here. Like Luca Roegna, they open and check every bottle of older wine before releasing it.
Back up to the clinical shop for a tasting around a shiny white table.
2008 Freisa
The Freisa variety is of course one which used to be made sparkling more often than not and which is believed to be related to Nebbiolo, sharing an aromatic profile with its more powerfully built older sibling.
The Borgogno version is truly delicious, kept in wood for a mere 2 – 3 months after fermentation. Soft, slightly bitter red berries with an edge of aromatics. Light, fresh and delicious summer drinking.
2001 Barolo Classico
Lacks quite the same fine elegance of the wines this morning, but wouldn’t turn it down by any means. These wines generally are more rustic but still very delicious examples of Nebbiolo. The nose is more savoury as well, with no hint at all of the aromatics we had earlier. The minerality comes through loud and clear on the palate and the length is delicious and impressive.
2004 Liste – A particularly sunny site, but still these grapes are generally the last to be harvested.
The wine is only produced in the best vintages and in this case spent 5 months in stainless steel and 4 years in wood. This is very lovely indeed and potentially even better than the 2001 which we had last night. 1999, 2001 and 2004 were all classic vintages, showing fresher edge than the 1996 and 2000, which were obviously much warmer vintages that got high Parker scores.
1982 Barolo Riserva
Aged in wood for 5 years, this is in a very savoury phase at the moment with aromas of tomatoes, tea and spice and a goodly dose of smoky minerality.
1978 Barolo Riserva One of the best vintages of the last century, this wine is superlative. The warm red fruit is still in evidence, overlaid with truffles, meat and mineral. The length unfurls like a skein of silk and the finish, which lingers and lingers, is pure spice. This is a very fitting note to on which to finish. Clearly, the cellars of Borgogno remain stuffed with vinous gems.
The new owners want to drastically increase the price of the older wines to theUK
It is precisely the same wine but whereas at £88 a genuine lover of wine can be persuaded to save up and splash out for a very special occasion, the higher price point makes it much more likely to be thrown down the throat of someone who feels it is primarily important to be seen spending money. This is entirely depressing and we feel a bit gloomy.
Christian has the antidote. We drive to Monteforte, a stupidly picturesque little town not too far from Barolo. The Mini van is parked, and we being to climb the almost vertical streets leading up the hill. We climb for quite a long time. Then we climb further still. I am pleased about any exercise which does not involve the lifting of cutlery but we do seem to be heading away from any sign of life. The narrow streets are cold, dark and quiet; only our voices bouncing off the houses make a sound. Then, around a corner, lights appear and we are at Le Casa della Saracca.
This is an extraordinary place. Three houses which have been knocked into one and painstaking transformed into a restaurant and Enoteca with rooms, it is a through-the-rabbit-hole wonderland for grown ups.
Should that be wabbit-hole?
The place is a series of small rooms which seem hewn from rock, the walls left rough and unfinished. Furthest on the right are glass cabinets where hams and salami’s hang, quietly minding their own business, which is the pursuit of aged maturity. There is cheese too and behind the small main room, a narrow corridor which takes you past bigger hocks.
A narrow corridor leads past little caverns stuffed with wine, into the slightly bigger main room which has a bar and a sampling machine. We finish in the tiny alcove beyond that, just big enough for the 5 of us. A glass panel separates us from another ageing space, full of wine, much of it still in wooden boxes.
It is a completely wonderful place and Christian orders champagne while we make short work of the antipasti which arrives just after we sit down. We have not ordered this and neither will we pay for it. It is the belief that wine should be enjoyed with food and so here it is. This is such an amazingly civilized idea that I immediately think about doing this in our next Green & Blue.
Despite the lunch and the fact that dinner is immanent, we finish the first plates and so more are bought. I have only been in Piedmont for 2 days and already the on/off appetite switch in my head appears to have short-circuited. I do not feel particularly bothered by this. Everything just tastes too good. I feel very sure that Kate Moss has never been to Piedmont and if she has, did not eat at the places we have been eating at.
We finally tear ourselves away (not before I make a mental note to return with Jude at some point in the future) and drive to Alba where we are having dinner.
This turns out to be a meal to rival the epic fish fiesta inTuscany
An antipasti of very fresh squid with sliced ceps
It is all sensational. We drink a Riesling from Pliger in Alto Adige, a 2007 Conterno Barbera D’Alba and 2001 Roegna Barolo.
Meals just don’t get any better than this. Mind you, I am so full that sleep is virtually impossible, but it is a small price to pay.
They recently lost the right to use the word ‘Classico’ on the label as it is not an official designation (Indeed, no such thing exists in the region) and so these wines will henceforth be labelled simply as Barolo.
The Borgogno version is truly delicious, kept in wood for a mere 2 – 3 months after fermentation.
The wine is only produced in the best vintages and in this case spent 5 months in stainless steel and 4 years in wood.
1978 Barolo RiservaThe new owners want to drastically increase the price of the older wines to the
It is precisely the same wine but whereas at £88 a genuine lover of wine can be persuaded to save up and splash out for a very special occasion, the higher price point makes it much more likely to be thrown down the throat of someone who feels it is primarily important to be seen spending money.
Christian has the antidote.
This is an extraordinary place. Three houses which have been knocked into one and painstaking transformed into a restaurant and Enoteca with rooms, it is a through-the-rabbit-hole wonderland for grown ups.
We finally tear ourselves away (not before I make a mental note to return with Jude at some point in the future) and drive to Alba where we are having dinner.
This turns out to be a meal to rival the epic fish fiesta in
Meals just don’t get any better than this. Mind you, I am so full that sleep is virtually impossible, but it is a small price to pay.
