Book Review: Barolo and Barbaresco (Kerin O'Keefe, 2014)

Book Review:
Barolo and Barbaresco - The King and Queen of Italian Wine
Written by Kerin O’Keefe
2014 publication, 346 pages there is a discrepancy between the ISBN info on pages, and my copy

I had actually read the better pictured coffee table version of book near release, and when purchasing this copy (used) had thought I was getting that one. The version I ended up with is the smaller, non color photo, bookshelf (6x9) version. In any case, the smaller size made it easier to curl up in a leather chair and consume this over a few weeks. The book does have maps and photos, in black and white, with 10 maps and 31 photos (mostly of people). The author is deeply versed in Italian wines, having been the Italian Editor for Wine Enthusiast, and published in Decanter and World of Fine Wine, with two other books on Italian wines/estates under her belt.

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The book follows an orthodox structure for wine reference books, with the first section (40 pages) covering the history and background of the region, terrain and climate, and considerations for the key varietal - nebbiolo. The detail and depth of O’Keefe’s knowledge is impressive, and although she has some views, the reporting of facts rather than opinions tends to be her style. One example of that is the extensive bibliography and notes presented at the end of the book; even with all her knowledge the book was still well researched and attributed for the deeply interested. Even oenophiles with confirmed tastes would enjoy/learn from the first section of the book. There are 8-9 pages on the stylistic differences that caused tension decades ago, and although the author falls into the traditional camp, the discussion is handled in a balanced way. The section closes out with some coverage of the expansion of DOCG, and the confusing politics around the subzone’s names.

The second section of the book is the standard breakdown by village of the Barolo area, with nuances for each area, and select profiles of key producers. The book is a few years old (published 7 years ago, and likely written 10 years ago from the feel of it) and many estates that might be of interest to WB’s are not covered. So although this is a good reference book, for villages and regional history, it is not all encompassing for the obscura. The zones covered are Barolo/Novello, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d’Alba, La Morra/Cherasco, Monforte d’Alba, and then a number of other areas are all lumped into one chapter.

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Barbaresco gets the third section with the village proper leading, then Nieve, Treiso and lastly outlying wineries. When the producers are highlighted in the various sections, some have a few tasting notes included for current releases (at the time) as well as famed older examples. The book isn’t meant to be a TN anthology, but the inclusion of those suggests what the difference between a normale bottle vs. a vineyard designate barrique aged example might be. They’re not filler, in other words. There are a few wineries mentioned at the end of each village section as ‘producers to note’ who merit a single line; many of them are prominent but I suspect the size of the book, and the author’s preferences meant that choices, and thus exclusions, had to be made.

The book closes with a vintage guide, which she acknowledges has elements of ‘conventional wisdom’ in it, rather than a personal experience of every wine, in every year. There are also notes, a glossary, and a bibliography. This was published by an academic press, and has that look and feel. The maps are average in quality, and spartan in features compared to wine atlases, although key vineyards are noted. The b&w photos are good and generally fit with the prose, but tend to be more about putting faces to estate names. The paper stock is thick and on partially recycled paper. The book is medium sized and takes 8 hours of reading time, but the chapters are well suited for 20 min at a chunk.

I recommend the book and would give it a solid A grade.

Thanks for making it to end!

https://www.amazon.com/Barolo-Barbaresco-King-Queen-Italian/dp/0520273265 used copies are running $20 on Amazon, but I found one for $4 (shipped) on ebay a while ago as a fluke. That is NOT an affiliate link or anything like that, btw.

I read this a few years ago and really enjoyed it as well. Great read.

The exclusion of quite a few well-known and well-respected Barolo producers wasn’t so much because of space, but O’Keefe’s personal dislike of modernists. Some do get their name listed under “Producers to note” (as you mentioned), but some don’t even get that. I don’t have the book in front of me, but I seem to recall Chiara Boschis is excluded completely and Aldo Conterno might only be mentioned in the “… to note” section.

At least O’Keefe made it clear that the book leans heavily towards old school producers, and if you can get past the exclusions, I agree that it’s well-written and informative.

I’m currently reading this book–I’m midway through the Barolo commune/producer section.

While it is already a bit dated in some ways, the commentary on production history and methods by producers is very interesting.

Aldo Conterno gets a decent sized profile, and it’s subject to debate how much the winery engaged in “modernist” practices. They claim not to use barrique on their Barolo, but others have noted the presence of oak. She gives quite a bit of space to a couple of the absolute leaders of modernism, but she’s upfront about her preference (which I happen to share). It’s true that she left out Chiara Boschis, which is unfortunate, because those are some of the best modernist wines–they still speak of the crus profoundly. And Chiara is just a force of nature and deserves more recognition.

I bought the book when it came out, and I still refer back to it mostly to check on winemaking styles when encountering a new-to-me producer. The Barolo-Traditional-vs.-Modern thread here is the other leading source. Her ratings of the crus (really MGAs) are pretty standard but helpfully located in the back of the book in an easy to use format. The discussion of the controversies over the expansion and labeling of crus and the new restrictions on labeling with two or more cru names is inside baseball for the Barolo geek.

The maps aren’t great, but if you are serious about the terrain in Barolo and Barbaresco, you need Masnaghetti’s MGA volumes anyway. And the photos, taken by her husband, are often not that well lit or framed, but I’m not looking for a book with pictures of Barolo heroes anyway.

If she came out with an updated version, I would likely buy it. UC press publishes many really interesting wine books, including “Terroir and Other Myths of Winegrowing,” by Mark Matthews.

Apologies, I should have had the book in front of me when posting. Yes, both Aldo and Giacomo Conterno are well-covered in the book. It’s Domenico Clerico who I was thinking of. I used to like some of Clerico’s wines, but these days I’ve gone off Clerico so I’m personally not bothered by the exclusion. I’m surprised Vietti is only mentioned in passing, though.

I do have Masnaghetti’s two Barolo volumes and his Barbaresco volume. They’re fantastic. As is the mobile app.

Nice to read a book review in place of a wine review!

There’s a boatload of useful info here. Her research was very thorough.

I was somewhat disappointed in the book, though, when I first read it in 2016 (while staying in the Hotel Barolo/Brezza), because she doesn’t seem to have a deep historical perspective. Her notes on particular wines are mostly limited to a few vintages that were available when she was working on the book. It seemed like she had little experience with older vintages, or how different current wines are from those in, say, the 70s and 80s. What I would love is a reference work with the depth of producer detail she offers as well as the long-term perspective and informed opinions of someone like Nicolas Belfrage (“From Barolo to Valpolicella”).

I agree that the lack of a write-up of Vietti was kind of surprising. I cannot think of a winery that has holdings in as many top MGAs as they do. Also the fact that they store wines under the tower of Castiglione Falletto is a pretty cool fact.

I think that Bill Knapp had many criticisms of the book (not shocking, since “opinionated” barely begins to describe him) on here when it came out (and before he self-exiled). It’s also possible he posted something on Amazon and I am confused about where. In any case, I believe he made the same or similar comment about lack of historical perspective. I think she has pretty decent write-ups of the histories of the producers, but the wines? I don’t think she’s been drinking and collecting them for 40 or 50 years (I don’t think she started as a pre-teen) but she certainly has more experience than I do. She mentions older vintages, and rates them (not sure where some of those came from) in the back, but I think the tasting notes were mostly from when she started planning the book. She does mention, in the part about Modern v. Traditional, some of the character of the older wines.

The book came out around the time I went to the Langhe with Gregory dal Piaz and Jamie Wolff. GdP was planning a book, but it would have come out too close in time. I think his tasting notes from the decades he’s been traveling there and drinking the wines would be a great volume.

Good book for B/B beginners and more. My main reservation is that Barolo is live and kicking, so much is happening, every year we learn of new (important) producers, the famous stay famous but new stars develop​:flushed:. Hence this book is not for the current flows and not good for the hard core fan. Sorry