Technical tasting at Enosis Meraviglia to present the third edition of the charity project, with the auction curated by Christie’s scheduled for Oct. 27.
Created through the collaboration between Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo, Fondazione CRC Donare ETS, and Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Dogliani, Barolo en Primeur saw 660,000 euros raised in 2021 and 834,800 euros in 2022. The Christie’s curated charity auction, aimed at developing social and cultural projects, gives us an appointment for October 27, 2023 at Grinzane Cavour Castle. At the center of this initiative is Barolo and one of the key figures in its history-Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour and his Gustava Vineyard, which surrounds the castle. From it are twelve barrels produced and auctioned again in this third edition; wines produced by the Enosis Meraviglia team led by Donato Lanati.
Barolo 2022 auctioned a year after the harvest, en primeur, will in fact have to wait for the minimum period of aging stipulated in the production regulations before release to the market-38 months of minimum aging from November 1 of the year the grapes were produced, 18 of which will be in wooden barrels. Also on each barrel is an NFC (Non Fungible Token), a digital certificate of authenticity guaranteed via blockchain, created by Antonio Galloni, a critic chosen by the Consortium to punctuate and describe the wines to potential buyers.
Vigna Gustava, the tastings en primeur
The preparatory tasting for the fall event takes on a triple significance: it makes the project explicit to the press, emphasizes the elements that characterize the wines, and highlights the harvest and plant responses. The Gustava Vineyard, presented by geologist Francesco Lizio Bruno, boasts an average slope of about 35-40 percent; the soil is composed of marly layers with little sand and an important percentage of fine sediments, silt and clay. Dating back to the Tortonian (geological period between 11.6 and 7.2 million years ago), it is characterized precisely by the presence of gray, blue, whitish-gray clayey-silt marls on the surface.
The ‘careful analysis of the soil led to subdivide the 4-hectare vineyard area taking into consideration several aspects: exposure, altitude and age of the plants. Small areas where the “limestone soul” prevails, in addition to magnesium, potassium, silt, calcium and clay, we look at the depth of the marly substrate, ranging from 70-80 cm to 100-110 cm. One of the most relevant elements when talking about Nebbiolo because of its roots, which can reach up to 7 meters in length.
Bruno’s study highlights the concepts of “viticultural vocation” and “zoning” understood as “subdivision of an area or territory according to eco-pedological and geographical characteristics with verification of the adaptive response of different vineyards.”
The result? Twelve different plots and their twelve barrels: 3 in the highest part, 6 in the middle part and the remaining 3 in the lower part of Vigna Gustava. Which on tasting tell exactly their situation. Charisma and depth for the barrels produced from old vines, more austerity and hardness for the higher plots, and finally more harmony and liveliness, for a more evident readiness to drink, in the wines from the grapes harvested in the lower rows of the vineyard. From the tastings, 4 samples from 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively, it is the latter that promises to be the one with the most capacity for aging. This is a thought-provoking result, especially when we look at the trend of the 2022 vintage and the changing climate.
Langhe, Nebbiolo, show incredible adaptability. The market rewards monovarietal, purity, 100% winemaking from single cultivar, especially if linked to a specific place of origin; the grape as the lens of the soil, with man accompanying its development. Lanati retorts repeatedly on these points: on the recognizability and rigor with which authentic wines are produced, unforgettable over time. With Barolo to be one of the world’s greatest wines.
2022 vintage: In a changing climate how to deal with harvest and winemaking
She doesn’t mince words with winemaker and biologist Dora Marchi, a longtime Lanati collaborator. If we look at the harvest dates in recent years in Piedmont for Nebbiolo, we easily notice that the harvests have been, on average, getting earlier and earlier. Mid-October in both 2019 and 2020 while there is talk of September 20 for 2022. Vintage, as mentioned, among the most early, droughty but at the same time surprising. Despite the prolonged absence of rainfall and thus a water reserve in the soil, the cloudless spring saw smooth vegetative development. The summer, very hot and with sporadic episodes of rain, saw a Nebbiolo able to adapt and return berries more contained and concentrated in favor of the skins rather than the pulp; thus facilitated extractions. Important alcohol contents as well as evolutionary potential. These are the premises before moving on to the points the Enosis team is working on.
Macerations, long or short? The answer is “it depends,” but never exceed twenty days for the Vigna Gustava plots. Time and mode of maturation in wood? Different passage barriques are opted for. Other challenges then address oxygen management, tannin-loaded reactions during ripening, the study of grape ripening kinetics, and the optimization of technological, polyphenolic and aromatic components.
In conclusion, we have wines with a high pH and alcohol content-elements that also affect the colors of the wines (lower color intensity, more orangey and less bright tones), low malic acid and therefore also lactic acid, a lower anthocyanin content in contrast to that of flavonoids (generally higher), a perception of dry, astringent tannins accompanied by bitter notes. Barolo, in short, more “ready” to go in the bottle at the expense of longevity.
What can be done to slow the ripening of grapes?
Agronomic action can be taken; there are emergency solutions and those to be evaluated over time. Leaf stripping, judicious fertilization, study of techniques that slow the accumulation of sugar that does not penalize other components, evaluate the use of nets. The development of rapid tests to measure grape maturity-better if done in the field-favor the timing of harvesting, employ optical selectors to select grapes.
