Rivetto Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d’Alba 2015

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

It’s always a pleasure when you try the wines of a producer like Enrico Rivetto for the first time. Already sold by the aromas coming from the glass, the palate made it clear this is a producer who has some serious craft!

The more I learnt about Rivetto the more it all makes sense.

It’s clear Enrico is pushing the boundaries. He’s educated, thoughtful, yet knows how to ask good questions and clearly respects the wisdom of previous generations.

These are wines of restraint, poise and purity. He has that inate sense needed to make exceptional wine balancing art and science.

My Find of the Year👌🏻

Although the video below is about the 2014 it gives you an insight into the vineyards and winemaking of the wine.

GRAPE VARIETAL 
100% Nebbiolo.

MUNICIPALITY 
Serralunga d’Alba

EXPOSURE
 East, South-East, North East

TERRAIN 
 clayey-calcareous. Terrain with sub-alkaline reaction, with calcium presence, magnesium and iron.

ALTITUDE 
340-420 mt on average

IN THE VINEYARD grapes from owned vineyards Serra, Manocino and San Bernardo with few grapes bought from organic grower. Selection
 in stages, carried out three times in the 45 days before the start of the harvest. Manual harvest as late as possible.

IN THE CELLAR
 Stalk and grape seeds removal, pressing and room temperature maceration for 2 days on average.
Duration of maceration in total 20/25 days.
Controlled temperature fermentation at 28-30 °C. Malolactic completed.

YEAST indigenous

CLARIFICATION
 gel bentonite

CHARACTERISTICS Bright ruby red with orange reflexes, gentle bouquet of roses, violets, mature fruits and spices, at the palate is soft and elegant, sober, enjoyable soon even for long ageing, with delicate tannins.

SERVING TEMPERATURE 
16°C

GRAPE VARIETAL 
100% Nebbiolo. A native Piedmont grape with a late harvest period, recognized for its quality since the ancient Roman epoch. The wine obtained is characterized by extraordinary refinement, exceptional ageing capacity and strong tannin content.

MUNICIPALITY 
Serralunga d’Alba

IN THE CELLAR After 5 years of aging, Barolo may crown itself with the title of “Reserve”. We select our Barolo Riserva from the barrels with the greatest potential for ageing and it is at its best after 15-20 years.

YEAST indigenous

CLARIFICATION
 gel bentonite

CHARACTERISTICS
 Special selection of our Barolos that presented a high aptitude for ageing in our in-barrel tastings. A wine that expresses its best over the long term. The extra years of ageing guarantees the greater smoothness of the tannins and an intense bouquet.

SERVING TEMPERATURE
 16 °C

About Enrico Rivetto

Established in 1902 Enrico and his brother are the fourth generation of the family to make wine in Barolo.

In the vineyards, respect for the land shines through. They have worked to build bio-diversity and since 2013 have been certified organic and have started to introduce some biodynamic practices.

In the winery we see carefully handling of fruit, patience and like Massolino use of large open oak cuves for fermentation. The maceration times are much longer than Massolino’s, yet, the wines remain fresh and vibrant with supple tannins. Seed removal playing a part.

The hertiage breed produce they grow to fill their bellies is enough reason for me to want to visit the winery. Add the vino … enough said!

About Vintage 2015 at Enrico Rivetto

The 2015 Vintage was a warm one with the picking window coming forward. Rivetto has timed his run beautifully making fresh, vibrant Barolo. Often in such a vintage ripeness of tannin can be a challenge. No such problems here. Enrico’s handly of the fermentation and post-fermentation maceration is skilled. He has adopted seed removal to ensure no bitter hard tannins are imparted into the wines during maceration. The resulting mouthfeel in the 2015’s is excellent.

2015 began with high levels of snow providing good water reserves. Combined with mild spring temperatures and various rain falls, bud break and flowering were early, followed by an excellent fruit set. From the second half of June throughout July, there was no rain and temperatures stabilized to above-average maximums. Fortunately, the vineyards were not stressed thanks to the plentiful water reserves. In terms of quantity, production was average allowing for careful, targeted green harvesting with special care taken to ensure foliage was managed to provide good protection for the clusters. There was no disease pressure so preventative measures were not required. The white varieties were harvested between the end of August and mid-September and the excellent sugars were matched by wonderful acidity. The Dolcetto harvest began around the second week in September and the wines were aromatic, softer and deeply coloured. Barbera is the variety which perhaps most benefited from the 2015 season with the usually high acidity tempered by excellent ripe tannins, dense colours and richly flavoured fruit and body. Nebbiolo ripened perfectly, though slightly earlier than the last few years. The excellent quality of the tannins balanced by perfect acidity will certainly ensure elegant, long-lasting wines with good structure.

Where in the World is Enrico Rivetto?

The estate great vineyards are based in the Commune of Serralunga in the east of the Barolo region. They also have holdings in Barbaresco.