Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Iris, woodland-berry and pine-forest aromas shape the nose. On the focused, vibrant palate, mint and star anise notes accent a core juicy Marasca cherry. Taut polished tannins and bright acidity provide balance and a firm lithe structure. Drink 2024–2031.
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James Suckling
Deep, rose-petal notes with licorice, red cherries, kirsch and plenty of spice, as well as a savory edge with cedar and new leather. The palate carries very concentrated red cherries and spiced blueberries with driving acidity drawing ripe, smooth tannins very deep. Impressive power and poise.
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Wine & Spirits
Davide Rosso selects fruit from five different crus (Cerretta, Sorrano, Damiano, Broglio and Costabella) to give a wine that beautifully captures Serralunga’s power and minerality, yet with finesse imparted by gentle extraction and aging in large (50-hectoliter) oak casks. Its mouthwatering red-cherry flavors are laced with notes of licorice and mint, the flavors encased in taut, ferrous tannins. The finish is long and fresh, indicating plenty of cellaring potential.
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Wine Spectator
A tightly-wound style, this red offers cherry and strawberry fruit, along with floral, mineral and tar accents. It's still a little awkward at this stage, but shows excellent length. Best from 2024 through 2045.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Barolo Del Comune Di Serralunga D'Alba is spiced and lifted with cinnamon, wild raspberry, and anise. There is ample fruit on the palate, with kirsch, clove, and balsamic. The 2016 has a bit more vibrancy and cut, which will continue to develop over the next 15 years.
We are a small, family-owned producer in the heart of the Barolo commune of Serralunga d'Alba. We make only red wines, and our passion is for Barolo and its great grape, Nebbiolo.
Since the 1890's the Rosso family has farmed vineyards in Serralunga d'Alba, notably the Crus of Cerretta, La Serra, Broglio, Meriame, Sorano, Costa Bella, Lirano & Damiano. During the early 1980's Giovanni Rosso restructured the vineyards with the aim of growing the best fruit.
Giovanni's son, Davide, studied Oenology and gained invaluable experience in France. In 2001 Davide, then 27 years old, took charge of the vinification & affinamento/elevage of the wines with one goal in mind: "Wine should be a perfect copy of its terroir"... in this case from the slopes of Serralunga d'Alba, among the finest soils in the world.
The Giovanni Rosso cantina (winery) is located in the hamlet of Baudana, just a couple of kilometres north of Serralunga d'Alba village. A traditional family cascina, or farmhouse, it houses the fermentation, ageing, bottling and labeling facilities as well as the offices.
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.
An historic village situated right in between the famous regions of Barolo and Barbaresco, Alba is also the name for the larger wine region surrounding the village.
In a sense, “Alba” is a catch-all phrase, and includes the declassified Nebbiolo wines made in Barolo and Barbaresco, as well as the Nebbiolo grown just outside of these regions’ borders. In fact, Nebbiolo d’Alba is a softer, less tannic and more fruit-forward wine ready to drink within just a couple years of bottling. It is a great place to start if you want to begin to understand the grape. Likewise, the even broader category of Langhe Nebbiolo offers approachable and value-driven options as well.
Barbera, planted alongside Nebbiolo in the surrounding hills, and referred to as Barbera d’Alba, takes on a more powerful and concentrated personality compared to its counterparts in Asti.
Dolcetto is ubiquitous here and, known as Dolcetto d'Alba, can be found casually served alongside antipasti on the tables of Alba’s cafes and wine bars.
Not surprisingly, given its location, Alba is recognized as one of Italy’s premiere culinary destinations and is the home of the fall truffle fair, which attracts visitors from worldwide every year.