Barolo Produces Some of the Best Wines in the World

By Josh Perilo

For the most part, I try very hard to stay true to the "Penniless" part of my moniker. There are times, however, when opportunity presents itself and wines appear that are so amazing they must be reviewed and shared with the public, no matter the expense.

That is the case with Barolo.

Made exclusively from the nebbiolo grape, Barolo is from the Piemonte region of northwestern Italy. Like many other old world wines, Barolo's name comes from its place of origin-in this case, a village in Piemonte near Alba. There are actually over half a dozen townships and subregions within Barolo itself that pinpoint exactly where each wine is from, sometimes down to the kilometer.

Why so much fuss over a bottle of wine? A lot of it has to do with tradition. The wines from Barolo have been made in the same way, producing the same intense, garnet-hued red wine, since the mid-19th century. The townships that have perfected this style of wine wear it as a badge of pride-not only that their hills and countrysides are the best in the world for growing this grape (which, arguably, they are) but that their techniques for handling this specific grape are well-honed.

Barolo is traditionally a wine meant to age considerably before drinking, but more and more producers are attempting to make wines that can be available without shoving a bottle away for 10 to 15 years. Some look at this as forward-thinking; others as heresy. The results are, as with all wines, mixed.

I have been lucky enough to try many Barolos over the last several months. Most were great but there were a handful that were truly spectacular-worth the extra splurge.

There are as many styles of Barolo as there are subregions that make the wine itself. One of my favorites is the more floral style of Barolo. The Serralunga Barolo d'Alba 2007 ($29.99 at Beacon Wines and Spirits, 2120 Broadway at 74th St., 212-877-0028) is a terrific and affordable example of this style. Rosewood and fresh-cut violets burst out of the glass and into the nose, and the palate has even more to offer. A pungent bouquet of wildflowers up front leads to a bracingly tannic middle, with sour black cherry on the finish. This is bang for your buck Barolo!

One of the great, venerable producers of Barolo that comes through year after year is Vietti, and their Vietti Barolo Castiglione 2007 ($49.95 at Sherry-Lehmann, 505 Park Ave. at 60th St., 212-838-7500) is no exception. If this wine were a piece of furniture, it would be your favorite old leather recliner-the one everyone fights to sit in. The nose is rife with familiar smells from an English study: cedar, old leather and aged hardwood. The palate unleashes a tannin monster. Beware: While I recommend decanting all Barolos, I might even double decant this one. Once the wine has been given a little time to relax and open up, there is layer upon layer of complexity-bitter chocolates, underripe berries and wisps of pipe smoke, to name a few.

On the subtler, lighter side of Barolo there's the G.D. Vajra Barolo Albe 2006 ($27.99 at Union Square Wines, 140 4th Ave. at 13th St., 212-675-8100). Scents of mild earth and shaved white truffle waft from the glass. Whispers of baked cherry lead to a middle with chalky tannins and an earthy, tightly wound finish. While this one is drinking well now, it's a great example of a wine that will continue to improve over the next decade.

Then there is the Elio Grasso Barolo Rüncot 2004 ($130.69 at Morrell and Company, 1 Rockefeller Plaza, 212-688-9370). To quote Peter Boyle's Frank Barone, holy crap. The nose is intense and sweet, with cedar, pine, and other sweet wood scents. The palate starts with flavor notes of caramelized sugar which morph into molasses then lead to baked fig. The tannins balance the fruit flavors with a pleasant, espresso-like bitterness. The finish is stoic. Elio Grasso has long been one of my favorite producers from this region and they have outdone themselves with this offering. An absolute masterpiece.