Giovanni Canonica Barolo del Comune di Grinzane Cavour 2022

Giovanni Canonica is one of the smallest and most individualistic producers in Barolo. He made his first wine in 1983 and for many years sold much of his production in bulk before beginning to bottle under his own name in the 1990s. His wines remain extremely limited in quantity, and his approach is firmly rooted in traditional Piedmontese winemaking rather than modern cellar technology. Canonica works from his small property in the village of Barolo and produces just a handful of wines, including this Barolo from Grinzane Cavour.

The Grinzane Cavour vines are a relatively recent addition to Canonica's holdings. He inherited the small parcel in the early 2010s, and the first vintage of this Barolo was 2012. The vines are more than 50 years old and contain a notably high proportion of the rare nebbiolo rosé clone, which is thought to contribute a particularly floral and ethereal quality to the wine. The vineyard is organically farmed, although Canonica does not seek certification. No herbicides, synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilizers are used; vineyard treatments are limited primarily to sulfur and copper, and the grapes are harvested by hand.

In the cellar, Canonica takes an equally traditional approach. The nebbiolo is destemmed and undergoes a long 30 to 40 day maceration with indigenous yeasts before being pressed and transferred to concrete and large Slavonian oak for élevage. There is very little intervention during the process and only minimal sulfur is used. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered. Rather than trying to make a polished or technically perfect Barolo, Canonica allows the wine to retain its wildness, texture and aromatic complexity.

The Grinzane Cavour bottling has a somewhat different personality from Canonica's Paiagallo: generally darker, more structured and earthy, while still carrying the distinctive perfume of nebbiolo rosé. The 2022 should show red and dark cherry, rose, dried flowers, herbs and spice, with an earthy, savory character emerging alongside the fruit. There is real tannic structure, but Canonica's low intervention style gives the wine an almost feral energy and wonderful textural quality. It is a deeply traditional Barolo, but not a heavy one: aromatic, savory, fresh and unusually expressive of both its old vines and Canonica's idiosyncratic winemaking.