Product information

Luigi Pira Barolo del Commune di Serralunga 2017

Nebbiolo from Serralunga d'Alba, Barolo, Piedmont, Italy

$108

$103ea in any 3+
$98ea in any 6+
Closure: Cork

Description

Always a blend of the three crus below, the Barolo ‘Serralunga’ in recent times has had the maceration/fermentation time slowed down to 2 weeks to allow for a more gradual and integrated process – all four Baroli are made this way. Once complete, the wine is moved into 25 hectolitre aged barrels for a minimum of 2 years, then rested for an additional year or two (depending on the vintage) before being released to the market. The most approachable of the four Baroli, this is a symphony of elements: porcini, smoke, cola, cherry and spices.

Only 1 left in stock

Check out all of the wines by Luigi Pira

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

The cluster of famous crus owned by the Pira family are the premier vineyards around Serralunga village: Margheria and Marenca, which are only just separated from the great Vigna Rionda. Barolo ‘Serralunga’ is the Pira normale, an assemblage of the three crus.

About Azienda Agricola Luigi Pira

The story of the Pira family is the story of Barolo, one told about people of great warmth and integrity. Always seeking quality and improvement, the Pira family are workers of the land, using the grape Nebbiolo (and Barbera and Dolcetto) as the medium through which their particular terroir can speak. Like many Langhe families, they started as growers and eventually released their own wines under the family name.

Luigi Pira was the first to bottle the family’s wines, prompted by stories from the outside world of the interest in Barolo, and encouraged by sons Giampaolo and Romolo, and later Claudio, who were confident of the eventual demand for Serralunga and the importance of their vineyard plots. Giampaolo later took the reins in the winery and was one of the original and probably the lowest-key of the ‘Barolo Boys’.

In the Vineyard

Seeing compost in vineyards is always a good sign. Health dirt, better water retention, a greater volume of soil accessible to the vines, slow release of nutrients all positive.

Click to enlarge 🔎

In the Winery

Up until recent years, the use of roto-fermenters with quick ferments and a decent amount of new oak resulted in somewhat ‘Parker-ised’ wines, but due to the very strong Serralunga imprint – stock, smoke, graphite and darkest cherry – the wines and their personalities always overtook the oak. These days, ferments have been significantly slowed down to allow for a gentler process. The barrels are fewer, larger and older, and commentary on the presence of oak has disappeared over the last few years.

Today, a Luigi Pira Barolo is regarded as a benchmark for wines that show classic Serralunga characters of darkness and power, allied with numerous complexities and an up-tempo style. Vineyard management has been essentially sustainable for decades, too, and Pira are long-time practitioners of cover-cropping, natural insecticides and minimal sulphur use. One testimonial to this combination of attention to detail in both the winery and vineyard is to the distinctly individual characteristics in the ‘Margheria’ and ‘Marenca’ Baroli, even though the crus are adjacent.

The 2017 Vintage

2017 will be remembered as hot with low rainfall. Winter was mild, while spring brought some rain and above-average temperatures. May saw the beginning of a long period of fine weather with summer maximums above average, though cooler nights than in other hot years.

End of August and early September, some welcome rain arrived, followed by a sharp drop in temperatures and marked diurnal temperature shifts. The later ripening nebbiolo and barbera benefitted most. While the overall growing season was shorter, it still lasted on average 185 days compared with 170 in other ‘hot’ years, and 200 in classic vintages.

The accumulation of anthocyanins and tannins was excellent, and while alcohols are higher, they are not out of the average, especially for nebbiolo. Ph levels were good and acids lower. Yields were below average of compact bunches, with harvest occurring around 2 weeks early.

2017 yielded wines of great promise – the cool nights and return to ‘average’ conditions in September being major contributing factors. In fact the 2017 Barolos show remarkable freshness and elegance, with the top producers building on their experience of warmer years, which began with the torrid 2003.

Galloni does an excellent job exploring the 2017 growing season and vintage in his article “2017 Barolo: Here We Go Again…” It’s clear the growers and makers of Piedmont have got their heads around warmer vintages and how to get the most in both the vineyard, and, the winery.

“There is plenty to like about the 2017 Barolos… In tasting, the 2017s are mid-weight Barolos with the classic structure of Nebbiolo. They are often intensely aromatic. Acids and tannins are prominent in many wines. The fruit profiles are ripe, often distinctly redtoned, but not cooked or over-ripe. Perhaps most importantly, the 2017 Barolos are very true to site, which is always a concern with vintages marked by warm weather. The best 2017s are exceptionally polished, vivid and flat-out delicious”

Galloni

Where in the World is Luigi Pira?

Luigi has an incredible cluster of 3 Cru’s in Serralunga with: Margheria, the adjacent Marenca, and, the nearby Vigna Rionda.

 

Click to Enlarge🔍
92 Points

With fruit sourced from throughout this important Barolo subzone, the Luigi Pira 2017 Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d'Alba shows some ripeness with dried raspberry and sweet cherry. The wine delivers spice, smoke and tilled earth with some of the iron ore or rusty aromas that are so specific to this village in the Barolo appellation. To the palate, it delivers soft tannins and a mid-weight build with all the makings for another fine cut of steak.

Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate

Where in the world does the magic happen?

Azienda Agricola Luigi Pira

Barolo
Serralunga d'Alba
Piedmont
Italy