I can find no record of this wine having been made in earlier vintages, which doesn’t conclusively prove that it wasn’t. In any case, this is one of a number of exceptional 2016s that aren’t cru-designated, which shows that the superb quality of the year runs deep. With that said, this isn’t bottled as simple “Barolo DOCG,” but rather bears the name of the village from which it was sourced (Serralunga), and a bit of digging indicates that the fruit was drawn from two crus (Meriame and Carpegna), though that precludes naming either of these on the label due to recent alterations in the regulations of the appellation. The wine is wonderfully open and expressive aromatically, with very pure fruit notes that extend onto the palate with an alluring ease and gracefulness that makes this a classic 2016. The tannins are appropriately notable for a young wine, but every sweet and fine. Already delicious, this will only get better for a decade. This will be imported into the USA by Dalla Terra, and my indicated price is just a wild-ass guess; let’s hope for lower… but $55 would certainly be fair.
Enrico Serafino, Barolo DOCG (Piedmont, Italy) 2016
By Michael Franz