
2020
Region
Italy › Piedmont › Barolo DOCG
Type
red · still
Grapes
Nebbiolo
Alcohol
14.5%
Volume
375 mL
Available at
The danger of half bottles - they're so easy to just open and pour. But this wine punishes impatience. Give it air, give it time, and it transforms.
The nose starts fresh and graceful: cherry, cranberry, pomegranate, threaded with dried roses and violets, a dusting of white pepper. Ripe but never heavy - it stays lifted, poised. With time, orange zest emerges, something tea-like in the background. The palate is deceptively delicate: powdery tannins, bright acidity, chalky minerality that feels precise rather than showy. Red fruit dominates - wild strawberry, bright berries - leading to a long, clean finish with herbal grip and that tea-leaf depth lingering.
Gorgeous Barolo. Just don't rush it.
Oh, I've killed far too many of these half bottles already. Count me addicted. The nose is stunning - delicate but complex, layers revealing themselves like a slow confession. Same notes as last time, but who's counting when it's this good? The real question: will I have the discipline to leave the other bottles alone to develop?
Burlotto's Barolo "normale" reflects the traditional approach of blending multiple Verduno vineyards to express the character of the village as a whole. Sourced from Breri, Neirane, Rocche Olmo, and Boscatto, the cuvée integrates parcels with varying exposures and altitudes (240 - 370 m), rooted in a mix of laminated Sant'Agata fossil marls and the Cassano Spinola formation. These calcareous soils (balanced in clay, sand, and silt) provide structure, aromatic lift, and water retention essential in warmer years.
Harvest is manual, with strict grape selection. Fermentation takes place in open French oak vats. The must is moved only using gravity. Maceration is long and gentle, with daily remontage and punching down. No barriques are used. The resulting wine is a classic Verduno Barolo: aromatic, precise, and structurally elegant - less about power, and more about balance and nuance.
I was tempted by a little bottle - a mere half, but with full-sized pleasure. The nose is fresh and graceful, full of cherry, cranberry, and pomegranate juice, interwoven with dried rose, violet, and a dusting of white pepper. There's ripeness, yes, but it stays lifted and never loses its composure. With air, a bit of orange zest appears, along with something like some generic dark tea. On the palate it's delicate but firmly structured - powdery tannins, lively acidity, and a modest yet precise chalky minerality. The fruit leans red - wild strawberries and bright berries - with a long, clean, slightly warm finish that echoes with herbal grip and tea-like depth. Beautiful. And reassuring to see such finesse and poise from a warm year.