Grower: BARALE FRATELLI
Date of interview: June 24th, 2021
Reading time: 4 minutes
Barale is one of the oldest winemaking families of Barolo, with incredible landholdings, vine material, and a beautiful historic cellar in the Barolo town center. Among many envious landholdings, the family has prized parcels in Bussia Soprana and Monrobiolo di Bussia.
The family has begun to garner renewed attention, particularly in the last few years, in part due to the re-awakening of sorts that young daughters Eleonora and Gloria have ushered in. However, make no mistake, Barale remains part of the old guard, quietly working in the manner that they always have been.
The family has a steadfast belief that Nebbiolo should be delicate, despite structure, and must be handled in an equally delicate manner - in sharp contrast to more technological and modern approaches. The family has always farmed naturally with a focus on biodiversity. They have never used barrique and foster practices such as native yeast fermentations (with long maceration) and bottling without fining or filtration.
Below is a recent interview that we had with Eleonora Barale. In it, she talks ancient vines and historic clones in Castellero, vineyard biodiversity projects with VinNatur, her developed love for Sicilian Marsala, past pressures to modernize their approach, and the feeling of responsibility that pulled her towards this work.
Vine Farmer: Could you tell me about your family’s history; the history of Barale?
Eleonora: Well, my family history is strictly linked with Barolo’s history. Actually, my family started producing Barolo in middle of the nineteenth century when this blessed wine was was just born. Barolo is a wine that was born amongst nobles - at the time there was the Marquis here in Barolo who facilitated production. And after the initial success of this wine, several landowners in the area started producing themselves, their own wine. Among these landowners was my great, great grandfather, Francesco Barale, who started our winemaking history in Barolo. Even so, there are traces of my family in the Barolo registry back to the sixteenth century.
We also have authorization to export our wines dating back to 1930. Right now, there is my father who manages the estate and takes care mainly of work in the vineyards. My sister and I try to learn from him and to help move us into the future.
Vine Farmer: Were your landholdings all acquired at once, or over time?
Eleonora: Well, we are lucky because we have a long history, so really, we were able to acquire our vineyards a long time ago. Oh, hell, the Barolo region was not so successful as it is today – it was much easier to acquire land back then! Our production mostly comes from the Barolo and Monforte villages. So right now, we have around 13 hectares, and I really have to say that these vineyards are situated in the some of the best sites in the region.
Vine Farmer: What does Barolo mean to you as a wine, characteristically?
Eleonora: First of all, to me, Barolo is a wine that I can simply drink on the nose. I like drinking Barolo at least 5-10 years old; to me it gains the interesting range flavors from the soil then. Barolo is very delicate; every Barolo has its own fingerprint of the soil that it came from. Finding the soil is an important characteristic of Barolo - we can say that people enjoying Barolo are discovering a place, something that is real. This characteristic is something that just a few wines that can have the opportunity to fully reveal.
Vine Farmer: With the wave of a more modern style that emerged in decades past, did your family ever experience pressure to make wine in a more modern style?
Eleonora: When I started working with my Father, the first thing he made me do was work in the cellar. He is a vigneron and likes to spend all his time in the vineyard. He doesn’t like to have much contact with the public. My first job was to do basically what he doesn’t like to do...since we have our winery in the historic center of Barolo, often there are a lot of tourists and other people in the area. There were always a lot of people who would come and ask me for Barolo made in barrique; small wood. They wanted to taste those types of flavors, and I would say that we make Barolo in a traditional way, that we’ve never used barrique before. And sometimes people were disappointed – but we always fought for traditional Barolo.
My father always followed his own idea that Barolo for him needs to reflect the true characteristic coming from the grape. The wood taste that would be something that covers too much the taste from the vine. However, it’s not something bad in general - maybe there are some grapes and regions that need this flavor. However, for the Barolo region, the wood taste has always been something not so traditional because it covers too much the grapes own polyphenols and tannins.
My father is a strong man with a strong vision, never utilizing modern methods of production. We also favor long maceration and maturation and fermentation with indigenous yeast. All our processes adopted in the cellar are to respect the Nebbiolo grape. Nebbiolo is very complex and structured, but at the same time very delicate. Our processes are equally delicate.
Vine Farmer: How did you personally come to enter this family business?
Eleonora: I grew up in the estate among the vineyards, among the barrels. This is my house. We do not have a wine cellar in the center of the house, we have the house in the wine cellar. I always breathe the work, the wine, and study the wine culture. It’s all something very normal to me, but honestly, I did try to escape from this destiny!
I did some classic studies in school and I graduated with a degree in Biotechnology with a focus on plants. After that, I felt the responsibility to take over our tradition that is a centuries long tradition that needs to go on. I didn’t want to give it up, to lose it.
Vine Farmer: What additional inspiration do you have for choosing this path?
Eleonora: My father never told me you have to continue or do what I do. But I always looked at him as a teacher and he always inspired me very much. I’m very happy that he was able to allow me the freedom of choice. I think that made me more enthusiastic to start working with him.
Vine Farmer: With an education in Biotechnology with a focus on plants, has that influenced your thoughts on farming or anything else you do?
Eleonora: Yes, for me making wine is a form of Biotechnology. However, it’s sort of a harmony between human and nature, of course. It's not to give the wine something else to maybe satisfy a trend or for some enological proposal. So, in this sense, I think it makes me have great cautiousness for the use of the tools to transform what is already represented naturally.
Vine Farmer: Has your philosophy on farming changed at all over time?
Eleonora: It has not changed, but right now my sister and I are pushing my father into a formal organic certification. I feel the will of consumers to know from the label what the producers are doing - I think its correct to inform our consumers who look for our way of production. However, we always have worked this way, without pesticides or herbicides in the vineyards.
We fertilize our vineyards with natural manure from our horses. In the same way, we cut the grass by hand. So, we are very respectful of the land. We also try to learn more about how the vine can coexist with the insects and other flora. We are doing a project together with the VinNatur association, who works to join together natural producers in Italy and across Europe. The project is to normalize protocol for biodiversity in the vineyards, between the soil, insects, animals, and other plants that are important.
Vine Farmer: Have you noticed the quality and speed of fermentation is linked to better biodiversity in the vineyards?
Eleonora: Of course, if we respect more the natural equilibrium of the vineyard, we leave more yeast for fermentation. The grapes are healthier, with stronger skin.
Vine Farmer: Is there a particular wine of yours that you enjoy the most or is the most special to you?
Eleonora: I think our land in Castellero is very special to me – we have had this vineyard since the nineteenth century, with the last planting in 1971 (many vines are older). There are great clones there: Michet, Lampia, Rosé, with many vines much older.
Vine Farmer: Do you have any regions or grapes that you are particularly fond of outside of Barolo?
Eleonora: My husband is a Sicilian producer of Marsala (the highly regarded Marco De Bartoli), so I also fell in love with it! Marsala is one of the oldest wines in Italian wine history. But to be fair, in Italy, all the regions have special wines. So, what I said about Barolo and Marsala, it’s just what I know so well.