Giulia Negri Barolo 'La Tartufaia' 2021
I was excited to be offered the wines from Giulia Negri earlier in the year as she's a producer on the up and up, receiving plenty of critical acclaim of late. However, the wines arrived at the shop just as i went overseas, so i initially missed the chance to taste them. Fortunately, we tracked a bottle down in Alba (Piedmont) and drank it a week later on the island of Ischia. This is a fantastic Barolo which strikes a great balance of immediacy and approachability but with underlying structure and seriousness. I find 'structure' to be a bit of a throwaway term at times, but using it here i mean that below the surface layer of red fruit, red florals and silky mouthfeel are the foundations for ageability and longevity. Tannin is firm and drying yet not out of balance with the similarly present acid line that runs directly through the wine, front to back. Like the tannin, it carries some power, but all of this matches the concentrated fruit that, as good Barolo should, comes across as forceful but with a delicate touch. Really impressive stuff from a winemaker who will only get more attention in the years ahead. – Ches Cook, FWC.
Taking over a well-established Barolo estate at the tender age of 24 is an incredibly daunting prospect, but for Giulia Negri, the latest in a 150-year line of grape growers in the Langhe commune of La Morra, the challenge proved irresistible. After completing studies in management and biology, and fresh off an inspiring trip to Burgundy where she truly began forming her palate, Giulia returned to La Morra motivated to learn all the secrets to making fine wine in her native Piemonte. She started small, releasing microcuvées under her own label, before finally taking over the totality of vineyard management and production in 2014.
In the heart of the Serradenari cru of La Morra—the highest point in the Barolo zone, with vineyards culminating at 536 meters above sea level—Giulia passionately pursues her goal of crafting Barolo with a Burgundian sensibility. Nebbiolo reigns in these parts, and Serradenari yields a Barolo of regal pedigree. The elevation, coupled with a complex mosaic of soils unique to this part of the Langhe, sets the stage for Giulia to create Barolos marrying delicate floral aromas and elegant fruit with a deep mineral foundation. With fine-grained, tightly knit tannins, her seductive wines charm in their youth but have the structure for serious bottle aging. Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant (US Importer).
