Michele Chiarlo Barolo Cerequio 2019

This 2019 Cerequio is a classic and seductively complex Barolo from one of the best crus in the region and a passionate family producer! It comes from a nearly perfect vintage and boasts 96 points, with buckets of additional applause from the top critics anywhere... and now it’s nearly 40% OFF.

With environmental practices top of mind, the Chiarlo family takes a low-intervention approach with their winemaking, and ferments in open vats with long macerations and aging in large barrels, the way they’ve largely done things for over 60 years. In the vineyard, they organize the vines in terraces to allow the perfect amount of sunlight to reach the grapes, promoting a soft mouthfeel from the lusciously ripe grapes. The soils of Cerequio are calcareous-clayey marls with a marine sedimentary origin dating back 9 million years. This, paired with the south-southwest facing exposure, gives the grapes a remarkable complexity and intensity.

While the Chiarlo family can trace its winemaking roots back 150 years, brothers Alberto and Stefano Chiarlo are the second generation running this estate after their father, Michele Chiarlo, established the winery in Asti in 1956, upon graduating with his oenology degree. In the ‘70s, Michele expanded the family’s vineyard holdings to Cerequio in La Morra and Cannubi in Barolo, which are considered to be among the top five crus in all of Barolo. The family has an immense respect for tradition, purity, and sustainability, with a commitment to the land and thoughtful winemaking that allows gorgeous and classic Barolos to be the end result.

“Cerequio is more about balsamic, meat, eucalyptus, and black berries, combined with very present tannins. It’s austere in the mouth, seducing on the nose.” – Alberto Chiarlo

2019 started wet and ended hot and dry, allowing for an excellent water reserve to sustain the grapes through the steamy summer. The grapes gradually ripened and experienced the ideal climate for a classic vintage with exquisite quality grapes. A fresh and open bouquet of rich baked cherries, dried strawberries, and crushed roses arrives on the nose, with layered notes of plum skin, macerated raspberries, eucalyptus, sage, cinnamon, black pepper, and scorched earth entering on the palate. Smooth, almost cream-like tannins combine with a rich body and exceptional length on the finish for a Barolo that is simultaneously classic and massively complex, with delightful surprises in nearly every taste.

This is magnificently open considering its young age, and only promises to soften further and evolve beautifully over the next 5 to 15 years. An amazing value for the immense quality and hallowed terroir, with loads of critical praise backing it up – this is a must-have for Barolo heads, no doubt!

PAIRING IDEAS: I’m going with these Greek-style braised lamb shanks – that use cinnamon, allspice, red wine, and a tomato sauce over creamy mashed potatoes – for something as meaty and warming as this enormously rich Barolo.