Barolo Cerretta DOCG (Schiavenza)

Schiavenza is located in Serralunga d’Alba in the heart of Piedmont’s Langhe district, celebrated for its great Barolo vineyards. The estate was founded in 1956 by the brothers Vittorio and Ugo Alessandria; the estate and surrounding area were formerly part of the Opera Pia Barolo (a castle that is kind of like the Hospices du Beaune: part educational institution and part hospital) whose vineyards were traditionally worked by sharecroppers. The local dialect for sharecropper is schiavenza. Today, the estate is run by the second-generation Alessandria sisters, Enrica and Maura, and their husbands Luciano Pira and Walter Anselma. Their holdings include 9.2 hectares in Serralunga with a small 0.5ha plot in Monforte d’Alba, and include the heralded crus Prapò, Cerretta, and Broglio.   For the last 19 years, they have also run Trattoria Schiavenza, right in the middle of the village of Serralunga, where their traditional fare draws in both local winemakers and tourists.

Barolo single vineyard “Cerretta” is a very intense and strong Piedmontese red wine, aged 36 months in Slavonian oak barrels. The nose is complex and fascinating, giving hints of red fruit, spice, licorice and minerals. The taste is full and fleshy, clean, with great body and structure and beautiful tannins.