Winemaker Notes
A clear bright ruby color with very light garnet red reflections; intense and persistent aroma of red fruit with notes of plum and cherry. A pleasant aroma of wood is noticeable after the fruity aroma, anticipating the full taste of a great wine suitable for long lasting life. A succulent, rich, full-bodied and pleasant taste emerges after the woody one, with the presence of slightly ripe red fruit.
Thanks to its viscosity and body, Barolo is the ideal wine to pair with elaborate dishes and dishes like truffle dishes, meat dishes, pasta with porcini mushrooms, game, and aged cheeses. Cerequio is also perfect with dry pastries or chocolate.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Achille Boroli's 2019 Barolo Cerequio shows a mineral character of crushed limestone or river stone that you don't see to the same effect in the Villero. This wine is etched and linear instead, with a pretty delivery of fruit and spice to both the nose and the palate. Cerequio shows especially clean lines in this classic vintage, with little hints of softer oak spice on the close.
Rating: 94+ -
Wine Enthusiast
The Cerequio cru's pedigree is brilliantly showcased in this Barolo, as deep and fragrant aromas of black cherry, rose, baking spices and freshly turned earth captivate the senses. The polished palate offers supple textures, mouthfilling fruits, savory herbs and black tea notes. Fine yet firm tannins and vibrant acidity provide structure. Best enjoyed from 2026–2046.
Cellar Selection -
Wine Spectator
A dense, tightly wound red marked by a mix of black cherry and menthol flavors. Shows adequate flesh midpalate, with mineral, eucalyptus and oak spice notes that chime in as this winds down on the finish. Best from 2027 through 2046.
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James Suckling
Notes of dried flowers, red cherries, licorice and moist earth. Medium-bodied with tight but finely polished tannins and a fresh red-fruited mid-palate with citrus and mineral undertones. Crunchy finish. Drink after 2026.
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.
The center of the production of the world’s most exclusive and age-worthy red wines made from Nebbiolo, the Barolo wine region includes five core townships: La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and the Barolo village itself, as well as a few outlying villages. The landscape of Barolo, characterized by prominent and castle-topped hills, is full of history and romance centered on the Nebbiolo grape. Its wines, with the signature “tar and roses” aromas, have a deceptively light garnet color but full presence on the palate and plenty of tannins and acidity. In a well-made Barolo wine, one can expect to find complexity and good evolution with notes of, for example, strawberry, cherry, plum, leather, truffle, anise, fresh and dried herbs, tobacco and violets.
There are two predominant soil types here, which distinguish Barolo from the lesser surrounding areas. Compact and fertile Tortonian sandy marls define the vineyards farthest west and at higher elevations. Typically the Barolo wines coming from this side, from La Morra and Barolo, can be approachable relatively early on in their evolution and represent the “feminine” side of Barolo, often closer in style to Barbaresco with elegant perfume and fresh fruit.
On the eastern side of the Barolo wine region, Helvetian soils of compressed sandstone and chalks are less fertile, producing wines with intense body, power and structured tannins. This more “masculine” style comes from Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba. The township of Castiglione Falletto covers a spine with both soil types.
The best Barolo wines need 10-15 years before they are ready to drink, and can further age for several decades.