Cerretta vertical tasting

Cerretta is one of the great Barolo vineyards, claimed by more and more producers in an increasing way over the past fifteen years. The aromatic profile of the wines is easily explained: summarily and net of wineries’ stylistics, it can be said that these are Nebbiolo with a larger tannin dimension than in other areas of Serralunga d’Alba, endowed with fruity concentration, on small red fruits, which accompanies the wine over time along with a balsamic background. Cerretta covers an area of 40 hectares

, and this explains the presence of a great number of expressions on the market, for a critical mass that has undoubtedly benefited promotional activity over the years. But when talking about Cerretta mentioning Ettore Germano is obligatory since the winery was born on this hill: Località Cerretta 1. With a Sergio Germano who at a young age drew its boundaries, dividing it into two parts, a zoning principle later not followed in the introduction of the Additional Geographical Mentions. I six hectares of the property are located in the northernmost part of the commune of Serralunga d’Alba, with a southeastern exposure and an altitude of 350-400 meters above sea level. The highly calcareous soil of the Marne di Sant’Agata Fossili (in the case of Germano violet with blue veins) is primarily responsible for two characteristics to keep in mind when dealing with a Cerretta: power and longevity

. Più una terza: un velo quasi marino, una parte di sapidity ubiquitous in all vintages, although not with the same persistence.

Cerretta: since 1993 bottled separately

If we talk today about success and recognition, Sergio should be credited with one fact: he was the first to bottle separately the grapes of Cerretta. Era il 1993. Quell’anno sceglie di diventare indipendente e non vendere più le sue uve. Sono indubbiamente anni di esperimenti, di presa di misura; fatto sta che dopo 5 anni il vino esce e l’etichetta porta il cognome della sua famiglia.

In the years Two thousand maceration periods begin to be lengthened, investments are made in different types of barrels-Sergio has always declared himself disinclined to use barriques-until we have the turnover that best suits production needs. And finally, the plots are fine-tuned: the plants from which Barolo Cerretta is made today are about 50 years old – are still those planted by his father Ettore – which in recent years, thanks to a slow and gradual organic approach to the vineyard, have led Germano to decide to experiment with winemaking with about 30 percent whole clusters; efforts are made to give energy, fragrance and gentle tannins, without forgetting about preservability.

An emotional vertical tasting

In fact, the latter manifested itself in a recent vertical tasting, with covered bottles, organized by “Tesori Liquidi,” the project of Francesco Mastrosimone and Francesco Bonomi, who together are also involved in organizing “emotional” tastings, looking for and offering in battery bottles vintage. Last summer the duo, assisted by the winery, proposed a 1998

, which presented itself to us with a fruity, crisp quiver, along with a constellation of incisive tannins. This was followed by a less impactful (today) Barolo from the cold vintage. 2008, which confessed, however, all its freshness and dynamism in a more tapered body. A heartfelt beat for the version produced in the 2013 which, with more evident notes of ripe fruit, morello cherry and blackberry, looks to the future strong with a structure that does not hint at any kind of relenting, with a pulp that vociferously calls out for adherence to its tannic source, reassuring that it has bound itself by releasing juicy, saline aromas.

TO READ THE WINE DESCRIPTIONS, WITH SCORE AND AVERAGE SHELF PRICE, CLICK ON THE TABS BELOW.