Luigi Baudana - Barolo Cerretta 2019 (750ml)

'The 2019 Barolo Cerretta is packed with dark cherry, smoke, gravel, blood orange incense, scorched earth, licorice and mocha. This ample, full-bodied Barolo offers tremendous depth and textural intensity. Powerful and brooding, with tons of muscle and tannin, the Cerretta is incredibly promising. It is the most potent wine in this portfolio, by a pretty substantial range."

"The 2019 Barolo Cerretta has layers of complex perfume, including notes of black raspberry liqueur and cooling licorice. It is long and complex, and although it is tightly wound, it is starting to show its potential, with notes of wild berries and sweet flowers, ripe tannins, and a long, elegant, perfumed finish. Long and structured, this is a wine to drink over the coming two to three decades.Since 2009, Luigi Baudana has been under the operation and ownership of the G.D. Vajra estate from Barolo. As with the Vajra estate, Giuseppe and Aldo manage the winemaking process, along with Giuseppe’s brother Isidoro, the vineyard manager. They continue to consult with Luigi for his understanding of the land and experience. They primarily use 15- to 17-hectoliter Slavonian barrels for aging, as the size of the cellar dictates. For the Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d'Alba bottling, selections are made from the crus of Baudana, Cerretta, and Costabella. With the 2019 vintage, they are now certified organic."

"The Luigi Baudana 2019 Barolo Cerretta is an open-knit and powerful expression of Nebbiolo from one of the best sites in Serralunga d'Alba. Cerretta is a large MGA vineyard to the north of the village, with Baudana on the hillside to the west and Prapò to the south. This wine offers volume and richness in terms of mouthfeel, with fleeting aromas of wild berry, iris and crushed rose."

Bright and full of strawberry, cherry, violet, mineral and eucalyptus flavors, this red is juicy in texture. A line of dense, mouthcoating tannins awaits on the long finish. All the components are there, this just needs time. Best from 2027 through 2047. —B.S