Barolo Riserva

Giacomo Borgogno e Figli is a historic and famed wine estate in the Italian wine region of Piedmont. It is best known for its Riserva Barolo wines, which are some of the most sought-after and expensive wines from the region. The winery is situated in the center of Barolo town, with cellars dug into the surrounding hillside. Borgogno uses traditional winemaking methods including indigenous yeasts, long fermentations and the use of large Slavonian oak barrels. The Barolo wines spend four years in oak, except for the Riserva which gets an additional year. The company was founded by Bartolomeo Borgogno in 1761. A hundred years later its Barolo was chosen to accompany the official lunch celebrating the unification of Italy. Cesare Borgogno, who took charge in the 1920s, began the signature policy of keeping back wines for late release.

In the vintages where the weather permits, Borgogno select the best grapes from their three most important Crus: Cannubi, Liste and Fossati to make Barolo Riserva. Spontaneous fermentation in cement tanks (at low temperatures) followed by a submerged cap maceration which, in some cases, could even reach 50 days. Aging in big barrels in Slavonian oak for 6 years followed by 6 months of aging in bottle before being released on the market.

The red fruit nose is slightly dusty, though that diminished with aeration. It has a svelte attack, but then firm tannins creep up on the mid-palate, giving density and force. Compact and structured, it has Riserva typicity: it's unyielding now and clearly needs more time. Those austere tannins help to generate considerable persistence.