The Barolo Region

When talking about Barolo around the world, the immediate impression is that of an excellent and exclusive wine. Indeed, to produce a wine that can be called Barolo, very precise regulations must be followed. This begins with using a specific grape variety, nebbiolo, and cultivating it exclusively in a defined geographical area.

The result is a garnet red wine with an extremely complex bouquet of aromas and flavors. Its particular range, spanning from fruity and floral notes to hints of spices, makes this Piedmontese excellence unmistakable to the palates of connoisseurs.

However, Barolo DOCG is also extraordinarily appreciated by those who are not wine experts, who are simply fascinated and enveloped by its unique flavor, always enjoyed with pleasure.

To ensure a product with the exceptional characteristics of Barolo, a specific area of origin was delimited as early as 1933 and then definitively established by decree of the President of the Republic in 1966 within the Langhe territory.

The Barolo production area includes the municipalities of Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, and Serralunga d’Alba, as well as parts of the territories of La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Roddi, Verduno, Cherasco, Diano d’Alba, Novello, and Grinzane Cavour.

Anyone curious to see the Barolo region on a map will immediately realize that it is a very limited territory, which ensures a certain uniformity in the type of soil where the grapes used to produce Barolo grow.

However, this small portion of the Langhe is characterized by considerable internal variety, so the characteristics of two bottles of Barolo DOCG produced in different areas, albeit always within the production zone mentioned above, can be significantly different.

As you can see, Barolo is a wine with a remarkable complexity and a fascinating history: a history that Giovanni Manzone fell in love with more than a century ago and which, even today, after five generations of winemakers, remains at the roots of our work.

What grapes are used for Barolo?

Let’s start with the basics: the grape variety for both Barolo and Barbaresco is nebbiolo. No other grape can be used to produce these wines, and specifically for Barolo, the Nebbiolo must be grown within the DOCG production area on hillside terrains with specific characteristics.

Not all nebbiolo grapes cultivated within the Barolo production area, in fact, are suitable to become this extraordinary wine. First of all, the Nebbiolo vines must be on hillside terrains between 170 and 540 meters above sea level to ensure proper sun exposure, and north-facing terrains should be avoided, at least for new plantings.

The Manzone Giovanni vineyards are in Castelletto, a locality in the territory of the municipality of Monforte d’Alba, divided into three distinct areas:

  • The lands around the Castelletto farmhouse, at 450 meters above sea level, facing east-southeast, which produce Nebbiolo for Barolo, but also Rossese and Dolcetto.
  • The 3.5 hectares of Gramolere, between Perno and Monforte d’Alba, a hard and stony land that, in its upper part facing south-southwest, produces an extraordinary Nebbiolo for Barolo and, in the part facing north, Rossese and Barbera,

  • The Ciabot Bricat, about one hectare facing south-southwest at 350 meters above sea level, where a Nebbiolo for Barolo of particular complexity and structure grows.

Where is Barolo produced?

For a wine to be called Barolo DOCG, it is not enough for the vineyards used to be 100% nebbiolo, nor for the area where these grapes are grown to be within the legally defined Barolo production zone. All vinification, aging, and bottling operations must also be carried out within the DOCG zone.

To produce Barolo, it is necessary to follow a precise procedure, codified from ancient traditions that have gradually been enriched by contributions from modern oenology, constituting a heritage of the companies, such as Manzone Giovanni, dedicated to this activity.

A key point, of course, is the aging process, which must be at least 38 months, 18 of which in wooden barrels. However, for our wines, it is significantly longer.

Il Barolo Bricat DOCG, il Barolo Gramolere DOCG e il Barolo Castelletto DOCG, infatti, invecchiano per 3 anni in botte e riposano per alcuni mesi in vasche di cemento, arrivando in commercio 5 anni dopo la vendemmia, mentre il Barolo Riserva Gramolere segue un processo di invecchiamento ancora più lungo e viene messo in commercio 7 anni dopo la vendemmia.

The Barolo Bricat DOCG, Barolo Gramolere DOCG, and Barolo Castelletto DOCG age for 3 years in barrels and rest for a few months in cement tanks, reaching the market 5 years after the harvest, while the Barolo Riserva Gramolere follows an even longer aging process and is marketed 7 years after the harvest.

In short, this explains where Barolo is produced and what grape variety is used, but to have a truly comprehensive answer to all your questions about our wine, there is nothing better than enjoying a good bottle of Manzone Giovanni or, even better, visiting us and touring our cellars.