2009 Barbaresco Serraboella
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Tasting notes
Older vines. 26 months in oak, 70% big Slavonina casks, 30% French tonneaux. This is one of those I want to go on smelling – no rush to put it in my mouth. Super-fine dry texture, still all compact and only beginning to open. Paper-fine texture but compact. Great length and precision and all till to come. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Saturated deep red. Less expressive on the nose than the Via Erte, hinting at cherry and underbrush. Big, rich, sweet and deep on the palate, but with a youthfully sullen quality to the clenched flavors of cherry and spices. Substantial dusty tannins coat the teeth on the broad, youthfully bitter back end. Offers excellent potential but needs time.
Nutty, smoky nose. Traditional, stolid build. The 15% alcohol pokes through. Heavy going. (RH)
The 2009 Barbaresco Serraboella fleshes out beautifully on the mid-palate, with generous, radiant fruit and compelling richness. Here, too, Cigliuti has done a fabulous job of capturing the personality of the year while maintaining plenty of Nebbiolo typicity and structure. This is easily one of the best wines in what has turned out to be a challenging vintage for Barbaresco in general. The Serraboella was aged in a combination of 60% cask and 40% French oak barrique and tonneaux. Here, the style of the wine and vintage marries well with the oak.