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Wines by Borgogno, Giacomo & Figli |
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Borgogno, Giacomo & Figli
You know you have found the mystical hilltop village of
Barolo when the billboard-like letters B-O-R-G-O-G-N-O peek
through the Langhe fog that nestles into the landscape.
The large Borgogno cellar dominates the center of the village
here and serves as a monument to traditional Barolo.
Bartolomeo Borgogno founded this estate in 1761, but it
is a historic document dated 1848 that attests to its first
wine sales to the Royal Army of Racconigi. This document
would later help protect the family name when the estate
achieved international prestige through its worldwide distribution
spearheaded by Cesare Borgogno (widely considered one of
the key influences in the history of Barolo). In 1955, the
French Institut des Appellations d'Origine took legal action
against Borgogno, claiming that the name was unfair competition
for the wines of Burgundy (Borgogna in Italian). The document
was used as an exhibit to testify to the history of the
estate and its importance in Barolo.
As at the Mascarello estate, the approach here has been
cuvee bottlings, not cru, despite having prestigious vineyard
land in Cannubi, Cannubi Boschis, Brunate, Rue, and Liste;
blended wines are the tradition here since the unique nuances
of each site come together to make a more harmonious and
complete wine. Vinification typically follows the formula
of long maceration and extended aging in large casks. All
of these components contribute to the estate's reputation
for longevity. It is often cited in the wine community that
that Borgogno's wines take 30 years to come around, a testament
to the estate's winemaking.
The calling card of this traditional estate is its rare
stock of vintage Barolo, a practice that predates WWII.
The family still implements the unusual corporate policy
of putting away stocks of good vintages in bottle and releasing
them more than two decades later. It is this practice that
has allowed today's incredible offering. The Borgognos'
philosophy and generosity gives us the opportunity to experience
the historic vintages of 1961, 1978, 1982, 1989, and 1990
and to see how Barolo was meant to be experienced.
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