Winemaker Notes
Badarina is the symbolic vineyard of our family. It is the expression of the power and minerality that characterize the terroir of Serralunga d’Alba. It represents the harmony between ethereal perfumes, great structure and important tannins: these elements make Barolo Badarina a unique wine that improves over time. Lifted roses, wild strawberries, licorice, mint and wild herbs aromas and flavor make it very sensational. Extremely detailed and very long. It pairs well with rich dishes such as mains with meat, game, stew and matured cheese.
Certified OrganicProfessional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This wine has already evolved to show some tar and savory aromas. The 2015 Barolo Badarina offers pretty color saturation with linear and fresh lines of plum, black fruit, dark spice and tilled earth. The wine delivers much of the heft and power promised by this Badarina cru in Serralunga d'Alba. If you're looking for a Barolo vintage to pair with a rich meat like liver or game, this could be the one. This is Bruna Grimaldi's flagship Barolo, as her mother was born in Badarina and this site has always had special meaning to her family.
Rating: 93+ -
James Suckling
Dried-strawberry and cherry aromas with hints of lavender and rose petals. Full body, very tight and polished tannins and a bright and linear finish with energy and focus. Try in 2022.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Camphor, cedar, coconut and dried aromatic herb aromas take shape in the glass. The firmly structured, full-bodied palate evokes cherry marinated in spirits, cassis, espresso and star anise alongside the warmth of alcohol. Assertive, finegrained tannins provide the framework.
-
Wine & Spirits
Badarina, a high-elevation cru at the southern end of Serralunga’s ridgeline, produced a firm, reticent Barolo in 2015, the wine needing time in the glass to reveal its brisk, spicy plum and cherry flavors. The finish is warm and firmly tannic, the wine needing more time in the cellar.
Growing grapes and crafting high quality wines have always been Bruna Grimaldi’s family tradition. Born and raised in the hills that link Grinzane Cavour to Serralunga d’Alba, in the heart of Langhe, Unesco World Heritage, Bruna Grimaldi is a small family-owned winery that since the early 60s produce authentic and terroir-driven wines. Careful work in the vineyard, commitment in the winery, respect for the environment are key aspects of Bruna Grimaldi’s philosophy: a passion for wine that has been handed down for decades in Langhe region where the best plots are selected for the production of Barolo. This history talks about the territory, in full respect of the tradition.
The estate farms organically 14ha (34 acres) of vineyards in the Barolo region and in the neighbouring villages. Bruna and her husband Franco have been recently joined by their son Simone, enologist, and Martina, who both proudly represent the fourth generation and whose aim is to continue the family tradition of producing soulful 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.
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.