Barolo Via Nuova DOCG 2021 1500ml Magnum

A charming, finely drawn Nebbiolo with floral lift and plenty of inner tension. Chiara Boschis, the grande dame of Barolo and the only woman among the Barolo Boys, works with short maceration times and French oak: wines that are approachable early while retaining their ageing potential.

Via Nuova was the name of a small vineyard near the centre of Barolo, named after the road to Novello laid out in the last century, of which only a footpath through the vines remains today. Since the commune absorbed the site into the larger Terlo subzone in 2010, the wine has been made as a blend: Terlo and Liste from the commune of Barolo, Gabutti and Baudana from Serralunga d'Alba, Ravera di Monforte and Mosconi from Monforte d'Alba.

Nebbiolo in the classic blend of the Michet and Lampia variants. Harvest began in early October and was completed by 12 October. Fermentation took place in rotary tanks with two pump-overs per day, 14 days on the skins, followed by malolactic fermentation in steel. This is followed by two years of ageing in large casks and barriques of French oak.

Cherry red and medium transparency in the glass. On the nose, ripe cherries and plums, blood orange, along with cinnamon, bitter almond, mint and rose. Medium-bodied, with pleasant firmness and good drive, lively acid structure and ripe, fine tannin. A Barolo still unfolding, already showing its dynamism.

The name preserves a cru that no longer officially exists, and the blend across three communes echoes the tradition of assemblage. Chiara Boschis was the first to convert Cannubi to organic farming and, with the Cannubi Bio project, won over around 80 percent of that site's growers by 2015. In magnum, the wine develops more slowly.