91 pts Vinous (Galloni)

The 2021 Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d'Alba is a very pretty, expressive wine that shows off the more delicate side of the village to great effect. Crushed flowers, mint, red cherry fruit, orange peel and mint give this effusive, aromatic Barolo tons of pure charm. Silky tannins wrap it all together.  - By Antonio Galloni on January 2025

The Wine
Principiano’s Barolo Serralunga has been under the radar for a while but on fire the last few years. The house style: elegant wines with a watermark of traditional Barolo Serralunga terroir.

Farming is free of synthetic chemicals and tailored to the unique ecology of the Principiano property, which has become an oasis teeming with biodiversity thanks to Ferdinando’s ongoing initiative to preserve and establish natural spaces around the vineyards. Forested areas, some ancient, weave through the vine area, and a frog pond nestled at the base of his Boscareto Cru attracts migratory bird populations. So life-abundant is the Principiano property that the Ravera vineyard was selected as an observation site for University of Torino’s research on the repopulation of wild orchid and butterfly communities. The wines themselves pulse with energy, tension and lustrous fruit. Barolo di Serralunga is 80% from the Boscareto vineyard and 20% from the Lirano vineyard. Boscareto’s limestone soils give depth and minerality, while Lirano’s sandy soils give an added airiness and elegance to the fruit. Boscareto fruit is vinified 100% whole cluster for the cru bottling, a portion of which goes into the Serralunga bottling. Fruit from Prinicipiano’s other vineyards is mostly destemmed with some beautifully ripened whole clusters in the mix.

FARMING: No synthetic chemical herbicides, fungicides, fertilizers or pesticides. Copper and sulphur treatments used sparingly.
VINEYARD: 5 Ha; 80% Boscareto 20% Lirano (both in Serralunga)
ALTITUDE: 400 m / 1,300 ft.
SOILS: Serravallian (limestone and a little bit of clay and sand).
VARIETIES: 100% Nebbiolo
VINE AGE: from 26 to 60 years old
YEASTS: Spontaneous fermentation with ambient yeast
FERMENTATION & ÉLEVAGE: Spontaneous fermentation in steel. A portion of the Boscareto fruit is fermented whole cluster; the remaining Boscareto is co-fermented with the Lirano fruit, destemmed and macerated on skins for 25-30 days. 2 years in large wood botti (from 1000 to 5000 liters); one year in bottle prior to release.
SULPHUR: 40 mg/ l total SO2 was added only after malo fermentation is completed, while the wine was racked to botti grandi, and right before being bottled.
ALCOHOL: 13.5%