Barolo v Brunello

Italy is famed for its red wines, but there are two that stand out as the ‘King of Italian Wines’ – Brunello & Barolo.  We compare and contrast four of these fantastic wines.

Barolo 2011
Ruby to garnet red, it has a clear-cut, intense nose with overtones of vanilla, spices, roses and underwood. The palate is dry, but soft, full bodied, velvety and well balanced, with a complex and lengthy finish.

Barolo 2006
This Barolo serves up strong tannins, high acidity and a distinctive scent – often described as “tar and roses”. A less obvious characteristic is its tendency to lose colour. Within just a few years of vintage, most Nebbiolo wines begin fading from deep, violet-tinged ruby to a beautiful brick orange.

Brunello 2009
A ruby red wine with garnet hues with a very intense, lingering and stylish bouquet with notes of small dark berry fruit and cherries. The palate is dry, warm, quite smooth and tannic and the after-aroma is long-lasting.

Brunello 2010
Powerfully structured, this is an austere, warm, amply flavoured wine that is deep ruby to brick-red in colour with a richly complex, dry, full and soft palate. A muscular, full-bodied wine with great richness.