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Barbaresco

Always somewhat in the shadow of its famous larger sibling, fairly or not, Barbaresco lies 12 miles northeast of Barolo and in terms of acreage planted to vines is about ⅓ the size. Barbaresco, like Barolo, is named for the commune within it that is most famous. There are 3 main communes in Barbaresco, named for the central towns in each: Treiso, Barbaresco, and Neive, compared to 5 main communes in Barolo. Neive is is the northwest corner of Barbaresco and is, save for Albesani (formerly Santo Stefano, remember) mostly farther from the moderating influence of the Tanaro River. Neive is significantly warmer than the Barbaresco or Treiso and is lower in average altitude also, with less steep slopes. And more clay, and less sand, especially in the center and western sections. The east side is sandier but also flatter and lower, and wines from here are generally easier and lighter in terms of structure, the cru Serraboella being a great and notable exception. The other famous cru’s are located on the west side and include Cotta, Curra, Gallina, and Starderi. Treiso is the coolest of the communes, and also the highest in elevation. It’s more exposed to cool winds too which definitely leave their mark. The best known vineyards here are Rombone, Valeirano,Rizzi, and Pajore, the last of which is over 400 meters at its highest point. The wines from here show the most treble and the least bass; with a nervy and fragrant character and silkier tannins. One way to think of it as being the most high-toned and perfumed in nature, while parts of Neive produce the the thickest and densest wines-Serraboella and Curra come to mind-while the commune of Barbaresco, while maybe least extreme than either Neive or Treiso, creates the most complete wine. But as always, beware generalizations as neat through lines will usually eventually get crushed.

La Morra

La Morra which is located in the northwest corner of Barolo, and in terms of vine acreage is the largest of the five main communes.  Like Verduno and Novello it is relatively exposed to weather from the alps to the north. It also has Barolo’s highest point, Bricco del Dente at over 1800 feet (543 meters) above sea level. As it was the last to rise from the Piedmont tertiary basin, La Morra also has the youngest soils. The soils here are of the Tortonian era and have a higher portion of sand. The soils are more fertile here too. These factors combine to create wines that, generally speaking, produce softer, less angular wines with rounder tannins. With leading producers like Altare ,Voerzio,and Molino based here, it was a hotbed of new ideas during the 80’s and 90’s. And with top cru’s like Rocche dell’Annunziata, Cerequio and Brunate(the last 2 two shared with Barolo to the south) being classified in the 1979 Renato Ratti assessment as first tier, this is a source of many excellent wines.

Contratto

Castiglione Falletto

Castiglione Falletto, although the smallest of the 5 main communes of Barolo, is near the top in terms of high percentage of quality cru’s. There are the  big 3 in the top tier: Rocche di Castiglione( first made as a single vineyard by Vietti with the 1961 vintage), Monprivato, made famous by Giuseppe Mascarello, and Villero, best known from Vietti, Brovia, Fenocchio, and Oddero. Just below these are Fiasco, Bricco Boschis, and Scarrone. The wines of Paolo Scavino, and Azelia from Fiasco are undeniably great, as are the Vigna San Giuseppe riserva’s made of Cavallotto from a sandy ridge top in Bricco Boschis.The soils of Castiglione are a complex overlay of really almost all of the soils that make up Barolo. There is sand,Tortonian S.Agata, or marna stones, Tortonian Arena di Diano, or Diano sandstone, as well as the Messiniano, or chalk that is also found in parts of Verduno and La Morra. The only significant soil type not very present are the older, less fertile, Serravillian soils found in Serralunga d’Alba and the eastern side of Monforte d’Alba. Overall, if there is a throughline to the best wines of Castiglione it would be elegance and finesse. The white soils of Rocche di Castiglione creating perhaps the prettiest wine of all. Monprivato, being slightly richer, and Villero-slower evolving and often more austere when young. It’s tempting to use the analogy of the Bordeaux commune, Saint Julien which also has a very high percentage of classified growths, and in the context of the left bank, makes complete wines, less powerful than Pauillac(think Monforte or Serralunga), but firmer and less delicate than Margaux(think La Morra and Barolo).

Barolo

Barolo itself lies on the western side of the appellation, south and generally lower in elevation than La Morra, and north of Novello, which is cooler and like La Morra, more exposed. The soil here is Tortonian-again like La Morra, but there is less sand overall and a higher limestone content, and it’s also less fertile. That’s the big, general take and it's accurate, but as always in the world of wine the deeper you dig the more pronounced minute differences become. The most famous vineyard in the commune of Barolo is also the most famous in all of Barolo: Cannubi. The Cannubi hill does have sand but the wines from here-especially in classic vintages like 2010,2013, 2016-are firmer, and more restrained than say Arborina or Rocche dell’Annunziata in La Morra. Brunate and Cerequio are also here-at least their southern extent. Other famous cru’s are Sarmassa, the compelling Bricco delle Viole, a high altitude site making subtle, even austere wines, and the northern portion of the rising star cru Ravera;these sites are both cooler and, given the accelerated onset of warmer vintages, increasingly prized. 20 years ago Cannubi was prized for its ripeness, now sometimes it's simply too hot. Ravera 20 years ago was rarely mentioned, now it is ranked in the first tier. 

Monforte d’Alba

Monforte is the most diverse of the 5 main communes of Barolo in terms of elevation, exposure, and soils. As a result it is best to break it down into the big picture then dig into the smaller details. The eastern side of Monforte faces Serralunga and is comprised of an overlap of Tortonian S. Agata marls but also some of the Tortonian-Serravillian-or Formazioni di Lequio soils from the southern 2/3rds of Serralunga. This is where the cru’s Mosconi and Ginestra(includes Gavarini, Ciabot Mentin, and Pajana) are, both producing bassier, denser wines, which need time to unpack. And Ravera di Monforte too, whose wines are generally more restrained and less concentrated. The larger western portion sprawls from Gramolere to the enormous Bricco San Pietro, the notable throughline being Diano d’Alba sandstone dominant soils and a high average altitude;these ally to create wines that are softer and easier, and less profound than those made in Ginestra and Mosconi.The other most important portion of Monforte’s central west side is Bussia, with its myriad famed sub-sites including Romirasco, Pianpolvere, Cicala, Colonello, Dardi etc. The predominant soil of Bussia is the Diano d’Alba sandstone-or Arenerie di Diano. This soil strata starts at the crest of the first eastern most ridge, east of Ginestra and Mosconi, continuing north into Castiglione Falletto, including Villero and Rocche di Castiglione.

Serralunga d’Alba

The Barolo zone, geographically simplified, is really 3 main ridgelines running north to south bisected by 2 valleys. The largest ridge is on the west side and includes Verduno, La Morra, and Novello. The smallest ridge is in the southeast corner. This is Serralunga d’Alba. The Formazioni di Lequio soils here are the oldest(they were the first to arise from the ancient ocean floor), and densest of all. There is very little sand here and the soils are the firmest;blue-gray clay marls with hard, pure limestone. The wines made here, especially in the middle and southern portion of the ridge, are generally the firmest in all of Barolo, with little of the pale delicacy of wines from Verduno or Novello, or the rounder fruitiness found in La Morra wines. This is because the Formazioni di Lequio soils are concentrated in the lower portion of the Serralunga ridge while the northern portion including the crus’s Fontanafredda south to the Ceretta hill are actually Tortonian Sant’Agata fossil marls combined with Formazioni di Lequio