Winemaker Notes
Intense garnet red with light orange reflections. Ripe red fruit and vanilla. After the first couple of years in bottle evolves into hints of leather, tobacco and some small dark fruits. Full bodied with great structure and elegant tannins, thanks to the time spent in barrel.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
The style of Ettore Germano has the rare merit to combine traditional equipment such as botti grandi with a contemporary idea of balance, including earlier picking and long yet soft macerations. The balance coming from this structured MGA is amazing. Firstly very reductive, it's focused on mineral tanginess of fresh red currants, citrus, cinnamon, peach skin, Earl Grey tea and liquorice. This complexity is wrapped up in an extremely savoury, soft attack with velvety tannins – sticky, youthful and sweet – and a dusty finish. Refreshing lively acidity is well integrated and completes the framework. Great concentration and potential.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One of the headline estates in Serralunga d'Alba, the Ettore Germano 2019 Barolo Cerretta shows a rich personality with sturdy fruit weight and concentration. The Cerretta is painted with broad brush strokes of dark fruit, blackberry, spice and tarry smoke. This bottle will appeal to those who enjoy more oomph and power in their Nebbiolo, possibly with a pairing of boiled beef and a side of mint sauce.
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James Suckling
Aromas of ripe strawberries and cherries with dark chocolate, charred bark, spices and hints of leather. Medium- to full-bodied, structured and compact with polished tannins and velvety texture. Firm and focused.
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Wine Spectator
Shows reserved aromas that hint at cherry, licorice and menthol, while the flavors express macerated cherry, plum, leather and black pepper. This red is tightly wound, with a fresh, balanced finish. Best from 2026 through 2042. 1,130 cases made, 380 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.
