An Insider’s Short List of Favorite Barolo Wines
They say you always remember your first love. For us, it was Poderi Aldo Conterno. We were introduced to the wines by Franco Conterno at a tasting at Jimmy’s, an outstanding Italian grocery store in Dallas. Franco is one of three brothers, sons of Aldo, who now own and run the winery. Several years after that Dallas meeting we had the privilege of being hosted by Franco at a tasting at the winery in the middle of the Bussia Cru near Monforte. They produce an “entry level” Bussia Barolo, three single vineyard labels, Cicala, Colonnello, and Romirasco, and in the best years, a riserva called Grand Bussia. We have enjoyed many bottles and vintages over the years and it’s still one of our favorites. The clay soils of the Bussia produce a wine with aromas of cherry and red berries, tar, licorice, and leather. We love these Barolo wines!
On the first night of our first visit to Barolo we were served a bottle of Marcarini Lasarin during dinner at La Cantinetta in Barolo. The Lasarin can be described as a “baby Barolo” made from Nebbiolo grapes macerated and aged for shorter periods than a DOCG Barolo. Langhe Nebbiolo are fresher tasting and made to be consumed young and made by most of the Barolo producers. Because of their freshness they are a good choice to pair with many foods and are much more economical than their big brothers. Marcarini makes two single cru Barolos. La Serra is lighter and more elegant with nice minerality complimenting red fruits. The Brunate is a bolder expression with darker fruits and stronger tannins. Both are gorgeous! Their cantina and tasting room are both in La Morra and are recommended stops when you visit the area. We recommend stopping in for a tasting in our suggested 4 day Barolo wine tour itinerary.
Our first visit to Barolo in 2014 happened to coincide with the release of the great 2010 vintage, one of the best Barolo vintages. What that fortunately meant for us was the Enoteca Regionale del Barolo was sponsoring a release party. For €15 you were given a glass and access to over 100 open bottles of Barolo 2010! We tried many wines over several hours and picked our favorites. Betsy’s was the Massolino from Serralunga. We enjoy the rich, balanced fruits, floral, and baking spice notes of this wine. They also produce four crus which you can taste in their very elegant tasting room in Serralunga.
The unassuming door on this winery in the heart of the village of Barolo is only marked by a sign with a hand painted frog. Behind that door lies one of most highly regarded and traditional wineries in all of the Barolo region. Bartolo Mascarello Barolo wines are made by blending all their grapes from various vineyards into a single Barolo bottling each year. Aging only in large, neutral Slavonian oak barrels, the wines do not have any of the characteristic vanilla flavors of the smaller French barrels favored by some newer wine makers. Making some of his wine even more valuable are the hand painted and designed labels. His daughter Maria Teresa now runs the show with the same traditions as her father. The winery has no website, does no marketing, and it helps to have a local expert call to reserve a tasting for you. It is worth the effort if you can get in!
