2016 Luigi Baudana Barolo Cerretta

Luigi Baudana

Italy / Piedmont / Luigi Baudana

Cerretta lies opposite Baudana on the east slope of Serralunga. The soil belongs entirely to the Formazioni di Lequio: a thin layer of white marl covering a deep subsoil of red clay. Grapes are picked from 40-year-old wines of multiple biotypes of Nebbiolo, representing the incredible heritage of Luigi’s work.
Nebbiolo has the longest vegetative cycle among local varieties, and is usually harvested around the third week of October. Fermentation is carried out primarily in one large cask. The Cerretta vineyard always has a slow start to fermentation, which then goes for 35-40 days on average. Post-fermentation “cappello sommerso” (submerged cap) follows for another week in greater vintages. Cerretta is aged in large Slavonian casks for 32 months on average. - Giuseppe Vaira

August, 2020

Gary Walsh

The Wine Front

96 points

Dark cherry, earth, brooding, lavender, floral things, dried herbs, sweet almond and spice. Ferrous, full-bodied, a heap of quality black tea and gravel tannin, but married to succulence of sweet red cherry and freeze dried raspberries, plenty of ‘mineral’ character here, and a long rose oil laced finish. And almonds. Plenty of almonds. The quality of tannin on the finish, and the length, compels me to bump the score up a point.

February, 2020

Antonio Galloni

Vinous Media

95 points

The 2016 Barolo Cerretta is dark, virile and imposing. Black cherry, lavender, scorched earth, cloves, leather and a range of balsamic notes give the Cerretta its somber, virile feel. Ample and powerful yet also medium in body, the Cerretta captures so much of what makes Nebbiolo so captivating, specifically the ability for a wine to constantly transform in the glass.

July, 2020

Monica Larner

Wine Advocate

96 points

Cerretta is one of my personal favorite growing sites in Serralunga d'Alba, thanks to that more pronounced mineral signature of rusty nail or crushed stone that comes into plain view. White marl soils cover reddish clay not too far under the surface. Those territorial markers are especially well defined in this classic vintage. The Luigi Baudana 2016 Barolo Cerretta unfolds slowly in the glass to reveal orange peel, blue flower and camphor ash. There is generous black fruit in there as well, carefully woven into the greater texture of the wine. The tannins are accessible and integrated, and that's an important fact to know when measuring the wine's drinking window. You could age it longer or even contemplate a cork-popping in the not-so-distant future (say after 2025).

Standard Bottle Out of Stock

About Luigi Baudana

It was 2009 when Luigi Baudana entrusted the Vaira family with his historical vines in Serralunga d’Alba. For the Vairas, it was a dream come true; Aldo had always loved Barolo from the Helvetian soils of the area, and felt honoured to have the chance to better understand and work this land. With their love of a challenge, the Vaira family jumped at the chance to start a new adventure. With only 2.6 hectares (6.4 acres) farmed in some of the prime crus of the village, this can rightly be considered a true garagiste producer. Cerretta and Baudana rival the very best single-cru Barolo of the region. The range also features a Barolo that flies the flag for the Serralunga commune, and is rounded out by a fresh, original co-fermented white field blend called Dragon.

About

Giuseppe is the eldest child of Milena and Aldo Vaira. Giuseppe has a degree in oenology from the University of Turin and began working alongside father Aldo at the family estate many years ago. Passionate, driven and full of ideas, Giuseppe is a chip off the old block with his deep respect for tradition allied to a progressive, dynamic and adventurous mindset. In this, he is joined by sister Francesca and brother Isidoro. It is Giuseppe's wish that those who come to know G.D. Vajra - the place, the family and the wines - are moved to fall in love.