Wine Legend: Gaja, Barbaresco 2001
Why it makes the Decanter hall of fame...
Nebbiolo is arguably Italy’s greatest red grape variety, responsible for the great reds of Barolo and Barbaresco.
The thick-skinned grape produces a range of fabulous violet and rose-like perfumes and flavours of truffle, fennel, liquorice and tar. It’s a tricky grape variety to grow but rewards growers with good acidity and plenty of tannins. Its elegance and ability to translate terroir has been likened to that of Pinot Noir in Burgundy.
Nebbiolo is named after the ‘nebbia’, or fog, which enshrouds the limestone hills of Monforte around Alba.
Small quantities are grown in California and Australia, although it has yet to show the pedigree of its Italian counterpart.
Why it makes the Decanter hall of fame...
Find out what John Stimpfig has to say about Pio Cesare's 2013s...
A 'potentially exceptional' vintage...
Autumn is the time to find some truffles...
Where's best for Italophiles in New York...
Rivetto is typical of a new generation of enthusiastic and inquisitive growers...
In terms of Nebbiolo, the late Bartolo Mascarello only did one thing...
Jane Anson gets the inside story on Vietti...
What are the best Burgundy alternatives?
One victim speaks to Decanter.com...
Vietti winery sold to US convenience store owner...
Stephen Brook gives his verdict, tasting notes and drinking windows on top Barolos from Serralunga.
Enrico Rivetto, a fourth-generation Langhe winemaker whose great-grandfather set up shop in the centre of Alba in 1902, has strong views on modern technology.
Wine lovers would probably choose to visit Piedmont in October, when the late-ripening Nebbiolo grapes are luscious on the vines, while truffle hunters might plump for the frosty November fogs, when the delicate white truffles of Alba are advertised on chalk boards outside local trattorias in every village, and haggled over in open air markets.
It’s time for Piedmont’s ‘other’ great Nebbiolo wine to stop being seen as the perennial bridesmaid to Barolo, says Ian D’Agata. Barbaresco is just as good and (whisper it) in some cases better, especially when it comes to price
Michael Garner finds out what’s behind an unprecedented string of strong vintages...
Barolo producer Giacomo Conterno has purchased the prized nine-hectare Arione vineyard to the south of Serralunga d’Alba from Cantina Gigi Rosso.
As Bordeaux’s pricing woes continue, interest in Italy as a fine wine investment vehicle grows, with SuperTuscans and Barolos leading the way. Ella Lister analyses the hot prospects
Held in high esteem, Serralunga Barolos have at the same time earned a reputation as fierce and tannic beasts. Yet today's wines are more approachable than ever, finds Stephen Brook
1978 was the one vintage that really put Barolo on the map. Since then there have been enormous changes in both vineyard and cellar, as well as global warming. So has this changed the intrinsic character of the wines? Tom Maresca reports...