Barolo Cerretta

Baudana, Luigi
Italy
Piedmont
2018

Compared to the cru of Baudana, Cerretta is much better known, as it is a fairly large cru (by Serralunga standards) with many producers.  The Vairas farm 0.77ha, facing SW, in the subsection of Cerretta known as Cerretta Piani.  This is the coolest microclimate in the cru, with gentle slopes.   The soil is the classic Formazione di Lequio, a thin layer of poor, white topsoil. But, unique to Cerretta Piani, this sits over a substrate of more evolved, iron-rich reddish marls. 

Vines for the Barolo Cerretta were planted in 1970.  Fermentation, which for Cerretta often starts quite slowly, is in open-top wood vats, lasting around 20-30 days with manual punchdowns. Depending on the vintage, up to 5% whole clusters could be used, fairly rare for Nebbiolo. After fermentation, macerations continue cappello sommerso for an additional 20-35 days. Aging is for around 32 months in neutral Slavonian oak botti, followed by at least 8 months of bottle aging. Unfined/unfiltered. 4,000 bottles made.

95 points
"“My customers would spend a lot of money on that,” commented one of our tasting panelists after encountering the abundance of red- and black-cherry fruit in this tautly structured wine. The tannins feel fine and chiseled, highlighting the wine’s lively notes of licorice, thyme and mint as the flavors remain harmonious through the finish. "
Wine & Spirits
December 2022
94 points
"The 2018 Barolo Cerretta offers good focus with a sharp and linear style that gives way to forest berry, wild rose, rusty nail and crushed stone. The wine is extremely direct, and that's what sets it apart. In that sense, this wine is faithful to the characteristics of Serralunga d'Alba. The soils of Cerretta see a layer of white marl on the surface and red clay further down; that's where those rusty sensations must come from"
Monica Larner,
Wine Advocate
Week 3 | June 23, 2022
93 points
"The 2018 Barolo Cerretta is a potent, searing wine, its mid-weight structure notwithstanding. Scorching tannins wrap around a core of dark red/black fruit, gravel, smoke, crushed rocks, menthol, licorice and game. The 2018 is going to need a number of years to come around and for those formidable tannins to soften"
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous Media
February 2022
93 points
"Offers cut grass and hay aromas that mingle with flavors of cherry, strawberry, tamarind and underbrush. Tightly wound tannins grip the finish, leaving a chewy impression. Packs plenty of fruit, with fine equilibrium in the end. "
Bruce Sanderson,
Wine Spectator
December 2022
93 points
"Taut and linear, this opens with ripe berry, crushed mint, leather and forest floor aromas. The bright, elegantly structured palate shows juicy raspberry, star anise and orange zest aromas accompanied by fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity before finishing on a hint of rusty nail."
KERIN O’KEEFE,
Wine Enthusiast
September 1, 2022
92 points
"Bright red fruit and a nut-cream note on the nose. Medium-bodied with very fine, firm tannins and a long, intense finish. Solid and focused. Try from 2024."
James Suckling ,
JamesSuckling.com
February 2022

SKU/Code: 
DB3272-18
Product Line: 
Wine
Red
Varietal: 
Nebbiolo
Farming Type: 
Organic