2021 Barolo, Baudana, Luigi Baudana, Piedmont, Italy

Aromas of violet, smoke, camphor and Alpine herb lead the nose on the fragrant and captivating 2021 Baudana from Luigi Baudana. Made with organically farmed grapes in the MGA of the same name in Serralunga, the enveloping, delicious palate doles out ripe Marasca cherry, raspberry compote, licorice and nutmeg set against a backbone of velvety tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it radiant.

The 2021 Barolo Baudana is ruby red in color and offers a wonderful clarity and focus on the nose, with bright notes of cranberry, orange peel, bright spice, and dried rocky earth. The palate has a more linear tension, with a refreshing and lifted feel, compact tannins, and a long, even finish. Following harvest, it saw 42 days of submerged cap fermentation and 23 months of cask aging prior to resting in bottle.

The organic Luigi Baudana 2021 Barolo Baudana appears glossy and polished with bright intensity delivered through red and purple fruits, spice and floral aromas. The wine is quite lightweight on the palate, even lean, but it makes up for a lack of textural weight with a very long and silky finish. Minutes later, you feel dried rose and pulverized stone. Aging takes place in large Slavonian oak cask.

Here, family and territory are inextricably linked, as one gave the Baudana name to the other. Since taking over the estate in 2009, the Vaira family of GD Vajra continues to honour this legacy. While it doesn’t possess the sheer intensity of the Cerretta bottling, this 2021 is still brimming with vigour and potential. Opening fragrances of lovage, sage and rosemary persist through the red-fruited core. Grainy tannins dissolve into the mid-palate plushness without losing their firm bolstering edge, and crunchy acidity injects enduring freshness.