Tasting Note
88 Points, Antonio Galloni, 2022-2028 Vinous The 2016 Barolo Riserva Lazzarito is a powerful, brooding wine. Huge swaths of searing tannin wrap around a core of dark fruit. The 2016 is at once intense and yet also awkwardly vegetal. I am not sure what the thinking is around this Riserva, but the style feels way too pushed to me.Review Date: 18 Oct 22
About the Producer
Sergio Germano is a star is in the ascendant, which might seem a strange thing to say about an estate founded in 1856 that rests with the fourth generation. But recent vineyard acquisitions as well as some inherited parcels have injected new energy. The estate, based in Serralunga d’Alba, has enviable holdings in famous cru vineyards including Vignarionda, Prapo, Cerretta and Lazzarito. Having followed this estate for several years, we have seen how the wines have continuously shown remarkable finesse. Extraction is carried out meticulously – the wines neither lacking in structure nor fruit expression, and the individual vineyard expressions are always at the forefront. The wines of Ettore Germano remain a little off radar, and being off the radar means that the wines are incredibly well-priced. When the 2017s were released, Antonio Galloni commented on vinous.com that there had been a move towards a fresher style with less oak influence and suggested the wines were ‘strong across the board’. At the same time, Monica Larner wrote for Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate that ‘Ettore Germano has taken ambitious leaps and bounds toward greater quality and consistency in this impressive group of new releases.’
