Barolo Brunate Batasiolo 2016

The Barolo Brunate from the extensive Batasiolo winery in Langhe is a Barolo capable of expressing the warm and enveloping character typical of the Brunate cru. This plot, located in the municipality of La Morra, was included among the first-tier crus by Renato Ratti, a testament to the high regard that the vineyard has always enjoyed. Regarding the origin of the name Brunate, there are two hypotheses, both linked to the term “frost.” The first refers to the peculiar microclimate of the area that determines late maturation, with the harvest taking place when the grapes are covered by frost. The second hypothesis is instead to be found in the highly pruinose skin of the Nebbiolo, which seems almost covered in frost.

Batasiolo Barolo Brunate is a pure expression of Nebbiolo grown in the Brunate cru, a rather steep natural amphitheater characterized by significant temperature excursions between day and night. The soil is made up of blue marls of Sant’Agata, fossilized from the Tortonian period, and the altitude is around 350 meters abovesea level while the exposure is fully south-facing. The bunches, hand-picked usually during the first half of October, are vinified in red through destemming, crushing, and alcoholic fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Here, the must remains in contact with the skins for at least 10-12 days, after which the wine is racked and aged in large Slavonian oak barrels for about 24 months. There follows an additional resting period between steel and bottle before the final commercialization.

The Barolo Brunate by Batasiolo is of intense garnet red color with delicate orange hues. Aromas of ripe plum, dried fruit, rose, violet, and various spices define the nose, while on the palate we find significant richness and body, as well as balanced tannins that anticipate the enveloping finale.