2019 Barolo Serra and Cerretta from Giovanni Rosso

July 10, 2023

2019 Barolo Serra and Cerretta
from Giovanni Rosso

2019 Barolo, Serra - £318 per 6 bottle case in bond

2019 Barolo, Cerretta - £318 per 6 bottle case in bond

Barolo releases are a law unto themselves. We have just received our allocation of the 2019s from Giovanni Rosso. I nearly gave up the ghost, however I have been eagerly awaiting these releases since the moment I tasted – each year I note a significant step up in quality at this estate and the 2019s could be the best yet.

Anyone visiting the estate will acknowledge their ambition – the cellars are impeccably laid out, and the vineyards perfectly managed and the quality in the bottle is seriously impressive. Alas, the great and good of wine criticdom do not seem to visit to taste – Monica Larner of robertparker.com has previously tasted but has issued no notes on the 2019 Barolo vintage yet. Antonio Galloni of Vinous tends to review the wines of Giovanni Rosso in his second Barolo review, which is yet to be published. Fortunately, Walter Speller from jancisrobinson.com is on the front foot and has already released his reviews. Out of all these critics, Walter Speller is the only one to taste routinely and reading his notes certainly suggests he recognises the shift in quality that I have witnessed in the last few years.

The Rossos have been making wine in Serralunga d’Alba since the 1890s and today have holdings within some 12 crus in this commune, including Serra, Cerretta, Broglio, Sorana and notably Damiano and Vigna Rionda, both of which were mentioned as far back as 1694. They have also acquired a new vineyard in Valle del Mondo towards the Roddino boundary. Their cellars quietly nestle into the curve of a valley, down from the Prapo vineyard. Giovanni’s son, Davide, took over responsibility for winemaking in 2001, having studied oenology and worked at various cellars in France – at that time he was just 27. Davide’s ambition is clear, not just in the exacting standards evidenced here in Barolo, but also in Sicily where he has commenced a new project.

If you follow Barolo and this estate is not on your radar yet, I think it will be soon. New investment has delivered state of the art winemaking facilities, providing ample space for maceration and maturation. As I wrote once before, perhaps the most dramatic illustration of their commitment to quality in the long term is their decision to uproot and replant two-thirds of their holdings in what is regarded as the jewel in the crown, a significant 1.2 hectares of the Vigna Rionda cru. These vines are now maturing but the fruit from them goes into a Langhe Nebbiolo – a wine that isn’t aged as long as Barolo, until they determine that the fruit is of sufficient quality to go into the Barolo, Vigna Rionda, Ester Canale. To put this into context, imagine pulling up two-thirds of either DRC’s 1.7 hectare Romanée-Conti vineyard or Rousseau’s 1.4 hectares of Clos de Bèze! From the 0.40 hectares that remain to Rosso since 2011’s replanting, they produce a mere 1,800 bottles of Vigna Rionda. Taking this decision in one of Barolo’s most famous vineyards tells you a lot about their intent. The Vigna Rionda vineyard became famous on account of numerous vintages made by Bruno Giacosa, who sourced fruit from the same vines in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, many of which rank among the greatest Barolo ever made according to various critics. Replanting such a hallowed vineyard is a major undertaking, but the Rossos are taking no shortcuts to quality. Vigna Rionda is a special vineyard – full south facing, and a limestone base – and the Rossos are treating it as such. The above highlights the growing reputation of this estate, one firmly rooted in history but now clearly building quality for the future. I have been fascinated to see the winemaking approach refine and adjust, backed up by the bold decisions the family has taken in the vineyard.

The two wines I am offering here are the 2019 Barolo, Serra and 2019 Barolo, Cerretta, both of which lie in Serralunga d’Alba – a commune that is synonymous with great Barolo, home to not just Vigna Rionda mentioned above, but also the Francia vineyard that is responsible for Roberto Conterno’s Monfortino. The Rosso’s Cerretta parcel has been in the family for a century and was partly replanted in 1984 and 2000…the vineyard stretches like an amphitheatre facing south-east and rises to over 350 metres. A small copse shelters the vineyard from stronger winds. The soil of Cerretta is mainly limestone, clay and marl, and revealing very few pebbles in the surface, it can look like pale, newly set cement when wet (as my boots can testify) and becomes flaky when dry. The balance between power and finesse demands incredibly high standards in the vineyard with green harvest and canopy management necessary to encourage the grapes to full maturity and bring about a finer quality of tannins in the skins. Winemaking must be equally as attentive to avoid extracting too much from the skins – temperature and duration of maceration are key factors. This is what has impressed me so much at Rosso – the tannins are so well-managed, and the fruit is achieving fine ripeness. Cerretta can be burly, but the 2019 shows real refinement – the vineyard produces powerful wines that often need patience. In the 2019, I picked up zesty blood orange notes, as well as dark cherry, loganberry and damson. Deep and intense, the fruit shows with terrific clarity, and the naturally grippy tannins of this Cru are so well handled. Long, pure – this must surely be their best Cerretta to date. I can’t wait to see how this shows in 8-10 years’ time.

Serra in Serralunga d’Alba, not to be confused with the La Serra vineyard in La Morra, was planted across a similar period of time. It lies at a similar altitude but much further south than Cerretta, closer to the winery, just down the road from Vigna Rionda. It is a relatively small Cru covering just over 10 hectares compared to Cerretta’s 40. The part owned by the Rossos is perhaps the highest section and is very well-regarded. The Rossos are one of the only estates to produce a single Cru from this vineyard, as opposed to using it as blending material, and their effort is well worth it, as the 2019 Serra is beautifully poised revealing a distinctive mineral note, as well as lifted, violet infused aromas to its loganberry and raspberry fruit. It certainly doesn’t lack concentration, though it is more supple and approachable than the more brooding Cerretta. I think this will start to drink a little earlier than Cerretta, but has the potential for drinking over a similar two decade period. I would be inclined to give it 4 to 5 years before broaching a bottle.

I have incorporated my tasting notes in the words above, but please see Walter Speller’s below. I think it is fair to say we are on the same page!

2019 Barolo, Serra, Giovanni Rosso
£318 per 6 bottle case in bond

17.5+/20 points, Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Intense raspberry fruit with minerally stony notes on the nose that become more perfumed with aeration. Fantastic, tactile, polished tannins with lashes of supple, pure raspberry fruit. Intense, long finish. (WS) Drink 2026-2044.

2019 Barolo, Cerretta, Giovanni Rosso
£318 per 6 bottle case in bond

17.5/20 points, Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Concentrated and finely perfumed at the same time. Raspberry fruit with a hint of orange. A palate of succulent raspberry fruit with lots of supple acidity and beautiful, coating tannins absorbing the lush fruit. Complete. (WS) Drink 2026-2042.

Please let us know of your interest.

All the best,

Simon

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Top tips and conclusions from the Atlas Big Barolo Bash

After our Big Barolo Bash held at Salisbury House, EC2M, on Wednesday 4th December 2024, I thought I would share a few thoughts as it is not often that you get the chance to compare 42 different Barolo spanning vintage 2011 to 2019.The wines shown were grouped by vintage rather than by grower. The aim was to encourage an understanding of vintage characteristics. We also felt this would spare clients the significant challenge of moving from a softer, lighter vintage to a richer, more tannic one and then back again in a repeated cycle through all producers. Deciding on a tasting order is never easy, even more so with a variety like Nebbiolo, known for its bright acidity and structural tannins. Our buyer, Seb Agnello, manned the 2018 and 2019 table. These two vintages show distinctly different styles. 2018 was a more mixed vintage, still with some notable successes. It is a lighter expression of the Nebbiolo variety, but by no means a poor vintage. It has always been our view that it was a misunderstood vintage; wines from this year have shown appreciably better after a little time in bottle, having been difficult to read when very young. From the wines shown, the Barolo Prapo from Ettore Germano impressed clients with its cherry red fruit – for a Barolo from Serralunga d’Alba, a commune known for richness and power, this is an incredibly pretty example, vintage in, vintage out. Chiara Boschis’ blended Barolo, Via Nuova, drawn from various crus from the across the region, received plenty of praise from clients, too. Perhaps the wine that impressed most from this selection was Vietti’s Cerequio 2018, which showed blue fruit touches, a fine freshness and those slightly rounder tannins that are common to La Morra. 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Not only were some of the region’s most notable growers featured in this line up, but it showcased a vintage that I fear has been a little overlooked. 2017 was a hot and dry vintage and in an earlier era I don’t believe the wines would have come through as well as they have. Growers have had to adapt to modern day conditions in Barolo; whatever way you cut it, this is down to climate change. As I remarked to various clients, in the 1990s there were perhaps three notable vintages which delivered ripe fruit and fine structure, other vintages in which many growers lost precision and freshness in their wines but a greater number of years in which it proved tough to ripen Nebbiolo fully. Leaf-plucking became routine to expose the fruit to the sun and allow aeration. Rolling the clock forward, between 2010 and 2020 we have not had a bad vintage. There have been challenging conditions, but we have had four great vintages - 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019. Then there have been some more mixed years, but ones in which good growers have nevertheless excelled. Today it is more about providing some protection to the fruit, as opposed to exposing it. This is quite an incredible switch around to have occurred in just 20 years. Growers have needed to learn fast – to learn how to prepare their vineyards for the modern-day challenges of heat and drought, when not so very long ago, the challenge was inclement weather. 2017 is a successful hot vintage, particularly given there were four months in the growing season without any rain. The cooler weather at harvest really assisted in providing freshness to the aromatics and brightness to the fruit; this was notably evident in the selection of 2017s at the tasting. The two wines from Brovia were just beautiful; both the Brea ‘Vigna Ca Mia’ and the Villero were way ahead of the quality that a reading of the vintage reports might suggest possible. Instead we found pure fruit, refined tannins, glossy textures and a complex amalgam of fruit nuances and tertiary notes. Equally compelling were the duo from Poderi Oddero. In the amazingly graceful Vigna Rionda, from one of the region’s finest terroir, Oddero has crafted a genuine beauty in 2017 and I would suggest it isn’t far removed from the quality they delivered in the tremendous 2016 vintage; this should be a wine on your watch list if you a fan of the finest Barolo. The Bussia Vigna Mondoca showed in a similarly impressive manner; Bussia, in Monforte d’Alba, is a controversially large cru but when you taste wines of this calibre, there is no doubting that it has the potential to rank highly, depending on the exact location of the vines within the . Very rich, with a deep damson, plum quality to the fruit and hints of spice, this rich Barolo will demand patience, even in a year like 2017 where some wines are starting to drink. In this latter category, we would place Vietti’s reliable Castiglione blend and, surprisingly, Vajra’s 2017 Ravera, which seems to show very little of the austerity that is more typical of this cool, elevated Novello cru. The 2016 table certainly drew considerable attention, as clients were aware that this vintage is considered to be one of the all-time greats. The 2016 vintage represented the perfect growing season with no excesses or problematic weather. These wines have such appealing fruit and fine tannin that a number show that they are already approachable though even the humblest from this vintage have ageing potential. The table was manned by Atlas’ Nick Pitcher, who commented that clients were impressed by the 2016 Barolo del Comune di La Morra from Renato Corino on account of its expansive, rounded fruit. Renato has always made rich, softly textured wines and his entry level Barolo, principally made from young vines in Rocche del’ Annunziata, has always been considered by Atlas to be something of a bargain; the 2016 is no exception in this respect. Brovia’s Barolo 2016, from across their holdings, also impressed, making for an impressive showing on the night for this traditional producer when you consider how well their 2017s showed. The Brovia and Corino 2016s offer great value, a point borne out by client purchases! Parusso’s lesser known Mariondino from Castiglione Falleto also won favour with its intense fruit, with the touch of oak adding tobacco and vanillin notes, one of the few wines in the room to be aged in that manner. Nick also showed the component wines of Arnaldo Rivera’s Collector’s Case, as Nick said what a vintage for the cooperative of Terre del Barolo to launch a premium mixed case. Clients were fascinated to taste six different crus, each from one of six of the different communes of Barolo, all from the same producer, and from the same vintage. As one client commented ‘A great dinner party experience to be had tasting single cru Barolo at a bargain price!’. It is hard to argue with that. While the Arnaldo Rivera wines aren’t in the Premier League of Barolo, they are well made, approachable and provide a good introduction to understanding the single cru vineyards and the communes that make up the patchwork that is Barolo. Unsurprisingly, the lighter tannins and juicy red from on the Monvigliero impressed various tasters as did the richer, Vigna Rionda. The inclusion of the 2016 Neirane from Agostino Bosco sparked interest too, with many clients returning to the 2019 to refresh the comparison; the 2016 is just starting to drink as this vineyard possesses lighter soils with an element of sand, whereas the 2019 will need more patience. Then finally, we had a mixed table spanning the vintages from 2015 back to 2011, manned by Atlas’ Toby Herbertson. This table was a real draw as it allowed clients some insight into how Barolo ages; this was very much needed as some clients weren’t particularly familiar with the region. Some clients started tasting here, which might not have made it easier to move onto younger wines thereafter. The ability to compare wines from the same growers in 2011 and 2012 fascinated people and both vintages impressed. 2011 is one of those vintages that is starting to drink really well – it was a hot vintage, by the standards of that point in time, but it was wonderful to see how, if anything, the wines seem to have picked up a little more precision as they have aged. Both the Sandrone Cannubi Boschis 2011 and the Vietti Ravera 2011 found favour. The 2012 Sandrone, Le Vigne, shows just how well Sandrone adapt to vintage conditions. The 2013 Cappellano Pie Rupestris was very popular on the night; clients were impressed by the complexity and quality, though some struggled to spot the value in contrast to other wines shown. The conversation surrounding this table focused on when Barolo tannins start to soften and when wines come on stream for drinking. The lighter framed 2014s were up against it, sandwiched as they were between the more tannic 2013s and the bolder, richer 2015s. That said, many clients commented on the attractive nature of Vajra’s 2014 Ravera, which, like the 2017 of the same wine, showed in a forward drinking manner with a dark, glossy fruit, floral aromas and hints of spice. Indeed, all Vajra’s wines were complimented for their accessibility and the purity of the fruit. Finally, the two 2015s proved fascinating to taste. Giovanni Rosso’s Cerretta shows just why there is excitement brewing about this estate. It captured a flinty mineral note that added complexity to a rich palate of dark, slightly brooding fruit, while the tannins were finely expressed and far less obtrusive as they can be in young wines from this Serralunga d’Alba-based cru. Vietti’s inaugural Riserva also attracted plenty of attention; the extra ageing having softened and rounded out the tannins.All in all, the evening was a great success and we have received many positive comments on the venue and the format. We will certainly be running another event at this venue in the New Year.My final thoughts concern the way in which things have evolved in Piemonte. Climate change has meant that Barolo vintages face few of the pitfalls they once did. Instead, there are different challenges, more often than not related to heat and drought. In rapid time, growers have adapted in both the vineyard and cellar to meet these challenges, and today, I would argue, Barolo is one of the most consistent wine regions in Europe. There is just so much to explore, different crus with different altitudes, exposures and soils, as well as producers who employ different techniques. Without doubt, Nebbiolo is a sensitive grape variety that reveals different nuances in different conditions; it rivals Pinot Noir in this respect. Putting on a tasting like this allowed us to share our fascination with the wines and the region. Frankly there has never been a better time to buy Barolo – perhaps you could argue it is the last bastion of great value for finely nuanced reds In Europe. Certainly, £300 per case doesn’t get you far in Burgundy or Bordeaux, but it can get you an impeccably crafted, single vineyard Barolo. That point came across loud and clear to our audience on Wednesday night.

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