Pay keen attention to the “& More” below, while these 2021 Barolos are OUTSTANDING the hype that there is on the sparkling wines from Ettore Germano is for REAL! Sergio Germano visited with us yesterday at the shop to taste us on these wines and we were extremely impressed. I personally ordered the sparkling Nebbiolo to have at my Thanksgiving to try out on the family! I thought it was better than most champagne and sparkling wines in this price range.
Germano is new for us, they just recently change distributors here in NC and we are now reaping the benefits of the access to these wines. I will taste more of the Alta Langa bubbles nest week and will report back on those, but I am sure MANY of you can attest to how good they are if you have already had them!
FYI the Prapo and Cerretta are PRE-ARRIVAL with a late NOVEMBER ETA
Ettore Germano
2021 Barolos & More
2021 del Commune di Serralunga Barolo 94WA/94ID
2021 Cerretta Barolo 96KO/95WA/93VM
2021 Prapo Barolo 97KO/95WA/94VM
‘Rosanna’ Rose Metodo Classico Extra Brut NV 92VM
To ORDER click this LINK
2021 del Commune di Serralunga Barolo
94WA/94ID/90VM
$54.99 on 6+ bottles*
$56.99 SALE
*mix and match OK
94pts Ian d’Agata
Drinking Window 2027 - 2039
Good bright red. Flowers, sweet spices, sandalwood, and macerated berries on the nose. Rich dense and slightly tactile, with inky, bittersweet flavours of dark and red berries, crushed rocks and licorice. This is a beautiful Commune wine that starts out with noteworthy fruitiness then finishes long and spicy with an inviting bittersweet twinge. Very concentrated classic commune-level Barolo. Well done and a steal at this price.
94pts Wine Advocate
Drinking Window 2026 - 2040
Ettore Germano specializes in Barolo from Serralunga d’Alba. The wine that casts the widest net is the 2021 Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d’Alba. With 15,000 bottles made, it opens to a dark color, powerful texture and a richness that supports dark fruit, black licorice, toasted aniseed and candied orange. There is a tart note of pomegranate as well. The wine definitely hits higher on the Nebbiolo intensity meter.
90pts Vinous
Drinking Window 2025 - 2031The 2021 Barolo is a classy, polished wine with unusually round edges for a young Serralunga Barolo. Sweet red cherry, pipe tobacco, blood orange and spice all take shape in the glass. Soft contours wrap it all up. This stylish, approachable Barolo is all charm.
Our Tasting Note:
Mainly Cerretta vines, young and lower in the vineyard, also Prapo and Lazzarito. Medium ruby core, light red edges, transparent. Pronounced nose is pure, fresh, red fruits, tar and rose petals, spice, classic and textbook. The palate is med/med+ body, tannins, acidity. Pronounced, pure, palate and med+ finish. SO GOOD to drink now!
Farming: Certified organic
Vine Age: Planted between 1995 and 2015
Vineyard: 365 M, SE Facing, Limestone and clay
Winemaking: 25 days maceration, controlled low temperature fermentation in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts
Aging: 24 months in medium (neutral 700L tonneau) and large neutral 3.5-7 hL botti casks, 12 months in bottle
Importer: Germano’s Barolo Serralunga is made from hand-picked fruit from young vines in the Prapò, Cerretta and Lazzarito vineyards. Young and powerfully composed, this Barolo shows aromas and flavors of strawberry, cherry, pomegranate, rose, violet and licorice. The wine is elegant, precise and clear in the mouth. Enjoy with roast duck and leg of lamb.
PRE-ARRIVAL with a late NOVEMBER ETA
2021 Prapo Barolo 97KO/95WA/94VM
$78.99 on 3+ bottles or 6+* US Low
$81.99 reg
*mix and match OK
97pts Kerin O’Keefe
Drinking Window 2031 - 2041
The gorgeous 2021 Prapò from Ettore Germano has intense, enticing aromas of crushed mint, baking spice, new leather, blue flower and a whiff of raspberry tart. Firmly structured but also loaded with finesse, the delicious palate reveals succulent raspberry, red cherry, Alpine herb and cinnamon accompanied by taut, fine-grained tannins. It’s beautifully balanced, with bright acidity. While it is so tempting now thanks to its vibrancy and mouthwatering flavors, the best is yet to come.
95pts Wine Advocate
Drinking Window 2026 - 2043
The Ettore Germano 2021 Barolo Prapò is a little shy compared to the more immediate Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d’Alba. The bouquet is inward-looking, but you do get blackcurrant, cola, reddish iron and chalky limestone. This site has a layer of sand within the topsoil, and that could explain the more nuanced and delicate nature of the bouquet. However, we’re still talking about Serralunga d’Alba, so you can expect plenty of power and intensity on the finish.
94pts Vinous
Drinking Window 2027 - 2038
The 2021 Barolo Prapò is such an archetype of Serralunga. Scorched earth, game, tobacco, incense and dried flowers come alive. This potent, brooding Barolo is going to need at least a few years to come into its own. It’s all brawn and muscle here.
Our Tasting Note:
Dense minerality on the palate of sandstone/limestone impressively stands out. Med ruby core, transparent. Pronounced nose of red fruits, cherry, currants, licorice, spice, limestone minerality, crushed rose petals. The palate is youthful, med+ body, med+ tannins are supple and not intense but well structured. The palate is pronounced, very distinct minerality on the mid-palate, sails into a long, fresh finish. EXCELLENT!
Farming: Certified organic
Vine Age: Planted between 1967 and 2012
Vineyard: Prapo Cru MGA is 350 M, SE Facing, Limestone and clay
Winemaking: 40 days maceration, controlled low temperature fermentation in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts
Aging: 24 months in medium and large barrels, 12 months in bottle
Importer: Prapò is a small vineyard, directly below Sergio’s house and cellar. The oldest vines in Prapò were planted in 1967 by Sergio’s father, with some sections replanted more recently. The Barolo from this vineyard is one of my favorites in the whole appellation. (Ian d’Agata says ‘Prapò is the cru on the eastern flank of Serralunga that I believe to be a grand cru for Nebbiolo.’) It shows aromas and flavors of red-currants, dark chocolate (this is not related to oak, and is a typical Serralunga note, Sergio tells me), sandalwood, true cinnamon, licorice and tar; in structure it is chewy yet still elegant, and it ages incomparably.
PRE-ARRIVAL with a late NOVEMBER ETA
2021 Cerretta Barolo 96KO/95WA/93VM
$78.99 on 3+ bottles or 6+* US Low
$81.99 reg
*mix and match OK
96pts Kerin O’Keefe
Drinking Window 2031 - 2041
Wild rose, sun-warmed hay, cake spice, forest berry and camphor are just some of the aromas you’ll find on the stunning 2021 Cerretta from Ettore Germano. The delicious palate picks right up where the nose leaves off, delivering layers of juicy Morello cherry, crushed raspberry, cinnamon and nutmeg. Tightly woven, refined tannins provide weightless support while fresh acidity keeps it impeccably balanced.
95pts Wine Advocate
Drinking Window 2026 - 2043
The Ettore Germano 2021 Barolo Cerretta is especially energetic and electric. The site has a big presence of active limestone in the clay, and you feel that tension and tautness over the bouquet. The wine is chiseled, direct and powerful, delivering on all cylinders. Like the other wines in this range, the tannins are nicely managed, and here I get the silkiness without the chalkiness. Cerretta performs especially well in this vintage.
93pts Vinous
Drinking Window 2026 - 2038
The 2021 Barolo Cerretta is powerful and explosive in the glass. Sweet macerated cherry, rose petal, blood orange, spice and mint all soar from the glass. Deep and pliant, with striking persistence, the Cerretta is one of the finest wines in this range. Best of all, it can be enjoyed with minimal cellaring if desired.
Our Tasting Note:
Deeper ruby red, med+ darker than Prapo. The nose is pronounced and also deeper with the red fruit of dark cherry and currants, raspberry, nicely savory, some fennel, minerality, a touch smoky. The palate is med+ to full bodied, full grain tannins are youthful and structured, excellent acidity is perfectly integrated. The palate is pronounced and intense, but elegantly so! A long, fresh finish. EXCELLENT!
Farming: Certified organic
Vine Age: Planted between 1949 and 1995
Vineyard: Cerretta MGA Cru - 375 M, SW Facing, Limestone
Winemaking: 45 days maceration, controlled low temperature fermentation in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts
Aging: 24 months in medium sized oak barrel, 12 months in bottle
Importer: The Prapò and Cerretta vineyards are right next to each other, but the difference between the two wines is striking. Cerretta is more structured, shows the Serralunga dark chocolate character even more strongly, with a strong sandalwood/tobacco note. Ages superbly.
Bubbles
‘Rosanna’ Rose Metodo Classico Extra Brut NV
92VM
$45.99 on 6+ bottles*
$48.99 reg
*mix and match OK
92pts Vinous
Drinking Window 2025 - 2029
The NV Extra Brut Rosé Rosanna Vsq is perfumed and pretty in the glass, with notes of exotic flowers and spiced orange giving way to white strawberry. It washes across the palate with silken bubbles and a candied inner sweetness that’s perfectly offset by a mix of tart orchard fruits and brisk acidity. The Rosanna cleans up beautifully, crisp and fresh, with hints of tropical citrus and a firm mineral tinge. This is excellent. (Lot# 22/23 sb06) - By Eric Guido on November 2024
Our Tasting Note:
100% Nebbiolo, 70% from Alta Langa, 30% Barolo zone fruit, 30% reserve wines
A thick mousse and light pink, good bubble persistence. The nose is an explosion of fresh red and citrus fruit, primarily strawberry and cherry, with secondary notes of sweet lemons and blood orange, zesty with chalky minerality. The pronounced nose is elegant and persistent. Good bubble persistence on the palate. Med+ acidity, pronounced flavor intensity and length. Outstanding!
Grapes: 100% Nebbiolo
Farming: Certified organic
Vineyard: 350 M, Limestone and marl
Winemaking: whole cluster press with brief maceration, controlled low temperature fermentation in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts
Aging: 18 months on the lees
Importer: Several years ago, Sergio Germano made an experimental batch of ‘classic method’ sparkling wine from early harvested Nebbiolo, and it was delicious. Red berries, bright acidity, beautiful pink color, I was smitten. Now we have enough to actually sell the wine (once my crew has had a crack at it), and we are very happy. The ‘Rosanna’ is named after Sergio’s mother; it’s made of green-harvested Nebbiolo from around his winery, all Barolo vineyards. It’s dry, delicious and complex, perfect as an aperitif but I think it would be great with salmon, too.