This is part of an extensive program of content on Italian wines and culture over the summer of 2020 on JamesSuckling.com. Read this post to see more examples of the stories we will be posting over the next few weeks.
This movie, written and directed by Hollywood filmmaker James Orr and featuring James Suckling, presents an insider’s guide to what makes the vineyard of Cannubi in Barolo so very special. It debuted in 2013.
James is a big fan of Cannubi and finds that it might be the perfect expression of Barolo, as it combines the fossil soils of vineyards around the towns of La Morra and the sandstone terroirs near Castiglione Falletto, Monforte d’Alba, and Barolo. Barolos from here are extremely perfumed and open when young and show fine tannins with subtle complexity; yet they age incredibly well. The only problem can be finding some. Due to the small size – just 15 hectares – of the vineyard, production from here is not huge. Even so we regularly taste wines from Cannubi every year. You can see the latest notes from our tastings of Cannubi wines below: 51 wines tasted since January 2018.
The documentary is the story of the continuing controversy surrounding one of Piedmont’s most famous crus. The disagreement centers around whether the owners of the parcels of Cannubi known as Cannubi Muscatel, Cannubi San Lorenzo and so on should be allowed to place simply the word “Cannubi” on their labels. At the time of filming, the case was at a point in the Italian justice system where the original decision of expanding the area permitted to use the single name had just been reversed. Yet following the documentary’s release, the ruling was once again overturned (in typical Italian fashion), and today any producer with any holdings by the name of Cannubi may freely market their produce as such.
James stated shortly afterwards that these latest proceedings would most likely be of little consequence as the majority of producers, despite the choice, would continue to favor using the more specific vineyard designations. And this has indeed proved to be the case. You will find that wines from wineries such as Luciano Sandrone and Ceretto are labelled as Cannubi Boschis and Cannubi San Lorenzo respectively.
Even so, with the introduction in 2014 of the “menzioni geografiche aggiuntive”, the now-official subdivision of Barolo supposedly into the region’s historical crus, the whole subject could well be considered a microcosm of the issues at large. The arguments concerning which particular plot of land pertains to which “menzione” are now widespread, and the fundamental questions posed by this documentary are more significant than ever.
What should be the criteria for determining the boundaries of these great wine-producing sub-zones? Is the whole discussion ruining the process of wine enjoyment? Watch the film and decide for yourself.
