Vite Colte makes this Barolo from Serralunga d'Alba, one of the eleven comuni where the DOCG is allowed, and one of the smallest. The village sits at the eastern edge of the Langhe, and its vineyards are the highest and coolest in the appellation. Nebbiolo ripens late there, and it ripens slowly.
- Nebbiolo, the only grape permitted in Barolo.
- Serralunga d'Alba, a single comune within the DOCG.
- 2015, a warm vintage across Piedmont.
- Dry, full-bodied, high in tannin and acidity.
- 14.5% alcohol, 750ml.
How it is made
Barolo DOCG carries rules the whole appellation answers to: Nebbiolo only, and a minimum of thirty-eight months of ageing before release, eighteen of them in wood. Serralunga is often bottled on its own because the wines from its hills taste different from those of Barolo or La Morra a few kilometres west.
How it tastes
Rose petal and tar first, the two aromas that follow Nebbiolo wherever it grows, then red cherry underneath. The tannins are firm and chewy, the kind that grip the inside of the mouth and hold. High acidity keeps all that weight in line. Dark fruit and dried porcini come through on the finish.
Where it comes from
Serralunga's soils are older and sandier than most of the appellation, with more limestone and less clay. That drains fast and stresses the vines, which is why Serralunga Barolo tends to be the most structured and the slowest to open of the Langhe.
Good to know
Barolo has been called the wine of kings since the House of Savoy took it up in the 1800s. The name itself is older than the wine: it likely comes from nebbia, the fog that settles over the Langhe hills at harvest.
