Burzi 'Classico' Barolo, Piemonte, Italy 2017

A brother and sister project from the heart of Piemonte!

It’s unusual to find young Barolo that is drinking generously, and even harder to find it at a moderate price point, but we were lucky to be introduced to Burzi this year. Located in La Morra, Alberto and Caterina's parents and grandparents have been growing Nebbiolo on their family land for almost 100 years, but they decided to finally take the plunge into winemaking. The energetic siblings are farming organically in the vineyards surrounding their home in the village of Santa Maria, and since their first vintage in 2012 have been creating small, standout productions. 

Planted to Tortonian soils, Barolo made from La Morra tends to be softer and more perfumed, often considered a more delicate iteration of the region. Alberto does well to capture this softer side, but uses daily pumpovers in the winery to extract a touch more power and concentration in his wines. The 2016 Barolo is sourced from 3 crus: Rive, Roncaglia and Rocchettevino, and does well to frame the essence of La Morra-- hints of crushed violets, dried pomegranate and crushed thyme are underscored by richly dense sour black cherry, fresh tobacco and and supple tannins that coat the palate. This is the perfect pairing for slowly stewed meats, salty hard cheeses and deep dish pizza. 

• Winemaker: Alberto and Caterina Burzi 
• Farming: Organic
• Variety: Nebbiolo
• Vinification: Alberto selects grapes for the Classico Barolo from several small vineyards aged 25 to 70 years old. They macerate the grapes for 20 days in steel tanks with daily manual pump-overs before fermenting and aging in large Austrian botti. 
• Tasting Notes: Crushed violets, dried pomegranate and thyme are underscored by richly dense sour black cherry, fresh tobacco and and supple tannins. This wine is very enjoyable now, but can be held 10-15 years.