A Barolo Living Legend; Domenico Clerico

 

Domenico Clerico winery is situated in Monforte d’Alba, right in the heart of Barolo, Piedmont, northwestern Italy where these famed single-vineyard wines are characterized by their extraordinary richness, remarkable aromatics and sensual personalities, making it one of the world’s most esteemed Barolo.

Owner Domenico Clerico, hailed as “one of Italy’s most gifted winemakers in Piedmont” by Robert Parker Jr., believes that the grape, rather than the production process, is the key to quality wines. He champions the virtues of terroir, as well as uses barriques for ageing to reach a great wine consistency and an exceptional character.

“The secret to achieving quality wines is that we focus on growing quality vines, seventy percent of the work is done in the vineyard to assure a quality wine”, Domenico reveals. “It started when I was young and I would green harvest my father’s crop when he was on holiday! I had to hide the cuttings away afterwards otherwise my father would have given me big trouble! Now our approach to viticulture includes using only organic fertilizer and tilling the soil. This is a God-blessed land but we need to be humble enough to realise that if we don’t take care of it, we will never be able to have great wines”.

In Hong Kong this week for the first time in seven years, I sat down for a coffee with the legendary winemaker to talk about the history of not just his wine, but the man himself whose scarred hands alone show the passion he has for hands -on work in the vineyards.

“Some day’s while I am travelling on business I think about myself on the tractor in the vineyard. I can hear the tyres on the grass in my vineyards, it’s something very personal and I miss it while I am away”.

Domenico tells me that his vineyards is on the border of Langhe, where the hills and the purest marl make way for the plains that lead to the Alps. Domenico took over the estate from his father and started managing it in 1976. “My father”, he tells me. “He was not a winemaker, but a simple farmer who sold his grapes to the co-operative”.

“I left school at the age of ten and went to work on the farm with my father”, he says. This knowledge of the land has helped him understand the true nature of the terroir within which he works.

I asked him where he learned how to make wine and his face showed that of someone harking back to the time when Italian winemaking legends were born. “Alora, I basically taught myself”, he says. “I had my own ideas but I was a good friend of Angelo Gaja and so I listened to what my friends were saying about winemaking. I had the passion to do it and took what people told me and made it work”.

“One of my mentors is certainly Angelo Gaja but the most influential person and a man I have the utmost respect for is Aldo Conterno. I remember when I started in 1976 I bought some vats of wine from Aldo and I was shocked at how amazing his winery was. I could only dream that I could own something like this back then. Aldo Conterno gave me a kiss and said ‘good luck, you will do good one day’; this has always remained in my heart to this day”.

A year after taking over the estate he acquired a small parcel of land in the heart of Bussia district and three years after, it resulted in Bricotto Bussia, his first Barolo wine production. “Bussia is the most important vineyard we have in the Barolo district”, Domenico says. “This land has been made famous by Aldo Conterno and we have him to thank for this. I have only 8 rows of vineyards there which I bought in 1977 and it allows me to make only 750 magnums each year. That is all we make of this wine”.

Knowing the winery is so close to Alba, home of the fabled white truffle, I asked Domenico if God had created Nebbiolo with Truffles in mind. “Alora, yes! White truffles are something we only get in the fall. The very good ones are harvested almost at winter time. Of all the three varieties Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo, the first two are everyday wines – truffles are not everyday food so a great Truffle can only be paired with a great Nebbiolo”.

Over time Domenico Clerico Winery has grown now comprising of 21 hectares of vineyards producing a total of around 110,000 bottles a year including Langhe dolcetto “Visadi”; Barbera d’Alba “Trevigne”, Langhe Nebbiolo “Capisme-e”, Laghe Rosso “Arte”, and three other Barolos (Ciabot Mentin, Pajana and Percristina).

I ask him about the ability of his wines to pair with Chinese food bearing in mind he has been on this leg of his trip now for a couple of days and I assumed he had done at least one paring. “Fantastico”! is all he says and, honestly, that about sums it up!

“We are lucky because we have the best job on earth. We live within nature and we have to have patience in both work and life. We get to taste great wines everyday and we get to go out and eat great food every day. This we get to share with great people and it gives so many happy memories. Food and wine is a magic thing, so really, we are very very lucky”.

Domenico Clerico wines are exclusively available from Altaya wines. For more information contact info@altayawines.com or visit their website www.altayawines.com