Winemaker Notes
The 2021 Barolo DOCG Cerretta is elegant yet powerful. Ruby red grapefruit, ripe citrus, cherry, blackberry, dried roses, Tasmanian pepper tones and mint notes, all speak “Serralunga limestones” in this wine. The palate is mineral, with hints of Earl Grey tea, litchi, elderflower, orange peel and very structured yet elegant tannins.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Barolo Cerretta sports a bright red hue and is deeper aromatically, offering notes of candied flowers, raspberry liqueur, hints of tiny blue flowers, and a quiet note of polished leather underneath that will come through with time. The palate offers broader tannins, more rounded fruit on the midpalate, and more depth and remarkable transparency. Its noble structure comes through on the finish, and while it has a complete feel all around, it demands more time. Cerretta was harvested on the 13th of October and saw a 42-day maceration on the skins before aging 23 months in cask. Drink 2027-2050.
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Wine Spectator
A pretty red, this evokes strawberry, cherry, pomegranate, rose, mineral and menthol aromas and flavors. Elegant yet firmly built and layered, this should evolve nicely as all of its elements integrate and the tannins soften. Terrific length.
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Decanter
Crafted from two distinct plots on opposite sides of the hill with varying soil and exposure, the 2021 Cerretta is so classically and evocatively Serralunga that the sense of place alone is worth the price of entry – but it's also pristine and masterfully balanced. Youthfully austere, it hints at savoury spice with forest herbs and ginseng. The palate is densely packed with pomegranate, black cherry and earthy liquorice root. Acidity races, and steely tannins grip assertively. This is simmering with energy.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Starting off a bit slower than the other wines in this flight, the Luigi Baudana 2021 Barolo Cerretta is quite nervous and tightly wound at this point. Cerretta in Serralunga d'Alba is known for its powerful, age-worthy wines. Despite that initial shyness, this bottle does reveal layers of sweet fruit, grenadine and tart cherry. The wine is nicely balanced with chalky, elegant tannins.
Luigi Baudana is one of the last garagiste estates in Langhe. With just 4 quality hectares, located in some of the most prestigious Barolo crus in Serralunga d'Alba. The wines of the Luigi Baudana collection are an expression of powerful, genuine and true-to-terroir wines, expressing the best of the Nebbiolo grape.
The origin of the cellar is lost in time: Baudana is the name of the family, but it is also the name of the vineyard and of the hamlet of Serralunga d'Alba, where the winery is located.
For over thirty years, Luigi and Fiorina Baudana have grown the vineyards that have belonged to their family for generations. They cared for their vineyards with the same tenderness of their own love and with the same warmth emanating from their cellar, born under the vaults of their home.
From the very beginning, the Vaira family have been impressed by Luigi and Fiorina's ambition, as well as pride in their work. Their mission every day is for Luigi and Fiorina to be proud of the vineyards and of the wines, whilst perpetuating their gestures and seeking for the authenticity of every single vineyard.
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.
The center of the production of the world’s most exclusive and age-worthy red wines made from Nebbiolo, the Barolo wine region includes five core townships: La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and the Barolo village itself, as well as a few outlying villages. The landscape of Barolo, characterized by prominent and castle-topped hills, is full of history and romance centered on the Nebbiolo grape. Its wines, with the signature “tar and roses” aromas, have a deceptively light garnet color but full presence on the palate and plenty of tannins and acidity. In a well-made Barolo wine, one can expect to find complexity and good evolution with notes of, for example, strawberry, cherry, plum, leather, truffle, anise, fresh and dried herbs, tobacco and violets.
There are two predominant soil types here, which distinguish Barolo from the lesser surrounding areas. Compact and fertile Tortonian sandy marls define the vineyards farthest west and at higher elevations. Typically the Barolo wines coming from this side, from La Morra and Barolo, can be approachable relatively early on in their evolution and represent the “feminine” side of Barolo, often closer in style to Barbaresco with elegant perfume and fresh fruit.
On the eastern side of the Barolo wine region, Helvetian soils of compressed sandstone and chalks are less fertile, producing wines with intense body, power and structured tannins. This more “masculine” style comes from Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba. The township of Castiglione Falletto covers a spine with both soil types.
The best Barolo wines need 10-15 years before they are ready to drink, and can further age for several decades.