Baudana, Luigi Barolo Cerretta 2018

Luigi Baudana Barolo Cerretta 2018 is a beautifully focused expression of Serralunga d’Alba, chiseled and precise yet quietly powerful. Drawn from the renowned Cerretta cru, this Barolo showcases a linear, mineral-driven style that lets its savory and floral nuances shine. It captures both the rigor and elegance that have made Barolo one of Italy’s most revered red wines.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, the 2018 Cerretta presents a luminous garnet core with brick-tinged edges that hint at classic Nebbiolo evolution. The nose is finely etched and pure, offering wild forest berries, rose petals, dried violets, and a distinctive note of iron and rusted nail over crushed stone and white marl. Subtle undertones of licorice, orange peel, and earth add complexity without ever feeling heavy. On the palate, the wine is taut, direct, and linear, with a firm backbone of Serralunga tannin that frames the fruit rather than overwhelms it. Red cherry, wild strawberry, and cranberry are layered with savory tones of tobacco leaf, dried herbs, and a saline, ferrous minerality that clearly echoes the Cerretta soils. The acidity is vibrant and cleansing, giving the wine lift and precision, while the finish is long, dry, and finely grained. This Barolo is built for aging: while already compelling with some air, it will gain added harmony, depth, and tertiary nuance over the next 10–20 years and beyond.

Production
Sourced from the Cerretta cru in Serralunga d’Alba, the vineyard sits on a distinctive mix of white marl at the surface with red clay deeper down—soils that impart both finesse and that hallmark iron-tinged minerality. The cool, calcareous terroir and hillside exposures help Nebbiolo ripen slowly, preserving aromatic detail and fresh acidity. Grapes are typically harvested by hand parcel by parcel at optimal maturity, ensuring only perfectly healthy clusters make it into the cellar. Traditional Barolo methods guide the vinification: gentle crushing, a long maceration on the skins to extract fine tannins and perfume, followed by extended aging in large neutral oak botti to respect the character of the site. The result is an unforced, terroir-driven wine that speaks clearly of Cerretta and Serralunga.

Food & Serving
This Barolo shines alongside refined yet flavorful dishes such as braised veal shank (osso buco), slow-cooked lamb shoulder, or classic Piemontese fare like brasato al Barolo and tajarin pasta with white truffle. It also pairs beautifully with game birds, porcini mushrooms, and aged hard cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano or mature Asiago. Serve at 16–18°C (60–64°F) to highlight its aromatic complexity. Decanting for 1–2 hours in its youth helps the wine open and soften the tannins; older bottles will benefit from a gentler, shorter decant to remove sediment while preserving delicate evolved aromas.

Producer
Luigi Baudana is a historic, small-scale Barolo estate rooted in Serralunga d’Alba, one of the denomination’s most prized and powerful communes. Long known to insiders for its authentic, traditionally crafted Nebbiolo, the estate has earned a reputation for bottlings that faithfully reflect the nuances of individual crus such as Cerretta and Baudana. Today, the wines maintain a classic Barolo identity—structured, ageworthy, and deeply terroir-driven—while benefiting from meticulous vineyard work and sensitive, low-intervention winemaking. As a result, Luigi Baudana stands among the key names carrying forward Serralunga’s legacy of profound, long-lived Barolo.

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