BAROLO DOCG 2020 [Monchiero Carbone] 75cl

Medium Body, Dry (Nebbiolo). Barolo DOCG. Alc 14.5%.

90 pts Wine Spectator; 90 pts Wine Enthusiast.

Famous Italian red from vines located on Roero's famous neighbouring hills of Barolo (in the famous Langhe region), made at prestigious Roero* winery (north of the Tanaro river), by 4th generation winemaker and president of Roero wine consortium!

Nose hits you with redcurrants and violets, but also a touch of leather and truffles. Bright acidity with nice tannic structure. Approachable despite its youth, so try now ... but definitely a bottle worth laying down too (if you have the will power).

2020 - the Covid vintage!

4.5* (out of 5) = "Excellent to Exceptional" ... "This promises to be an excellent, perhaps even outstanding vintage for Barolo and Barbaresco; indeed some producers believe 2020 to be a better vintage for Nebbiolo than the powerful year of 2019." - WSG vintage report for Piedmont 2020 (wsg/piedmont-vintage-chart).

”[2020] showcases some of the best balance between fruit concentration and structure for longer aging ... The 2020 vintage was marked by a mild winter, refreshed by constant rain during May, June and July. The summer was free of heatwaves and the high diurnal range in September kept acidity levels high. Overall we classify this vintage as balanced. ... In the majestic triad of 2019, 2020 and 2021, the middle vintage is probably the easier to drink now: tannins are lower and less aggressive, softer mid-palates and fruitier aromas.  Why is that? By examining the data month by month, the mild winter accelerated the growing season (even though the spring rains balanced it), and the absence of heatwaves has preserved an overall lighter structure (colour, tannins, and mid-palates). This is also the year of COVID: winemakers had the opportunity to be more present in the vineyards every day without travelling all over the world. The experience of 2018 helped greatly: the producers were able to prevent and work through the heavy rains during spring.  We believe overall, when it comes down to the communal Barolos, that 2020 is overall a better quality vintage than 2019: the wines are more exciting, nuanced and precise even if with a shorter ageing potential.” - Substack articles by Nelson Pari: nelsonpari.substack.com/p/2021-barolo and nelsonpari.substack.com/p/2020-barolo

MEET THE WINERY: Click here to read more background on this family-run estate.

From the winery:

"Barolo, like Barbaresco and Roero, is a wine of exception quality, produced by Nebbiolo grapes. It has boasted the Controlled Designation of Origin status since 1980. An ambassador of Italian wine all over the world, the Barolo owes its origins to Camillo Benso, count of Cavour, who towards the mid 1800s began experimenting in the production of a wine which used the “michet”, “lampia” and “rosé” sub-varieties of the Nebbiolo vine. This led to the creation of a wine destined to become the piece de resistance of the Savoy dynasty, which was then offered as a gift to all the royal courts in Europe.

There are no compromises when it comes to the “king of wine”: a long aging process, first in wood, then in bottles, is the only way to reach excellence and to develop those refined and pungent aromas which distinguish the maturity of Barolo.

The maximum yield allows 80 quintals of grapes per hectare; in addition, rigorous pruning and thinning of the bunches during the summer entail a very limited fruit production. The grapes are picked mid-October, following a slow fermentation and long maceration, during which the wine enriches itself with all the natural elements present in the skin. After racking, the wine is poured into wooden barrels, where it completes its malolactic fermentation and remains for at least 18 months. The Barolo completes its aging in a bottle for another year, before making its debut on the market."

Winery notes:

Colour: intense ruby red, tends towards garnet-red once aged.

Nose: round, strong, spiced, with floral and fruity hints.

Taste: full and elegant taste, well-structured with highly-elegant and well- balanced tannins, and a long and harmonious after-taste.

Food pairings: it goes well with meat ravioli, red meat dishes, boiled meat, braised meats and game. It is ideal with sheep and goat “toma” cheeses swell as aged hard paste cheeses.

LEARN MORE: Follow this link to a podcast by Wine For Normal People that's useful for understanding more about the grape NEBBIOLO!

* To get an idea of how ROERO DOCG differs from BAROLO DOCG watch the Winefolly video HERE, where a Barolo is opened to compare with the PRINTI by Monchiero Carbone. You can also click HERE to find out more about PRINTI and buy a bottle of the various vintages we stock.