Ettore Germano Serralunga d'Alba Barolo 2010
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Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
Serving suggestions: roast duck and leg of lamb.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Forest floor, crushed violets, sage, truffle, mint and menthol aromas jump from the glass. It shows its Serralunga pedigree, delivering juicy red cherry, black raspberry, anisette, thyme, herb and spice flavors supported by solid but ripe tannins. Drink 2018–2040.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Barolo is an opulent and supple rendition that shows the great versatility of the Nebbiolo grape, especially in a no-brainer vintage like the beautiful 2010. Ripe fruit, cinnamon, button mushroom, forest floor and creme de cassis form a seamless integration. The close is focused and tightly tuned with silky, long tannins (soften by two years in used barrique and tonneaux). Drink: 2016-2026.
A tall medieval tower dominates the village of Serralunga, on the south-east edge of the Barolo appellation, giving fair warning of the character of the wines grown there: structured, substantial, uncompromising. Sergio Germano, whose winery is a few minutes walk north of Serralunga, completed six years of study at the School of Enology in Alba, then made wine for a few years at Fontanafredda, one of the larger wineries in the area, before returning to the family estate in 1993. The winery is still named after Ettore, Sergio’s father, who grew grapes, made a little wine for private customers, and was known throughout the area for his skill in grafting vines.
In a traditional appellation like Barolo, a modern winemaker needs to have the scientific understanding of winemaking, while still respecting the traditions. Sergio Germano is just such a winemaker, and his Serralunga Barolos will never be creamy, international-style wines. Great wine is always made in the vineyard, and Sergio does much of the fieldwork himself, with the help of his wife Elena and a small crew. Some of the wines are 100% traditional, made with long macerations and big barrels, and some are made with medium-sized barrels or barriques, but they all express the best of these local grape varieties. Sergio has vineyards in two quite different areas, which allows him to make an unusual range of wine types; in addition to the classic regional wines like Barolo, Dolcetto and Barbera he also makes one of Italy’s best Rieslings, and some excellent sparkling wines.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
An historic village situated right in between the famous regions of Barolo and Barbaresco, Alba is also the name for the larger wine region surrounding the village.
In a sense, “Alba” is a catch-all phrase, and includes the declassified Nebbiolo wines made in Barolo and Barbaresco, as well as the Nebbiolo grown just outside of these regions’ borders. In fact, Nebbiolo d’Alba is a softer, less tannic and more fruit-forward wine ready to drink within just a couple years of bottling. It is a great place to start if you want to begin to understand the grape. Likewise, the even broader category of Langhe Nebbiolo offers approachable and value-driven options as well.
Barbera, planted alongside Nebbiolo in the surrounding hills, and referred to as Barbera d’Alba, takes on a more powerful and concentrated personality compared to its counterparts in Asti.
Dolcetto is ubiquitous here and, known as Dolcetto d'Alba, can be found casually served alongside antipasti on the tables of Alba’s cafes and wine bars.
Not surprisingly, given its location, Alba is recognized as one of Italy’s premiere culinary destinations and is the home of the fall truffle fair, which attracts visitors from worldwide every year.