BARALE FRATELLI

Natives of Barolo
On the edge of Barolo village, just a few metres down and across the cobblestones of Via Roma from Cantina Bartolo Mascarello, lies the unassuming cantina frontage to one of the jewels of Barolo. It’s not as though Barale has just emerged, but these firmly traditional wines are now being made to the full potential of the family’s remarkable vineyards and this unforced, classic style is now being fully appreciated.

Vineyards at Heart
The Barale family is among the first recorded producers of Barolo wine, dating back to 1870. The current custodians, Sergio Barale and his daughters Eleonora and Gloria, owe their heritage to the gradual acquisition, over generations, of vineyards not only in Barolo comune but also in Monforte d’Alba and Barbaresco.

By the 1970s, the family had expanded their holdings in Cannubi and added Monrobiolo (in Barolo) and Bussia (in Monforte). In the 1990s, they traded their long-held Rabajà vineyard in Barbaresco for Serraboella in Neive. Altogether, the estate covers just 20 hectares, with Sergio tailoring his plantings almost precisely to the best soil and aspect combinations. Virtually the whole of Cannubi was replanted at the end of the 2007 vintage, and although only recently back in production, the results are already remarkable. At Barale, vineyards are everything.

Winemaking
The approach is consistent across all reds: delicate destemming to keep skins intact, fermentation with indigenous yeasts, temperature control, and maceration with frequent basting of the skins. The specifics vary slightly by variety:

• Barolo and Barbaresco: fermented in wooden tanks at around 30°C, with maceration lasting up to 40 days.
• Langhe Nebbiolo: fermented in wooden tanks at around 26°C, with a 10-day maceration.
• Barbera: fermented in stainless steel at around 25°C, with a one-week maceration.

All wines are aged in wood, three years in 15–30 hL French oak barrels for Barolo and Barbaresco, and one year in 500 L tonneaux for Langhe Nebbiolo and Barbera. The oak is carefully managed so as not to impart any aromas or flavours.

Sergio, who has used Allier oak for Nebbiolo for decades, values its subtle effect on tannins and anthocyanins. He recalls early trials where a “faint taste of vanilla” emerged “I didn’t like it,” he says. “For me, like my father before me, a woody wine is a bad wine, because our wines should preserve the flavour only of the grape and the land.”

SORDO

A Barolo Discovery
Sordo’s headquarters sit in Castiglione Falletto, on the last stretch of the Alba–Barolo road before it forks left toward Barolo village. Just off the track to Frazione Garbelletto, you’ll find Paolo Scavino and Azelia to the left, and, a little further along, the entrance to the Sordo family’s spectacular new cellar. While the architecture is impressive, it’s the wines that truly capture attention.

For the sheer consistency and excellence across such a broad range, all made in a traditional, unforced style, it’s impossible not to take note of A.A. Giovanni Sordo. These are transparent wines crafted by people who want their wines to speak clearly of where they come from.

Unique Holdings
Since the early 20th century, generations of the Sordo family have quietly assembled parcels of some of the finest Nebbiolo-growing soils in the Langhe. Today they hold numerous plots across Roero, Barbaresco, and especially Barolo, where they own 17 cru-classified vineyards, releasing an unprecedented eight Barolo cru wines, with a ninth on the horizon.

Their crus read like a roll call of Barolo’s most revered sites Ravera, Monvigliero, Parussi, Perno, Gabutti, and the Castiglione Falletto trio of Villero, Rocche di Castiglione, and Monprivato (long thought to be a Giuseppe Mascarello monopole, though not entirely so). Sordo began bottling their Monprivato Barolo in 2013; before that, it was blended into their Barolo Normale.

Winemaking
Each cru is vinified in the same way — offering a pure lens through which to see the individuality of each site. Fermentation occurs at 30°C with submerged caps for up to 50 days, followed by 2–4 months in stainless steel and 24 months in large Slavonian botti. The wines then spend a further 4–6 months in steel before bottling, a final touch Giorgio Sordo describes as helping to “freshen them up.”

LVDO

LVDO [lew•doh] derives from Latin meaning "to play, challenge, or explore," and is driven by intent to make elegant wines of definition, character and difference.

We achieve this by celebrating the unique qualities of the land, the heritage grape varieties and the ones that pave the present and future, the people, and the science and art of winemaking. All wines are fermented naturally and aged in ancient barrels. Our commitment to organic principles is reflected in our transparent labelling, which lists all ingredients and showcases our intention and creativity from grape to glass.

''Our wines capture the essence of their regions, from the ancient rocks of Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, and beyond. They are vegan, unfined, and unfiltered, allowing the varietal character and regional typicality to shine through.''

Marcell Kustos
Proprietor & Vigneron

The Story of LVDO