Barolo La Tartufaia 2017 draws on parcels in Serradenari and Brunate, at 450 to 500 metres facing west. Forty days on the skins, twenty-four months in 25-hectolitre botti. The most approachable of the three Barolos of the house — and the most perfumed.
Garnet red, translucent, with a slightly faded rim. The nose is classic Nebbiolo and yet its own: dried rose, violet, sour cherry and raspberry, with tar, tobacco leaf, liquorice and a whisper of white truffle behind. On the palate the attack is fine and almost sweet with fruit, after which the tannins build — dry, powdery and tightly woven, never hard. The acidity holds everything in balance and gives the wine its upward line. The finish is long, with returning rose and a saline, mineral echo. Decant for at least an hour and serve at 17 degrees.
Giulia Negri is one of the most talked-about names of the new generation of Piedmontese winemakers. She took over the family estate of Serradenari at the age of twenty-four — a property that has been in the family for over a century and a half — and converted the vineyards to organic viticulture. With an uncompromising approach and a keen eye for terroir, she quickly established herself as one of the most respected young producers in the Langhe.
La Tartufaia is an assemblage of two sites. The larger share comes from Serradenari itself, at 450 to 500 metres, on Tortonian soil of loam and clay with a high sand content and a basic pH. To that is added a portion from Brunate, the classic cru of La Morra, from vines around forty years old. The exposure is west.
After a hand harvest the grapes ferment spontaneously in truncated-conical wooden vats of sixty hectolitres, with a maceration of some forty days. The wine then ages for twenty-four months in large 25-hectolitre botti, followed by a period of rest in bottle.