The Joys of Sleeping in a Vineyard
Nine spacious suites, each with a private wellness area overlooking the vineyards. A new resort in Piedmont offers an exceptional holiday opportunity based on relaxation and good wine. Discover nature and the treasures of the local area.
by Francesco Elli
Palais Cerequio, the new “Barolo Cru Resort” inaugurated by Michele Chiarlo in the heart of the Barolo terroir, has something special in its DNA. After all, the two words, “Barolo” and “cru”, that precede the more familiar “resort” suggest that a relaxing getaway from the frenzy of everyday life doesn’t necessarily mean the same old scenarios of beaches, lakesides or snow-capped mountains. It can also be among the evenly spaced vine rows of one of the world’s most famous, best-loved wines. Here we are in the heart of the Langhe hills, a harsh, austere part of Piedmont where, one bend in the road after another, unimaginable landscapes and views are in store. Not that you have to climb to reach the Palas. On the contrary, from the lovely hilltop village of La Morra you have to descend, leaving the main road and driving down the old white dust tracks along which grapes have always been used to carry the grapes from vineyard to cellar. A few yards further on, the road is out of sight and you find yourself in a world almost suspended in time.
It was here, twenty years ago, that Asti-born Michele Chiarlo, head of one of Piedmont’s most important winemaking families—based in Calamandrana among the gently rolling hills between Nizza Monferrato and Canelli—bought the land of one of the finest Barolo crus, Cerequio, which in the late 19th century the famous agronomist Fantini defined as “first-rate”. Still today the cru gives life to some of the best Barolos around. But it wasn’t just the grapes that made Chiarlo fall in love with the place. It was also the 18th-century hamlet that stands among the vineyards. Renovated with the calm and patience typical of all wine producers, it has now been opened to offer the public the chance to enjoy a holiday break unlike any other, based totally on relaxation, personal care and the discovery of the surrounding terroir and its wine.
Nine spacious suites have been developed within the old walls of the hamlet, each with its own wellness area and each dedicated to a specific Barolo cru, with the best bottles by the main producers on display in cabinets and illuminated showcases. The architectural style and the materials used are traditional of the local area, which has been deliberately used as the benchmark for all the restructuring work, starting from the old chapel on the main drive. The large windows in the main bedrooms, which look out over the vineyards, the small private spas and the use of chromotherapy in some of the suites blend the charm of tradition with cutting-edge modernity. Communal areas feature a small spillway swimming pool overlooking the vines, spectacular when lit up at night, and an enoteca, Vertigo, which offers guests a choice of 400 labels, including more than 50 bottles of Barolo made by the top producers—the very best the denomination has to offer. Alongside the enoteca, the property is enhanced by the magnificent Caveau del Barolo, a cellar housing 6,000 bottles of Michele Chiarlo’s most highly prized wines, with vintages from 1958 to 2007. Wine also stars in the tasting room next door, where special events are organized for guests. They include comparisons of Barolos from different crus by different producers and vertical tastings of five or nine vintages of the top labels.
For the food to go with the wine, Palas relies on the huge possibilities offered by the surrounding area. Here in a radius of 30 kilometres, every type of solution is possible—from traditional osterias to Michelin-starred restaurants. The aim is to liaise with many of them to turn the Palas into a sort of “diffuse restaurant”, where the staff, headed by a couple with international experience, offer guests expert advice tailored to their individual needs.
BAROLO, ONE OF ITALY’S GREAT TREASURES
Today Barolo is without doubt one of the world’s best-loved wines. Produced in an area that comprises 11 communes in the province of Cuneo, it is made solely with nebbiolo grapes. But it only rose to fame relatively recently. Until the mid-19th century, in fact, the wine produced in the area was a sweet red which, given the techniques of the time, failed to transform the large amount of sugar in its must into alcohol. It was Giulia Falletti, wife of the last Marchese di Barolo, who changed the wine’s destiny when she called in a noted French oenologist to reproduce in Piedmont the same processes that had made the wines of Bordeaux famous in France. Nonetheless, until the 1960s, the market for Barolo was still very limited, its harshness and tannins too overpowering to be to the taste of the general public. The subsequent introduction of new vinification techniques made it possible to soften the wine’s rough edges, while still preserving the acidity and alcohol content that give it its magnificent structure and ageing capacity.
DIDA
Above, Michele Chiarlo with his family. Head of one of Piedmont’s most important wine dynasties, he is the founder of the Palas Cerequio Barolo Cru Resort.
Info: www.palascerequio.com.
The Palas Cerequio Barolo Cru Resort offers a spectacular view over the vineyards. In the photos: details of the enoteca; the interior of the chapel; one of the nine suites, all with their own private wellness areas.
