Barolo and Barbaresco are among the world’s most dignified and desirable wines; they command the highest auction bids and grace the finest tables. Being from a single, mercurial grape variety – Nebbiolo – their route to perfection chimes closely with that of Pinot Noir and the grands crus of Burgundy. Both grapes are highly sensitive to site, and both are renowned for the gorgeous transparency of their wines, which evoke the finest nuances of the vineyard in the glass. Of the two, Nebbiolo is hands down the more difficult: while Pinot makes laudable forays to vineyards around the world, Nebbiolo thrives only in the Langhe. The important part of its story has played out not over the last thousand years, but the last 50 – until as recently as the 1960s, these wines were shrouded in the gloom of Piemonte’s feudal malora. Growers in the Langhe are still notoriously secretive; it takes the charm and intelligence of author David Gleave to persuade the stories of their troubles and triumphs into the light. In this book, David identifies the finest cru vineyards (or ‘MGAs’) from which Barolo and Barbaresco gain their expression and introduces the people and personalities behind the wines.
