We’ll keep trying, of course, but it’s going to be hard to top the value-for-dollar of today’s Barolo from the legendary “Cannubi” vineyard. Located in the village of Barolo proper, Cannubi is unanimously considered one of the appellation’s “grand crus,” and the calling card of wines from this site is a kind of ethereal elegance. It’s a vineyard that can bring out the finessed, feminine side of the often brawny, brooding Nebbiolo grape, as today’s 2019 so compellingly demonstrates. It’s a classically styled Barolo, so yes, it’s structured for aging, but it is also so tempting to uncork now. At this price, you can afford to drink and hold—always our preferred option!
For anyone who knows and loves Barolo, the Borgogno surname rings out. There are several well-known Borgogno clans, this one tracing its winemaking roots to Francesco Borgogno, a one time mayor of Barolo who established his cantina in 1897 and sold his wines at his wife’s small tavern in town. His son, Lodovico, followed, and then Lodovico’s sons, Serio and Battista, took the label to a grander commercial level; having inherited a farmhouse and some vineyards right in the heart of the Cannubi vineyard, they built on that foundation and eventually grew their holdings in Cannubi to three hectares.
Today, as is often the case in modern-day Barolo, the Borgogno operation is run mostly by women—Serio Borgogno’s daughters, Anna and Paola, and their daughters, Emanuela Bolla and Federica Boffa. Marco Bolla, Anna’s husband (and Emanuela’s father), heads up winemaking. The best thing about all this is that five-generation family sagas are rather common in Barolo. It’s one of the many things that make the wines so special.
Adding extra specialness to this wine, of course, is its single-vineyard source material. Cannubi is one of the largest and best-known vineyards in the Barolo area, part of a band of mostly east- and southeast-facing slopes. In terms of soil composition, Barolo experts typically divide the appellation in two according to two geologic “epochs”—the Tortonian and Helvetian periods. Vineyards in the villages of Barolo and La Morra, on the western side, sit mostly on soils of Tortonian origin, which contain more clay along with marl and limestone, while in key “eastern” villages such as Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d’Alba, and Monforte d’Alba, the soils contain greater percentages of hard sandstone. Vineyards on Tortonian soils, like Cannubi, tend to produce gentler, fruitier styles of Barolo, with slightly softer tannins than those made in vineyards to the east.
Although the general orientation of the 19-hectare (48-acre) Cannubi vineyard is east-southeast, the slope undulates, creating subtle variations in exposition. The Serio & Battista Borgogno holdings in Cannubi are spread across three different plots, one of which tilts a little to the southwest, with vine age in these sites ranging from 20-40 years. Theirs is a very traditional fermentation/aging process: Following a manual harvest in mid to late October, the grapes are left to macerate on their skins for a good 30 days while fermenting in large wooden vats. Afterward, the wine is transferred to large, used oak botti for 30 months, followed by at least six months aging in bottle before release. 2019 is a spectacular vintage in Barolo, receiving glowing reviews throughout the press, which is why we’re shocked by the affordability of this just- landed gem.
Unlike a lot of “young” Barolo, however, this ’19 is already pleasurable. The tannins are ripe and fine-grained, lending firmness but not “bite,” and the perfectly ripe red berry/wild cherry fruit is trademark Cannubi. In the glass, the wine is a bright garnet-red with hints of orange and pink, and beautifully perfumed aromas of bing cherry, raspberry, cranberry, orange peel, roses and violets, leather, baking spices, and underbrush. It is medium to medium-plus in body and very elegant, with a perfect balance of fruit and savory earth. It has some lushness on the mid-palate now but still some youthful twang, so if you’re enjoying a bottle now, give it 45 minutes in a decanter before serving in Burgundy stems at 60 degrees. In about 5-7 years’ time this will have put on some weight and be truly mesmerizing; I don’t think it’s a 30-year Barolo, but 15-20? Absolutely. Its finesse and Burgundy-esque qualities have me thinking of fresh mushroom pasta/risotto and/or game birds over braised beef and the like, but really, any of the established Barolo classics will do the trick. It’s a classic wine, after all. Enjoy it!
