Wine route
Langhe Nebbiolo Route
2 days · 7 stops
Open the drivePiedmont · DOCG
Barolo DOCG The King of Italian Wines, From Piedmont's Langhe Hills
The king of Italian wines, born in the Langhe hills of Piedmont. Barolo DOCG is 100 percent Nebbiolo, aged a minimum of 38 months before release. Riserva waits 62 months. Tannic, structured and age-worthy: a wine that rewards patience with cherry, rose, tar and truffle.
511
Wines live now
£15-£4,970
Price range today
29
UK retailers
Decode the label
What the label tells you
One word on the front changes the ageing, the strength and the price.
On the label
Barolo
the Normale, no extra word
38 months from 1 November, 18 in wood
13% minimum alcohol
Garnet, tar and roses on a wall of tannin. Commune blends are the classic entry, on sale from 1 January of the fourth year.
In stock from £21.57 See the 394 bottles ↓On the label
Barolo Riserva
five winters in the cellar
62 months from 1 November, 18 in wood
From 1 January of the sixth year after harvest
The tannin knits, tar turns to leather and dried rose. Made only in years a producer trusts to go the distance.
In stock from £23.90 See the 68 bottles ↓The boundary
Where it is
Everything on this page, the estates, the bottles, the sub-zones, sits inside this line.
Estate 1
Cantina Vietti
Visit →Castiglione Falletto · Central spur
Tastings available
Denomination
Grapes Used
Estate 2
Elio Grasso
Visit →Monforte d'Alba · Ginestra
Tastings available
Denomination
Grapes Used
Estate 3
Azienda Agricola Elio Altare
Visit →La Morra · West flank
Tastings available
Denomination
Grapes Used
Estate 4
Ettore Germano
Visit →Serralunga d'Alba · East valley
Tastings available
Denomination
Grapes Used
Estate 5
Azienda Agricola Poderi Marcarini
Visit →La Morra
Book online
Denomination
Grapes Used
Barolo DOCG zone
Estates you can visit Wine route in the zoneOutside the zone
A tight cluster of hills south-west of Alba, in the province of Cuneo: the whole territory of Barolo, Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d'Alba, plus parts of La Morra, Monforte d'Alba, Novello, Verduno, Grinzane Cavour, Diano d'Alba, Cherasco and Roddi. Two valleys split the map: the Serralunga side runs sterner and longer-lived, the La Morra side rounder and more perfumed, with Castiglione Falletto on the spur between them. The first legal boundary here was drawn in 1933, and today's annex subdivides the same hills into 181 named menzioni.
Inside the zone
11
Communes
181
Named menzioni (MGA)
1933
First legal boundary
8 t/ha
Maximum yield
Click or tap a pin for its estate. The numbered pins match the estate cards below.
Towns worth knowing
La Morra
Barolo
Castiglione Falletto
Serralunga d'Alba
Monforte d'Alba
Verduno, Novello, Roddi, Cherasco, Grinzane Cavour and Diano d'Alba complete the eleven; Alba itself sits just outside the line.
In the glass
What it tastes like
Black pepper
Cherry
Rose petal
Leather
Liquorice
Red forest berries
Burnt toast
Strawberry
The disciplinare
The rules that define it
The same table on every denomination page, straight from the production rules.
Grape & its role
Share of the blend
050100%
NebbioloAlone, by law: the disciplinare admits no other grape100%Solid means the rules demand it. Striped means optional, up to that amount. The words on the right say the same rule.
100% Nebbiolo, no exceptions one grape is named and nothing else is permitted.
38 months of ageing before release counted from 1 November of the harvest year, 18 of them in wood.
Riserva waits five full years 62 months, on sale only from 1 January of the sixth year.
Yields are capped at 8 tonnes per hectare and cut further for vigna bottlings from younger vines.
A vigna name must be earned single-vineyard labels need the cru mention, separate vats and the regional vineyard register.
Ageing and alcohol minimums per tier are in the label guide above.
Editor's cellar
Bottles to try, and what Barolo costs in the UK
Every live Barolo listing, cheapest to dearest
462 wines · 29 retailers
By style, today
Normale
from £21.57
Riserva
from £23.90
Single MGA
from £26
Live prices, compared across 29 UK retailers.
Cellar doors · inside the zone
Estates you can visit
5 working estates with their gates open, numbered to match their pins on the map above.
Only show
No estates match these filters. Clear a filter to see more.
Experiences in the Barolo zone
Cellar experiences here average around €30. These are the strongest fits for this page.
Tasting
Wine Journey Through La Morra in the Historic Poderi Marcarini Cellars
Azienda Agricola Poderi Marcarini
Taste the wines of the historic Marcarini cellar in La Morra and discover the unique expressions of vineyards so close, yet so different
1 h From €30 pp
Book via
Winedering
Eleven communes, one map
The communes
The annex names 181 menzioni geografiche aggiuntive, the crus serious labels cite. Eleven commune names sit among them, so a village blend may simply say del comune di on the label.
Barolo
Cannubi's homeThe namesake village at the heart of the zone; the long Cannubi hill and Sarmassa rise straight above it.
La Morra
The perfumed flankThe zone's western flank: Brunate, Cerequio and Rocche dell'Annunziata give La Morra its rounder, more perfumed reputation.
Castiglione Falletto
A spur between the two valleys, with Rocche di Castiglione, Monprivato and Villero stacked on its ridge: mid-weight, complete Barolo.
Serralunga d'Alba
The stern valleyThe eastern valley: Lazzarito, Vigna Rionda and Francia make Serralunga the byword for stern, long-lived Barolo.
Monforte d'Alba
Bussia countryThe southern corner, where the giant Bussia runs into Ginestra and Mosconi: powerful wine, perfume traded for grip.
Verduno
The northern gate of the zone. Monvigliero is its great cru, and Verduno's wines are the family's most fragrant.
Novello
South-western hills around the Ravera cru, a high, open corner of the map beside Barolo village.
Diano d'Alba
Better known for Dolcetto, Diano dips into the Barolo zone along its western edge with a strip of south-facing vineyard.
Roddi
A small north-eastern slice towards Alba; only part of the commune sits inside the line.
Grinzane Cavour
Castle country between Alba and the zone's heart; a partial commune whose name also stands as its own menzione.
Cherasco
The far western tip beyond La Morra, barely inside the line: a sliver of vineyard and a single commune menzione.
The years
Barolo vintages, 2010-2021
Ratings to 2018 follow Italian Wine Info's Barolo table. The 2019 to 2021 scores are read off the Wine Scholar Guild's harvest reports, which describe the growing season rather than scoring it, so treat those three as indicative until a rated Barolo chart catches up.
2010
Legendary vintage for Barolo (IWI)
2011
Rich, warm year (IWI)
2012
Good but mid-quality (IWI)
2013
Classic-style late harvest (IWI)
2014
Cool wet, lighter earlier-drinking style (IW…
2015
Hot dry summer, ripe concentrated fruit (IWI…
2016
Very good, classic style (IWI)
2017
Hot drought year across Italy (IWI)
2018
Average Langhe vintage (IWI)
2019
Classic harvest timing, plenty of rain (WSG,…
2020
Earlier ripening, Nebbiolo harvested first 1…
2021
Mild winter, plenty of rain, positive start …
Reading the years
2010
Exceptional · 5/5
Legendary vintage for Barolo (IWI)
The short version: Cellar 2010, 2019 and 2021; open 2014, 2017 and 2018 while the big years wait.
Tap a year for its note.
How Barolo is made
Barolo is made only from Nebbiolo, and no blending is allowed. The rules ask for a minimum of 38 months of ageing before release. At least 18 of those months must be in oak or chestnut casks. Riserva demands 62 months of ageing, again with 18 months minimum in cask. Minimum alcohol is 13 percent. Production is zoned to 11 towns in the Langhe hills of Piedmont. They are Barolo, La Morra, Serralunga d'Alba, Castiglione Falletto, Monforte d'Alba, Novello, Cherasco, Verduno, Grinzane Cavour, Diano d'Alba and Roddi. Since 2010 the zone has been formally divided into 181 Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive. They are Piedmont's official single-vineyard classification.
In depth
Barolo's modern identity took shape in the mid-19th century. The Marchesa Giulia Falletti of Barolo and Camillo Benso di Cavour hired the French oenologist Louis Oudart. His job was to turn local Nebbiolo from a sweet wine into a dry still one. The result was called "the king of wines and the wine of kings" at the court of the Savoy. That title cemented Barolo's reputation as Italy's pre-eminent red.
The denomination was granted DOC status in 1966 and raised to DOCG in 1980. In 2010 the Consorzio di tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Dogliani ratified 181 Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive. These are named vineyard sites such as Cannubi, Bussia, Brunate, Rocche dell'Annunziata, Vigna Rionda and Monprivato. Each marks a specific parcel inside the zone. The MGA system is Piedmont's answer to Burgundy's climat classification.
Barolo divides in style along town lines. La Morra and the village of Barolo itself give a softer, earlier-drinking style. Serralunga d'Alba, Castiglione Falletto and Monforte d'Alba give more structured wines that age longer. Traditionalists argued for a long time on the skins and large old Slavonian oak casks. Modernists wanted shorter time on the skins and small French oak barrels. That debate shaped the late 20th century. Today most estates blend the two approaches.
Barolo Riserva requires 62 months of ageing at the minimum. The lesser-known Barolo Chinato is a Barolo flavoured with quinine bark and spices. It completes the denomination's three allowed types.
On the table
What to eat with Barolo
The home country leads; global pairings that genuinely work follow.
In-depth guide
Barolo, answered
A DOCG red wine from Piedmont's Langhe hills, made only from Nebbiolo. It is among Italy's most age-worthy wines. The rules set a minimum of 38 months of ageing before release, 18 of them in oak.
100 percent Nebbiolo. The rules permit no blending. The grape thrives on the chalky marl soils of the Langhe hills, and it is known locally for its Lampia, Michet and Rose clones.
A Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva, the official single-vineyard name ratified by the consortium in 2010. Barolo has 181 MGAs across 11 municipalities, among them famous names like Cannubi, Bussia, Brunate and Vigna Rionda.
Piedmontese classics built for its structure. Think brasato al Barolo, tajarin with white truffle, bagna cauda, aged Castelmagno and Bra cheeses, and slow-braised game. Barolo's tannin and acidity cut fat, and its savoury notes echo truffle and mushroom.
Normale peaks at 8 to 15 years from harvest. Riserva bottlings from structured towns like Serralunga d'Alba or Monforte d'Alba can age 20 to 30 years. Most Barolo benefits from bottle age.
Serve Barolo at 16 to 18 degrees Celsius. Decant Riserva and mature vintages for two to four hours, to open up the aromas. Younger bottles benefit from at least an hour in a decanter.
Explore more Piedmont
Same region only: the denominations Barolo drinkers reach for next.
