| Producer | Schiavenza |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Piedmont |
| Varietal | Nebbiolo |
| Vintage | 2018 |
| Sku | 1155674 |
| Size | 750ml |
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Tasting Notes: Schiavenza's Barolo del Comune di Serralunga is a stellar example of traditional Serralunga Barolo. The fruit is sourced from several parcels in the village, mostly Cerrati and Meriame. The wine is made traditionally, fermented spontaneously with native yeast in concrete with a maceration of 20 days. The wine ages in 3,000 liter Slavonian barrels for 30 months.
The wine is textbook Serralunga Barolo, showing a pale, brick-red hue in the glass with brown reflections. On the nose you'll smell aromas of cherries and baking spices, purple flowers, aromatic herbs and liquorice. On the palate, a parade of tannin marches across the tongue, with a vein of clean acid running alongside. It is unapologetically powerful in its structure, but not aggressively so. The ancient soil of Serralunga lends a meaty, irony layer of minerality that is often missing in Baroli from the West side of the appellation. The wine certainly deserves time in the cellar, potentially another 5 years, but if you know what you're getting into, a youthful Barolo's austerity can be a great wine on the table. Alongside a braised meat ragu over polenta, or the classic Piemontese dish of Brasato al Barolo, this wine really sings.
Estate History: Schiavenza is located in Serralunga d'Alba in the heart of Piedmont's Langhe district, celebrated for its great Barolo vineyards. The estate was founded in 1956 by the brothers Vittorio and Ugo Alessandria; the estate and surrounding area were formerly part of the Opera Pia Barolo (a castle that is kind of like the Hospices du Beaune: part educational institution and part hospital) whose vineyards were traditionally worked by sharecroppers. The local dialect for sharecropper is schiavenza. Today, the estate is run by the second-generation Alessandria sisters, Enrica and Maura, and their husbands Luciano Pira and Walter Anselma. Their holdings include 9.2 hectares in Serralunga with a small 0.5ha plot in Monforte d’Alba, and include the heralded crus Prapò, Cerretta, and Broglio. For the last 19 years, they have also run Trattoria Schiavenza, right in the middle of the village of Serralunga, where their traditional fare draws in both local winemakers and tourists.
