Plum, spice, chocolate and leather flavors mingle in this round, open red. There are tannins that emerge on the finish, yet overall this is balanced and long. Best from 2024 through 2042. 100 cases made, 30 cases imported.
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The story of the Enrico Serafino winery is the story of Roero, one of Piedmont’s key winegrowing areas. Roero faces the famous Langhe hills across the Tanaro River in the northeast part of Cuneo Province, and together with Monferrato to the east, Roero and Langhe are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site for their beauty and their winemaking traditions. Enrico Serafino is the oldest winery in the area, having been established by a gentleman of the same name in Canale d’Alba in 1878. The winery has now been in operation continuously in its original location for 140 years.
In typical Piemontese fashion, founder Enrico Serafino made a wide array of different wines, using grapes grown in areas that even then were known for their high quality, such as Barolo and Gavi. Under modern laws, the wines of a denomination must normally be made inside the specified winegrowing boundaries, but this was long before the first DOC laws were passed in Italy, and it was not unusual for wineries to bring in fruit from any number of neighboring communes. Due to its very long history of making Barolo in Canale, the Enrico Serafino winery is grandfathered as an exception to the requirement to vinify Barolo inside the limits of the Barolo DOCG. Today the winery owns 25 acres of Barolo vineyards in the renowned areas of Serralunga, Monforte d'Alba, and Castiglione Falletto and also makes traditional red wines of Barbera d'Alba and Nebbiolo d'Alba.
Less typically, Serafino in 1878 also began making metodo classico sparkling wines. At that time, sparkling wines as we know them today (wines that were clear of yeast sediment and didn't routinely explode) were a relative novelty. The process had really been mastered in Champagne only a couple of decades earlier, and the procedures and technology were just starting to be available outside Champagne. But sparkling Moscato was beginning to be made in Piedmont, and Serafino was a trailblazer for the nascent industry.
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LOCATIONWINERY: Canale (Cuneo province), Piedmont VINEYARD: Barolo (Serralunga & La Morra), Langhe, Roero, Alta Langa VIEW IN GOOGLE MAPS REGION DETAILS |
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92
DECEMBER 2021
Enrico Serafino Barolo Serralunga DOCG 2016
Plum, spice, chocolate and leather flavors mingle in this round, open red. There are tannins that emerge on the finish, yet overall this is balanced and long. Best from 2024 through 2042. 100 cases made, 30 cases imported. 92
AUGUST 2020
Enrico Serafino "Picotener" Langhe DOC 2018
A dense, fruity nebbiolo with lots of ripe plums and hints of cedar. Some milk chocolate, too. Full body, round tannins and a flavorful finish. Baby Barolo. Drink or hold. 95
OCTOBER 2022
Enrico Serafino “Zero” Alta Langa DOCG Brut 2016
Top 50 Italian Wines of 2022 - #35 All about elegance and structure, this gorgeous sparkler has inviting aromas of pastry dough, hay, baking spice and a whiff of hazelnut. Creamy and elegant, it’s dry, savory and focused, delivering layers of flavors including juicy pomegranate, pastry dough, citrus and star anise alongside veins of mineral recalling saline and flint. It closes on notes of vanilla and orange zest while an extremely refined, persistent perlage lends finesse. Drink through 2036. 90
AUGUST 2022
Enrico Serafino "Poggio della Rupe" Gavi del Comune di Gavi Monterotondo DOCG 2021
The Enrico Serafino 2021 Gavi del Comune di Gavi Monterotondo Poggio della Rupe is thin and tight with easy aromas of white peach, citrus, pear, chalkboard and bitter almond. This is a crisp and refreshing wine to pair with appetizers or elaborate summer salads with either tuna or chicken. 91
MAY 2023
Enrico Serafino "Oudeis" Alta Langa DOCG Brut Rosé 2019
A burst of crushed stone minerality combines with lime zest and freshly snipped mint as the 2019 Brut Rosé Oudeis blossoms in the glass. This is sharply focused and chiseled in feel, with savory spices and tart orchard fruits forming a crunchy sensation. The 2019 finishes with a salty flourish and slowly fading young peach notes. The 2019 takes Oudeis to a much spicier and savory place. Also of note is that this is listed as 100% Pinot Noir, whereas past vintages included a 20% dose of Chardonnay. 93
OCTOBER 2023
Enrico Serafino "Monclivio" Barolo DOCG 2018
This Barolo opens with aromas of raspberry liquor, alpine herbs, cedar, leather and dried rose. Subtle at first, the wine then sneaks up on you with dried Amarena cherry, sandalwood, camphor and a chalky minerality finishing with fine-grained tannins. 92
JANUARY 2021
Enrico Serafino "Oudeis" Alta Langa DOCG Brut 2016
Made with 85% Pinot Nero and 15% Chardonnay, this has inviting aromas of bread dough, red berry, eucalyptus and baking spice. The aromas follow through to the focused palate, along with pomegranate, hazelnut and star anise set against a refined perlage. Vibrant acidity lifts the finish. 91
AUGUST 2022
Enrico Serafino "Pajena" Barbera d’Alba DOC 2020
An inviting nose of crushed red cherries, sweet herbs and violets. Medium-bodied with gentle tannins. Juicy on the palate, with the red fruit turning blacker towards the finish. Drink now. |