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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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90
MAY 2023
Enrico Serafino Barolo Serralunga DOCG 2019
95
JUNE 2021
Enrico Serafino Zero 140 Alta Langa Brut DOCG Riserva 2008
Aged on the lees for 140 months (said to be the longest lees-aged sparkling wine in Italy), the Enrico Serafino 2008 Alta Langa Metodo Classico Pas Dosé Riserva Zero 140 is a sparkling blend of 85% Pinot Nero and 15% Chardonnay. Fruit is from the cool, high-altitude growing sites and sedimentary marine soils of northern Piedmont. The front of this bottle has a little metal seashell embossed into the glass. This wine is round and soft, yet it also shows exceptional depth and elegance. The primary fruit is so intact and bright that the wine definitely appears younger than its real years. Layers of preserved lemon and sweet peach play off each other, adding freshness and fiber to these beautiful results. At the very end, you get a silky note of pure honey. This is a tiny production of just 950 precious bottles. 96
JANUARY 2024
Enrico Serafino Barolo Serralunga DOCG 2020
Combining elegance and firm structure, the stunning Enrico Serafino 2020 Comune di Serralunga shows its Serralunga roots, delivering ripe red cherry, black raspberry, licorice and crushed mint wrapped up in tightly knit but refined tannins. The persistent aromas stay strong, delivering wild berry, new leather, culinary spice and camphor alongside whiffs of pressed rose. Still youthfully austere, give this some more time. Drink 2028–2038. 93
DECEMBER 2023
Enrico Serafino “Zero” Alta Langa DOCG Brut 2017
Green apple and lemon zest/oil dominate the aromatic profile, showcasing a mineral-driven character. Lean on the palate with a salty quality, this wine pairs exceptionally well with oysters or other seafood dishes. 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
AUGUST 2022
Enrico Serafino "Oudeis" Alta Langa DOCG Brut 2018
A blend of 85% Pinot Nero and 15% Chardonnay, the sparkling Enrico Serafino 2018 Alta Langa Metodo Classico Millesimato Oudeis Brut shows a light and luminous golden hue with rich aromas of orchard fruit, preserved lemon and freshly baked breakfast pastry. The wine is clean, sharp and mid-weight, thanks to tight beading and 36 months of lees aging. 90
JUNE 2021
Enrico Serafino "Grifo del Quartaro" Gavi del Comune di Gavi 2020
With 50,000 bottles released, the Enrico Serafino 2020 Gavi del Comune di Gavi Grifo del Quartaro is a bright and luminous wine that shines with glossy intensity. The bouquet is redolent of citrus, blanched almond, peach and summer dried hay. The Cortese grape always shows a tight mineral note that gives focus to these fun and informal results (offered at a steal of a price). 92
AUGUST 2022
Enrico Serafino "Picotener" Langhe DOC 2020
Aromas of strawberry, red cherry, pine and baking spice. Full-bodied with tight tannins. Juicy and succulent fruit on the palate, with lots of lovely red berries and nutmeg coming through. Pretty. Give this another year. Drink after 2023. |