Serralunga D'alba CRU



Serralunga is one of the 11 communes of Barolo and accounts for 16.50% of the production of this great wine "Barolo". Serralunga is considered one of the most age-worthy complexes Barolo with the white soil locally called Serravallian internationally Helvetian from a Miocene era [chalky beige light in color, loser calcareous and less fertile, high level of iron and phosphorous with sandstone and limestone].
This type of soil with Nebbiolo planted on top, is a Terroir result of a nervous wine with great acidity, tannin structure, and lots of energy. This commune makes commonly a masculine Barolo with power and maximal arousal tannin at a young age; however with time the aging potential is out of control.
Barolo produced in Serralunga can be dated from 1858 when King Vittorio Emanuele chose to create his own Barolo estate.
More than 30 crus make up this fantastic commune, by Italian legislation, this is called MENZIONE GEOGRAFICHE AGGIUNTIVE.
For many connoisseurs, the best vineyards site of the entire denomination of Barolo come from this commune such as Vigna Rionda, Francia, Faletto, and Boscareto in a way they are the Chambertin, Clos de Beze, Musigny and Romanee Conti of Burgundy.
I'll recommend always the Gabutti Vineyard in the central of the commune make really cool wine.
However, it always comes down to the producer and his way to work the vineyard.
Barolo has always had by tradition, different cru assembled together but from sometimes now only one cru can be written in the label; this made upset lots of old-school producer...
Here the words of Giuseppe Rinaldi a rock star of this wines, who left us a few weeks ago:
"We are not Burgundy," explains Rinaldi, who has traveled to that wine region every year since his first motorcycle tour in the 1960s. "The oldest tradition of Barolo is to blend to have the harmony of acid, tannins and color. We have our own history. We have our own dignity!"
Cascina Francia from Giacomo Conterno is perhaps the most expensive cru of this Commune when referring to the reserve Wine of him Monfortino. 2007 is a warm vintage, wine full of richness with lots of structure; this wine had a long finish with mellow tannin but pronounced and full in the palate. Conterno is considered an old-school producer long fermentation and aging in big Botti Slavonian oak.
The Cru is located in the south of the commune and his called Francia.

From the center of the Commune the Gabutti vineyard is the single cru of the old fashion producer Cappellano, here the winemaking and farming is truly humble nothing added and nothing take away.
2004 is a 5-star vintage still young fresh with lots of life ahead definitely one of the best vintage of the century.
The back label shows how humble and sincere Teobaldo Cappellano it was.
A legend in Barolo, Teobaldo Cappellano was one of the region's most outspoken traditionalists. Today, his son Augusto continues his father's important work.
Barolo is a Unesco Heritage place important to the beauty of nature worldwide.

The signs at the door of Cappellano show from 1870 this family has been making wines.
Here you can see the biodiversity in this pic full of grass through the vineyard. Barolo is a place where lots of chemical has been used but still you will find producer can achieve maximum quality working in respect of nature.

In the center of this Pic, you can see an arid vineyard exhausted by the synthetic chemical used.
Also as Burgundy in Barolo, there is not much more space to plant new vineyard, an exhausted land very expensive.
Barolo is a place with lots of years behind is always nice to drink an old bottle and ensure a pleasure with a glass, yes with lots of tertiary notes but still vibrant and complex... Wine to buy and store for an experience late on the life of a single person.

Bruno Giacosa is one of the most respected producers of this region with Barbaresco as well a Negociant at the beginning, a producer later. Was one of the first producer to bottle a single vineyard cru and one of the first to bottle Vigna Rionda which he called Collina Rionda which stopped in early 1990.
Anselma in Serralunga is another old-school producer, farming the famous Vigna Rionda and the below vineyard Collaretto
This was 2010 a violet, licorice, sour raspberry and intense palate aroma with the limestone core minerality.

Barolo is always a good companion with the expensive luscious wines of France.

Best

Raf 

--------------------------------------
wine / spirit / lambic / drinker
Phone +61 478038636

Comments

Post a Comment

A drinker

Chablis Climats and Lieux-dit

Image
Climat: from the Greek Klima via the Latin Cliamtis.  Precisely delimited plots of land which benefit from specific geological and climate conditions...  Lieux-dits a designated area of land with a historical particularity from a topographical point of view of an ancient story... These two terms in wine always as an interchange used; however, you can find several Lieux-dits within a single Climat... Chablis is a really good example of how these two concepts work together.   See the map above and you can see how many Lieux-Dit compose a climat, in this case, 1er Cru. For example Montmains 1er Cru, a famous block of vineyard on the left bank of the Serein river at the bottom holds two famous Lieux-dit called Forets and Butteaux; according to the INAO, this can be a label on his own or as Montmains 1er Cru.  Vaillons 1er Cru got several different names, those are: Sechet, Les Lys, Les Epinottes, Ronciers, Mellinots, Beugnons and Chatains.  Another good example is the
Podcast

Domaine de la Cras, Marc Soyard "Coteaux de Dijon"

Image
In 2013, the city of Dijon purchased a 160-hectare agricultural property called Domaine de la Cras, located just outside the city. They decide they want to release the land to farm the vines were planted there. So they taught to create a kind of competition open to winemakers:  The criteria were:  - The vineyards had to be farmed organically.  - Had to be a young winemaker with no existing family vineyards.  - Also interested in opening the Domaine to the public for educational visits.  - The conditions that the winemaker pay a yearly “rent” of 2000 bottles per year to the city of Dijon.  Marc Soyard was chosen; a young winemaker from Jura with no family past in winemaking or background on wine.  Marc works for six years at Domaine Bizot in Vosne Romanee as chef de culture "vineyard management" also he helped Jean Yves in the cellar and was able to learn the winemaking process.  Messieurs Soyard at Domaine de la Cras as the same hands-off natural philosophy
Podcast

Cahors Simon Busser - Corbières Maziere Fabrice Monnin

Image
SIMON BUSSER from the village in Prayssac, in the AOC Cahors: Cahors is a small town in southwestern France, located 160km to the east of Bordeaux. The climate here is subject to multiple influences; from the Atlantic coast which bring a continental climate, and the Mediterranean from the south which gives a maritime influence. We can divide the AOC into two different terroirs the "Causses" based limestone plateau that produces more tannic, mineral lived wines. The other vineyards profile is the one that influenced by the river Lot with a more gravelly slope which makes more approachable wines on the fruity spectrum profile.  Cahors is home of Malbec, Bordeaux grapes mainly Merlot, and also a small amount of Tannat more present in the neighborhood Madiran AOC.  Simon Busser has been training with Olivier Cousin in the Loire. He returns to his village Prayssac and start to looking after his father’s vineyards. He works his small vineyard with a horse, as Cousin taugh
Podcast