Are there still new discoveries in one of Italy’s most famous wine regions?
One of the most fascinating things about the world of wine is how so many of the industry’s great regions – such as Burgundy, Hermitage or Barolo – are finite. There is, in other words, a set, limited geographical area within which the grapes must be grown to make these famous wines, and this rarely changes.
As such, when I recently saw a Barolo subregion named Cerrati described as “the forgotten cru of Barolo,” that was in the process of being “rediscovered” by the winery Tenuta Cucco, my senses immediately began to tingle. A forgotten cru!?! In Barolo!?! How often does that happen? I had to learn more.
[Read more about the wines HERE]
Rediscovering Cerrati
Sensational lede aside, it’s important to clarify up front that the Cerrati MGA (or Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva, the local name for designated vineyard areas, sometimes informally called “crus”) was never truly forgotten. Tenuta Cucco has, in fact, made wine from the vineyard since the 1960s, but neither the winery nor the subzone was ever highly regarded, thus neither made much of an impact in the vast community of Barolo superstars.
Enter the Rossi Cairo family, who purchased the winery and vineyard land in 2015, with an eye on changing Cerrati’s so far unspectacular fortunes. (Prior to landing in Serralunga, the family established itself in Gavi, enjoying success at their La Raia winery since 2002.) “When we thought of acquiring a Barolo estate,” said Piero Rossi Cairo, Cucco’s CEO, “we were lucky to find this estate on top of the hill, at a high altitude, which nowadays is even more important than when we bought it. It was 420 meters above sea level – a winery on the freaking top of the hill of Serralunga! – with, right next to it, an entire cru, totally unexploited.” (The winery also owns part of the nearby Bricco Voghera MGA.)
Cerrati is split into three parts from the perspective of Cucco (which means, in local dialect, ‘top of the hill’). At the very top, the highest rows are reserved for their special Cerrati “Vigna Cucco” Riserva, made only in the very best years. Then comes the Cerrati Barolo, while grapes closer to the bottom – which is still about 360 meters ASL – are used for their Comune di Serralunga d’Alba Barolo.
Though there are other high altitude MGAs – Bricco delle Viole is one example that’s higher than Cerrati at its peak – this is still one of the highest in the region. But family winemaker Clara Milani suggested three other characteristics that also help differentiate Cerrati. Firstly, she said, the Cerrati vineyards have an eastern exposure, meaning they receive less intense sunlight – once a negative, but nowadays potentially beneficial. Secondly, the vineyards are very steep, more so than others in the region. Lastly, after the first layer of soil there is rock, which makes it difficult for the soil to retain water. “In fact,” said Milani, “this year [2024] was very rainy, and it was actually a good vintage for us, because the mixture of soils that we have in Cerrati need lots of water…. So this is characteristic of the cru.”
This all seems to translate into a tannic nature that’s worthy of the Serralunga name. “There’s lots of structure in tannins,” said Milani, “both from the skin and, for example, if you compare a bunch that is grown in the Cerrati with a bunch of Nebbiolo grown in another place, the grapes are much smaller.” In addition, she continued, “the texture of soil also brings acidity and a bit of, I would say salty, but it’s not really the right word. And the longevity… it’s incredible really.”
“I wouldn’t say [Serralunga] is better or worse,” added Rossi Cairo, “but it’s where the wine is the most powerful, the most outstanding, the most tannic. And we love that.”
A New Attitude
While having exclusive access to an MGA vineyard is certainly interesting – especially to the geeks always in search of something new – there are enough other famous MGAs in Barolo that this doesn’t automatically translate into market penetration. Rossi Cairo even called Tenuta Cucco, still a fledgling winemaker in Barolo, “a dwarf in the middle of giants…. In the Gavi region,” he continued, “the giants are not that many. I can literally count them on one or two hands. In Barolo however, I need a lot of hands.” Mix in the lesser-known MGA and it’s doubly difficult. “If my name was, for instance, Rinaldi,” he said, “and I started making Vigna Rionda MGA, it probably would be much easier, because I’d be a recognized producer making a recognized cru. But right now we have the terrible combination of Piero, who is nobody, and Clara, who is an emerging winemaker – hopefully she will be a star one day – and an unknown cru. So this complicates things.”
Sustainable Futures
Because success in winemaking is not only about the expression of a particular plot of land, Tenuta Cucco also brings a commitment to sustainability that – despite its growing importance in the global wine industry – perhaps isn’t yet as common in this area. “The Lange, sadly, is monoculture,” said Rossi Cairo. “They understood 50 years ago how Nebbiolo was the new El Dorado, so they took everything away, any tree, any plant and any grape variety, including Dolcetto and Barbara, to plant more Nebbiolo, because the latter would make much more money.”
On the 440 acres at La Raia in Gavi, it was relatively easy to become organic and biodynamic, especially compared to the mere 180 acres in Serralunga. “We did add a lot of new and different plants around the estate,” said Rossi Cairo, “but it’s nothing compared, honestly, to what we do at La Raia, because we don’t have the space. And every time people ask us if we’re going to go biodynamic in the Lange, I always tell them the conditions are not right. We still follow our winemaking style, which is very similar to the one we adopted at La Raia, and we try to respect as much as possible the fruit of our work on the land. But when it comes to biodiversity, that’s something where my hands are tied.”
“In the Lange,” added Milani, “it’s so important for us to rebuild the biodiversity that they lost, and to be sustainable in the way we can be now. And I hope it’s going to increase in the next few years. It’s something we really should care about.”
Though young, Clara already knows how to speak like an expert about her wine’s connection to the land. “My work is to interpret the vintage, the place I’m working in, and the grapes,” she said. “In a glass of wine, you bring everything: the climate, soil, the people, the work you put in the vineyard and in the cellar. They all have to be mixed together and work together in order to make a great wine.”
While the previous winery was working with barriques — smaller oak barrels that impart strong flavors — Clara quickly transitioned to larger oak vessels that are more neutral. This decision “is not good or bad, right or wrong,” she said. “It’s not the old style or new style. It’s basically that we are in Serralunga, in the Cerrati cru, and we think that in order to make the best wine from this grape grown in this place, we need large barrels, because we want the Nebbiolo to be recognizable.”
“I really don’t care about trends in wine,” she continued. “My aim is to make a good wine that is typical and that develops in the bottle. So, as I said before, because we are in Serralunga, we do not have such a powerful nose, and we are working with grapes that are very elegant. So we need to keep [the base material] as it is, not cover it. Which is why we use big barrels.”
Just a Little Patience
Circling back to the idea of rediscovering a forgotten cru, the reality is indeed much more complicated. Yes, Cerrati is a lesser known vineyard in the Serralunga area, but it turns out that fact alone doesn’t amount to much. Combine it with fresh ideas and a talented young winemaker, however, and the potential for something special emerges. And yet, the already competitive market probably isn’t going to recognize the value of either Tenuta Cucco or the Cerrati MGA overnight.
Though he obviously believes in his winery’s mission, Rossi Cairo also stressed the importance of patience. “I tell my dad,” he said, “I’m not working for you. I’m hopefully working for my children or grandchildren. It’s going to take time. Because if we have learned anything from history, it’s that to create value, especially in wine, you need time.” He’s not, however, shy about eventually desiring public success. “We could continue to believe that the wine is amazing, but without the recognition, that’d just be me looking at myself in the mirror.”
Another winery, Schiavenza, does own some of the Cerrati area lower on the hill, but does not bottle a single vineyard Cerrati wine. “I’m quite sure that if we ever succeed, and maybe one day our Cerrati gets, I don’t know, 98 points from Galloni,” said Rossi Cairo, ”I’m betting that the day after, Schiavenza will start bottling one too.”
Photos via Tenuta Cucco
Wine samples provided by Tenuta Cucco
Quotes have been edited lightly for grammar and clarity