2021 Luigi Baudana Serralunga D'Alba Barolo, Piedmont

The Luigi Baudana 2021 Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d'Alba shows rich fruit delivered as cooked cherry with background tones of cinnamon, red rose and ferrous earth. The tannins are sweet but also firm, and you get plenty of streamlined fruit on the close. The three sites used in the blend are Baudana, Costa Bella and Cerretta.

94 points Monica Larner robertparker.com

Extremely deep, rich, and bite-inducing, it displays notes of black plums, blackberries, sour cherries, wild myrtle, bergamot, and juniper berries. Full-bodied, elegant yet compact, it displays slightly firm tannins and a finish of remarkable depth. Best from 2028.

95 points Raffaele Vecchione winescritic.com

The Luigi Baudana Serralunga d’Alba Barolo from Piedmont is a classic expression of one of Barolo’s most powerful villages, crafted with elegance and precision by the Vajra family, who have overseen the Baudana estate since 2009. Luigi Baudana, one of Barolo’s smallest and most traditional producers, entrusted his historic vineyards in Serralunga to Aldo Vajra and his family, ensuring that the name and legacy would live on. Today, the wines are made with the same respect for tradition, but with the Vajra hallmark of finesse and detail.

Serralunga d’Alba is renowned for its iron-rich soils and rugged terrain, producing some of Barolo’s most structured, long-lived wines. The Luigi Baudana Barolo is typically a blend of estate parcels, including the famed Baudana and Cerretta vineyards. Hand harvesting, gentle fermentation in vertical vats, and extended maceration are followed by ageing in large Slavonian oak botti, giving the wine both power and harmony.

In the glass it shows deep garnet with brick hues at the rim. The bouquet is complex and evocative, with aromas of dark cherry, plum and dried rose layered with tar, anise, leather, iron and earthy spice. On the palate it is full-bodied and firmly structured, with tightly wound tannins supporting flavours of red and black fruits, tobacco, licorice and mineral notes. The finish is long, savoury and precise, a true reflection of Serralunga’s formidable terroir.

Food pairings highlight its depth and power: braised beef cheeks, osso buco, truffle risotto, or rich game dishes like venison stew. Aged cheeses such as Parmigiano Reggiano or Castelmagno are also excellent matches. With 15 to 20 years of cellaring potential, this Barolo evolves into something profound, developing layers of dried flowers, forest floor, spice and balsamic complexity while retaining its firm backbone.