Winemaker Notes
From 25-55 year old vines planted in calcareous soil in the Serraboella cru at 350 m above sea level.
Try pairing with roast and braised red meats, game, truffle dishes, mature cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2019 Barbaresco Serraboella is stellar. Here, too, the austere style of the year comes through loud and clear, but with that extra kick of mid-palate sweetness that distinguishes the Serraboella. Bright, red-toned Nebbiolo fruit, crushed flowers, mint, chalk and orange peel all build in the glass. The Serraboella is usually a bit richer, but in the 2019 it is a Barbaresco very much marked by sizzling tension. I would cellar it for at least a few years. There's real depth and substance here.
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Wine Spectator
Firm and fresh, this red evokes cherry, raspberry, floral and mineral flavors. This has a hint of viscosity to the texture, before the refined tannins take over on the lingering finish. Balanced and elegant overall. Best from 2024.
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.
A wine that most perfectly conveys the spirit and essence of its place, Barbaresco is true reflection of terroir. Its star grape, like that in the neighboring Barolo region, is Nebbiolo. Four townships within the Barbaresco zone can produce Barbaresco: the actual village of Barbaresco, as well as Neive, Treiso and San Rocco Seno d'Elvio.
Broadly speaking there are more similarities in the soils of Barbaresco and Barolo than there are differences. Barbaresco’s soils are approximately of the same two major soil types as Barolo: blue-grey marl of the Tortonion epoch, producing more fragile and aromatic characteristics, and Helvetian white yellow marl, which produces wines with more structure and tannins.
Nebbiolo ripens earlier in Barbaresco than in Barolo, primarily due to the vineyards’ proximity to the Tanaro River and lower elevations. While the wines here are still powerful, Barbaresco expresses a more feminine side of Nebbiolo, often with softer tannins, delicate fruit and an elegant perfume. Typical in a well-made Barbaresco are expressions of rose petal, cherry, strawberry, violets, smoke and spice. These wines need a few years before they reach their peak, the best of which need over a decade or longer. Bottle aging adds more savory characteristics, such as earth, iron and dried fruit.