2019 Luigi Baudana Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d'Alba [W&S96][V93][WA93][JS92]

Producer: Luigi Baudana
Region: Barolo, Piedmont, Italy 
Varietal: Nebbiolo 
Year: 2019  

Wine & Spirits, 96 Points 

"Members of the Baudana family have farmed vines in the northern end of Serralunga for so long that both the hamlet and the MGA share their name. Luigi Baudana and his wife, Fiorina, managed the family’s 6.4 vineyard acres for three decades, making two single-cru Barolos, one from Baudana and the other from Cerretta. When Luigi began to contemplate retirement in 2005, he met Aldo Vaira, owner of the G.D. Vajra estate in the neighboring Barolo commune. Aldo’s son, Giuseppe, began to help Luigi out in the vineyards and the cellar, and the relationship became official in 2009 when the Vaira family assumed ownership of the Serralunga estate. They agreed to keep Luigi’s name on the labels, and to consult with him about winemaking and vineyard management at the estate. One significant decision, even before the Vairas became owners, was to create a Barolo that blended fruit from the estate’s younger vines. First produced in the 2005 vintage and named Barolo Serralunga d’Alba, it became Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d’Alba in 2010 when the category was created by the new MGA rules. They later added fruit from Costabella, another Serralunga cru where they had acquired some vines. The 2019 bottling seamlessly combines the fruit from these three MGAs in a wine that is fresh and elegant, its crisp red fruit tones propelled by brisk acidity and brightened by notes of spearmint and orange peel. Great Barolo is never cheap, but this wine offers one of the best quality-price ratios we found this year." 

Vinous, 93 Points 

"The 2019 Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d'Alba shows all the breadth of Serralunga, but in the somewhat austere style that runs through all the wines this year. Dark red fruit, sage, mint, leather and spice fill out the layers effortlessly. Rich and ample, yet super-classic, the Serralunga Barolo hits all the right notes. It may very well be the hidden gem in the entire Vajra range." 

Wine Advocate, 93 Points 

"This wine is a blend of fruit from Baudana, Cerretta and Costabella. The Luigi Baudana 2019 Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d'Alba shows the firmness and structure that this village is known for with pretty perfumes of rose, rusty nail, autumnal leaf, licorice and tar. Costabella is an early-ripening site, and fruit is sourced from the youngest vines in Cerretta and Baudana (leaving a selection from the older vines for the single-vineyard wines)." 

James Suckling, 92 Points 

"Notes of spices, smoked wood and dried red flowers with dried raspberry and cocoa. Medium-bodied with finely polished tannins and juicy acidity coming through. Polished and chalky in the finish. A little dry at the end." 

Alcohol: 14% 

*Price and availability in store may vary. Vintage date may differ from pictured.