Burzi 'Capalot' Barolo, Piemonte, Italy 2016

Burzi 'Capalot' Barolo, Piemonte, Italy

It’s unusual to find young Barolo that is drinking generously, and even harder to find it at a moderate price point, but we were lucky to be introduced to Burzi this year. Located in La Morra, Alberto and Caterina's parents and grandparents have been growing Nebbiolo on their family land for almost 100 years, but they decided to finally take the plunge into winemaking. The energetic siblings are farming organically in the vineyards surrounding their home in the village of Santa Maria, and since their first vintage in 2012 have been creating small, standout productions. 

Winemaker: Alberto and Caterina Burzi 

Farming: Organic

Grape variety: 100% Nebbiolo Lampia.

Zone of production: La Morra.

The Vineyard the grapes come from a single vineyard in the area of La Morra, precisely in the village Capallotti under the mention “Gasprina”. This vineyard is the oldest of the estate, so much so that the plantation dates back to World War II. 300 meters above sea level, south exposure.

The Pruning: the training method is the Guyot, with a plantation density of 5000 stumps/Ha, typical of Langhe. Due to the vines longevity, some have been replaced by new ones coming from buds of the original plants. Every stump is pruned leaving 7-8 buds, this allows to realize a total production of 40HL/Ha.

In The Cellar during the fermentation a constant work of pumping over is manually carried out; the maceration can last between 30 and 60 days according to the vintage and it is carried out in stainless steel (under a controlled temperature) with the technique of “submerged cap”. This technique consists in the closure of the superior part of a tank with oak boards placed in a parallel manner. Then, the steel tank is filled leaving the skins (“the cap”) submerged in the wine: this allows a very elegant passage of the noble substances contained in the skins.

The malolactic fermentation and the aging are made in Austrian oak barrels of 30 HL not roasted in order to preserve perfumes and qualities typical of the native earth.