Winemaker Notes
From 25-55 year old vines planted in calcareous soil in the Serraboella cru at 350 m above sea level.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2020 Barbaresco Serraboella is another stellar wine in this range from Cigliuti. It offers a stunning mix of succulent dark fruit, rose petal, lavender, mocha and spice. The 2020 spent 26 months in oak, 70% cask and 30% tonneaux, the smaller barrels adding soft contours. Just bottled, the 2020 shows tons of potential. Blood orange, crushed red berry fruit, mint, spice, rose petal and a kick of sweet French oak linger.
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Wine Enthusiast
A savory nose evokes a pine forest at summer’s end, where wild herbs and drying red currant contrast the warmed earth tones and root spices that waft out of the glass. Vibrant flavors of cherry, cola nut and an enticing medley of sweet and savory spices waltz across the palate, as if choreographed by an unseen hand. This Nebbiolo, an elegant yet stately figure, commands attention with its mere presence. Fine tannins and classic acidity promise a drinking window that starts now and could last decades, a timeless dance that will leave you enchanted.
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Wine Spectator
Black cherry, blackberry, violet and eucalyptus aromas and flavors introduce this red, whose texture verges on creamy, offset by velvety tannins. One can feel the ripeness of the vintage, yet there's fine cut and a long, detailed finish.
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.