The word “deck” takes on a whole new meaning when you stand on the elevated platform outside of Guido Porro’s cantina in the small Piemontese hilltop town of Serralunga d’Alba. Standing along the railing at the platform’s edge and looking out at the horizon, you feel as though you’re on the deck of a large ship crossing a massive, stormy ocean with rising and falling waves, only instead of water, the ocean is made of vines in every direction.
     This is Barolo country, so naturally these dramatic hillsides yield majestic Nebbiolo, yet when you stand on Guido’s deck, your jaw can’t help but drop when he points out several rows of Dolcetto and Barbera vines. There they are, at the top of the slope, just above the acres upon acres of Nebbiolo, Italy’s greatest grape. While most vignaioli probably would have ripped them out by now and replaced them with Nebbiolo, Guido is too old-school. That he farms all three varieties within Barolo’s famed Lazzarito cru, granting them all an exceptional terroir, says almost everything you need to know about this Piemonte traditionalist who is dedicated to the region and all its classic diversity.
     In this prime position, Guido’s vines benefit from abundant and direct sunshine. Add to this the limestone-rich soils in which they’re planted and the warmer climate around Serralunga d’Alba, and it’s no surprise that all of his reds bring a little more structure, depth, and ageability, even the traditionally more light-hearted Dolcetto and Barbera. You can open these two, as well as his Langhe Nebbiolo, for pizza or pasta night, but they are also right at home alongside your Saturday night feasts.
     The three Baroli, meanwhile, are beautiful testaments to this epic landscape. Santa Caterina and Lazzairasco are Guido’s original bottlings, showing two different sides of the slope that cascades down just below his winery. Lower on the hill, Lazzairasco yields a powerful expression of Barolo that will evolve beautifully over the next ten or twenty years. Higher up, Santa Caterina yields a more high-toned Barolo. His newest addition, Gianetto, comes from younger vines on the slope opposite his and delivers the most immediate charm.