Winemaker Notes
The 2015 Michele Chiarlo Cerequio Barolo is a ruby and garnet red with brilliant hues. The nose is complex, great character with notes of mature fruits, mint, eucalyptus, gentian and fine spices. A rich palate in structure with a tight weave of fine tannins, standing out for its elegance and harmony which highlights this truly unique Barolo cru.
Ideal companions for this wine are roasts, tagliolini with truffe, wild game, & well-matured cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The fruit in the 2015 Barolo Cerequio is darker than in the Cannubi, and there is more spice, cured tobacco and dried blackberry. You'll find a lot more muscle and power here, too: This is a good Barolo for braised beef. There is great structure and a heavier flavor footprint on the palate, along with more grit in the mouth and a tannic bite. This wine was not produced in the difficult 2014vintage.
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Wine Enthusiast
Rose, wild berry, rosemary and eucalyptus are just some of the aromas you'll find on this fantastic, fragrant red. On the elegant, linear palate, fine-grained, polished tannins accompany raspberry compote, ripe Morello cherry, licorice and chopped mint. Fresh acidity keeps it balanced. Drink 2021–2030.
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James Suckling
Very attractive combination of dark-berry, light toasted-oak, tree-bark and rose-petal aromas now. Full-bodied, dense and powerful with super richness and freshness at the same time. Try in 2022.
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Wine & Spirits
This wine aged in tonneaux for two years, gaining notes of sweet spice and toasted vanilla that enrich the warm strawberry and cherry flavors. It feels plush and ripe, ready for a rich braised lamb shoulder.
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.