Always remaining to the right of the Tanaro river, but proceeding in a south-west direction, after the city of Alba a large valley opens up at times flat that goes towards the area of Barolo. A larger territory than that of Barbaresco, but equally prestigious for its vocation to the vineyard and the production of quality wine. Here there are eleven villages: some have their entire territory in the area of origin of Barolo and are Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d'Alba and Barolo.
The other eight (Diano d'Alba, Grinzane Cavour, Monforte d'Alba, Novello, Cherasco, La Morra, Verduno and Roddi) have only part of the territory in the Barolo area. Seen from above, they form a beautiful crown around the three most central and make up with them the great vineyard of Barolo, about 2 thousand hectares dedicated to Nebbiolo.
Alongside the Nebbiolo, the vineyard in this area also welcomes other varieties, both black and white: among the former, the Dolcetto and the Barbera stand out and the small Pelaverga (the latter only in Verduno, Roddi and La Morra); among the latter, Moscato and Chardonnay return, sometimes also Arneis and Favorita, but above all in Novello there is a precious proposal, the Nas-cetta, a variety that is making itself appreciated for its wide olfactory complex and the ability to withstand the years it gives to its wines.
From a morphological point of view, the elongated hill also prevails in the Barolo area, confirming the Celtic origin of the term "Langa" or "language of land". The valleys tend to be narrow and even here the most popular slopes for the cultivation of the vineyard remain the sunniest, ie east, south and west and their infinite combinations.
The soil, also in the Barolo area, is compact and strongly dominated by marls where limestone and clay prevail.
The geological origin remains that of the Barbaresco, the Tertiary Era and the Miocene Period, but the composition of the soils is different depending on the spatial location. Basically, it is the large valley that joins the plain of Alba to the town of Barolo that segments the area: proceeding towards Barolo, the hills to the left and which belong to the villages of Diano d'Alba, Grinzane Cavour, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d Alba and Monforte d'Alba have more ancient and solid soils, dating back to the Elvezian (between 16 and 13.8 million years ago). They are composed of very compact gray marls, which constitute the supporting structure of the soil, capable of producing Barolo wines of great breadth and structure, decidedly inclined to withstand over time.
The hills, on the other hand, located to the right of the large valley, that is the villages of Barolo, Novello, La Morra, Roddi, Verduno and Cherasco, have younger lands, belonging to the Tortonian (between 11.6 and 7.2 million years ago). In this case, the marls are blue and compact, practically like in the Barbaresco area, and produce Barolo wines that are less decisive and full-bodied, but tend to be more elegant and with a more ready aromatic set.
And, if we wanted to be even more analytical, we could say that in the municipality of Barolo , the long hill of Cannubi that starts from the town and lies north to the center of the valley, marks the meeting between the two geological periods (Elveziano and Tortonian) and creates the optimal synthesis between the two types of soil, for a Barolo of structure and power that does not renounce harmony and elegance.
