Oddero is one of the historic family estates of La Morra, and this is Barolo in its classical register: Nebbiolo from the hills of the Langhe, fermented dry and built to last. The 2017 vintage was a warm, dry year across Piedmont, and the wines that came out of it are open and generous early, with the structure still underneath.
- Nebbiolo, the only grape permitted in Barolo.
- Barolo DOCG, Piedmont, northern Italy.
- 2017, a warm and dry vintage in the Langhe.
- 14.5% alcohol, full body, high tannin, high acidity.
- Dry, with a long, persistent finish.
How it is made
Barolo DOCG rules are strict: the wine must be entirely Nebbiolo, and it must age for a minimum of 38 months before release, of which at least 18 in wood. Nebbiolo is a late-ripening grape with thick skins and high natural acidity, and it takes the long macerations and long ageing that the appellation demands. The result is a wine that is pale in the glass and heavy in structure, which is one of the contradictions that makes Barolo worth knowing.
How it tastes
Rose petal and tar sit at the front, then red cherry, then something spiced and darker underneath, closer to liquorice and dried flowers. The tannins are firm and grippy, the acidity high, and the two together are what carry the wine across a very long finish. It is dry, full-bodied, and more ethereal than its weight suggests.
Where it comes from
Barolo is a small zone in the Langhe hills south of Alba, in Piedmont. The soils are a mix of clay and limestone, and the best sites sit on south and southwest facing slopes where Nebbiolo ripens late but fully. La Morra, where Oddero is based, is one of the eleven communes allowed to make Barolo, and it is known for a more aromatic, lifted style than the neighbouring villages.
Good to know
Barolo has been called the wine of kings since the House of Savoy took it up in the 1800s, and it was one of the first Italian wines to be granted DOCG status, in 1980. The name Nebbiolo is generally traced to nebbia, the fog that settles over the Langhe hills at harvest time.
