Luigi Pira

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.

In the Wine

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.