Description
This ‘Paesi Tuoi’ (pronounced pah-eh-see twoh-ee) is a mature, mellow and delicious Barolo that is ready to drink, with no need to cellar. It was made by Vite Colte, a respected group of 180 winegrowers, all in the Piedmont region, northwest Italy. For typical Barolo with maturity, at an excellent price, this is hard to beat. And it’s a very good wine to sip over the cool evening this winter, enjoying the many layers of fruit, spice, game and herb flavour that Barolo and the Nebbiolo grape provide after a few years of ageing.
TASTING NOTE: This elegant and well balanced Barolo is made with blending wines from a number of vineyards. In fact, the words ‘paesi tuoi’ literally mean ‘your lands’ or ‘your villages’, referencing the different vineyards and villages in the Barolo area, all contributing their unique character to this wine. The 2019 has the typical brick/garnet red colour of Barolo in the glass. On the nose, there is lovely red fruit and herb perfume, plus savoury notes such as truffle, game, spice, tobacco, dried fig and a tarry, earthy note too. It’s fascinating and complex, and, although it’s medium in body, it has masses of flavour. Barolo can be robust with lots of tannin, but the beauty of this wine is that the tannins have softened, so it’s extremely easy to enjoy with food, or sip and savour over a few hours with a good book or film! 14% alcohol.
FOOD PAIRING, SERVING AND STORAGE: Excellent with roast and braised meats, game and mature cheeses. And dishes with mushrooms and truffles. It has mellowed since release and doesn’t have the austere tannins of some Barolo wines, so it doesn’t need food but does pair with a sausage ragu or mushroom pasta exceedingly well, and many other earthy, not-too-spicy dishes. It’s lovely and open and generous so there is no need to decant it. Drink now or keep for another 1-2 years, but it’s so good now that we don’t see there’s any point cellaring it!
ABOUT: Vite Colte is a grouping or cooperative made up of 180 vine-growers, based just north of Barolo town. It was founded in 1980 with the name Terra da Vino, but this was changed to Vite Colte about ten years ago. The growers have 300 hectares of vines (c. 750 acres) among them and are well-known for their stance on quality, ensuring that the emphasis is on the health of the vineyard and taste of their wines, rather than being paid simply for producing lots of wine.
