Virna Borgogno - Noi - Barolo, Piedmont, Italy (2019)

TASTING NOTES

Intense ruby red with garnet highlights; full, intense nose, tertiary notes with red fruit leading vanilla, cocoa and spices. Full-flavoured and austere with balanced, supple tannins. Noi is an elegant, classic, regional expression of Barolo.

The Borgogno estate comprises 12 hectares of vineyards rich in history and renowned for quality. Located immediately north of the village of Barolo, it has been the family home of Lodovico and his daughters Virna and Ivana Borgogno, since 1720.

60,000 bottles are produced annually, 70% of which is Barolo, from 8 hectares of prime vineyard parcels. The most prized vineyards are the ‘cru’ Sarmassa (next to Cerequio) and Cannubi-Boschis (which is adjacent to the home). Classically styled Barbera & Dolcetto d’Alba, and more modern Langhe Arneis and Rosso come from a variety of small vineyard holdings throughout the district, totalling an additional 4 hectares. A new cellar was completed in time for the 2005 vintage.

From the 1950s, Lodovico began introducing new practices in order to extract the highest possible quality from his vineyards. In 2001 Virna became the owner & winemaker, recognized by the addition of her name to the estate. Now, she and her sister Ivana honour the tradition of Barolo while highlighting their wines’ qualities with modern winemaking methods. A variety of large oak (barrique, tonneaux & botti) is used for aging, with the intention of capturing the subtlety and texture of Nebbiolo, not simply raw power.