2019 Brezza Barolo - Cannubi

Giacomo Brezza and his father Antonio created their family winery in the town of Barolo in 1885 and first bottled under the family name in 1910. The current proprietor, Enzo Brezza, is the fourth generation to direct the winery. Farming is certified organic, and the house style is what might be called “updated traditional”: fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks with relatively long macerations (about a month for this wine) and aging in large, used barrels (1500-3000 liter Slavonian oak botti here).

Cannubi is arguably the most historic and famous cru, or vineyard area, in Barolo. (In Barolo and Barbaresco, as in Burgundy, a cru is shared by multiple growers.) According to Slow Food’s A Wine Atlas of the Langhe, the oldest known bottle from the area is from 1752 and lists “Cannubi” on the label, testifying to the centuries-long reputation of the vineyard. Cannubi’s soils are a mix of clay, limestone, and sand coming from the two main geological types in the Barolo appellation: Tortonian and Serravallian.

The wine is a beautiful and delicate ruby color - that’s the hue of nebbiolo! The nose is classic floral elegance, cherry fruit, and brooding earthiness. In the mouth, there’s generous mid-palate fruit and a more tannic Barolo-from-a-great-vineyard-and-vintage finish. The wine becomes more open with aeration, so decant it a few hours ahead of time, drink it in a Burgundy or other large and wide stem with protein-rich food, and swirl it vigorously in the glass. Or put it aside for 3-10 years. 

And a tip of the hat - or the closure - to Brezza’s use of a glass stopper rather than cork. To open (or re-open), simply push up on any side of the circumference of the stopper with your thumb, as the drawing on the back label shows. Enjoy the satisfying click and the assurance that your Barolo will not be corked.