Schiavenza Broglio Barolo
WHY WE LOVE IT
- Manually harvested estate fruit sourced from the Broglio Cru in village of Serralunga d’Alba.
- This Broglio Cru expresses the most fruit of the three Cru’s from Schiavenza
Varietal Composition: 100% Nebbiolo
Elaboration: The Nebbiolo macerates about 25 days on the skins. Fermentation takes place in cement vats with indigenous yeast and lasts for 10-12 days at 25-30 °C. Pumping over and airing twice a day with temperature check. Frequent racking. The Nebbiolo sees a minimum of three years in 2,000- to 4,000-liter Slavonian oak barrels
Tasting Notes: “This red is expressive, offering a core of cherry and raspberry fruit shaded with truffle, woodsy underbrush, licorice and sweet spices. Open and supple until the finish, where the dense tannins emerge, showing fine balance and length. Best from 2028 through 2045. 708 cases made, 250 cases imported.” – Wine Spectator
PRESS
2022 – 93 Wine Spectator | 93 James Suckling | 92 Wine Enthusiast
2020 – 93 Wine Spectator | 93 James Suckling | 92 Wine Enthusiast
2019 – 92 Wine Advocate | 92 Vinous | 90 Wine Spectator
2018 – 93 Vinous | 92 Wine Advocate | 92 James Suckling
2017 – 92 Wine Advocate | 92 Wine Spectator | 92 Vinous | 92 Jeb Dunnuck
2016 – 93 Wine Advocate | 93 Wine Spectator | 93 James Suckling
2015 – 94 Wine Spectator | 92 Wine Advocate | 92 James Suckling
2014 – 93 Wine Spectator
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
The Alessandria family has been farming this Serralunga property since 1956.
The estate and surrounding area were formerly part of the Opera Pia Barolo (a castle that is similar to Burgundy’s Hospice du Beaune – Part educational institution and part hospital), whose vineyards were worked by sharecroppers. The local dialect for sharecropper is “schiavenza,” hence the origin on the estate name.
A name like Schiavenza should give one a clue as to the style here; this is no modern “barrique” aged Barolo estate – Wines here are fermented with native yeast in cement cisterns and then aged in traditional Slovenian botti.Vineyard holdings have expanded over time, and the estate is made up of 8 hectares split between Serralunga and Monforte. These include the heralded crus Prapò, Bricco Cerretta, and Broglio. No pesticides or herbicides are used, and all field work is coordinated with the cycles of the moon.