Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin

Ever since Domenico Clerico had the vision to bottle his own wines on the 5 hectares that his father left him in Monforte d'Alba, in Langhe (Piedmont), the world of wine stopped being what it had been until then. A member of the band of renegade winemakers known as the “Barolo Boys”, he began his winemaking career by breaking with traditional Barolo protocol and revolutionising the market. As a starting point, he took the terroir and the quality of the vines as the only factor that determines the potential of a wine and expanded the estate with some of the best Cru in the region. This work was groundbreaking but also has deep roots in Langhe, and this has made him the great Nebbiolo master.

Following Dominico’s death in 2017, his family continued to work in the winery with the same philosophy as its founder. Wines like Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin, a Nebbiolo born from a vineyard created in 1978 at the top of the hill, at an altitude of 410 metres, are proof of this. The soil is rich in limestone and clay and cultivation is respectful of the terroir’s natural balance. A plot-by-plot approach, with a Burgundy style, which is maintained in the cellar. Once the best grapes have been selected and destemmed, they undergo a 15-20 day skin maceration. Fermentation is carried out with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks and then the wine is aged for 16 months in French oak barrels and 16 months in large Slavonian botti before bottling.

Complete, smooth and very refined, Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin puts us under the spell of an absolutely divine Barolo. There must be a reason why he has won over critics from all over the world.