Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Grown in calcareous chalky soils with 65-year-old vines, the 2021 Barbaresco Serraboella went through 20 days of fermentation and was aged in 80% Slavonian cask and the rest 500-liter French tonneau. A jeweled ruby/red color, it’s a more serious and contemplative wine that opens in the glass with notes of cedar and leather before revealing more pure notes of raspberry liqueur, pressed flowers, and sweet herbs. The structure is noble and ripe, with a good, compact feel, more depth and broader tannins, as well as a mineral feel with a pleasing saltiness and even acidity.
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Wine Spectator
A beam of pure cherry and raspberry fruit signals this supple yet firmly structured red. Lithe and vibrant, with terrific balance and an aftertaste that picks up eucalyptus and spice flavors. Though approachable now, this should be even better in two to three years. Best from 2027 through 2042. 580 cases made, 200 cases imported.
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.