Serralunga is extreme. No village in Barolo produces wines of greater structure and longevity. We understand that has to do with its soils, as no village in Barolo has a greater concentration of limestone.
When dealing with such a lion of a terroir, it must be tempting to find a whip that will tame the beast. For a wine-maker, that could be barriques, or short macerations, or roto-fermentors. Those are the short-cuts.
Augusto Cappellano, like his father Teobaldo before him, does not take those short cuts. Partly, that's because he is just fine with structure and longevity. That is the natural product of Serralunga's special terroir, after all. Partly, it's because Augusto's extremely high-quality farming (the family has only four hectares so they can apply their natural farming methods assiduously to each and every vine) ensures that the grapes' tannins ripen properly, avoiding any of the harsh, bitter qualities that for years many assumed were also "natural."
What importer Rosenthal Wine Merchant has to say about this wine...
Cappellano produces a limited bottling from vines that are original pre-phylloxera rootstock. Although planted in the same Gabutti cru, the wine itself can be dramatically different than the “Rupestris”, its brother wine, all this due to the difference between the “pre” and “post” phylloxera origins of the vines. There is an “exoticism” perhaps to the “Pie Franco”, an ethereal element to its aromas and flavors that make this a unique offering … clearly a rare and special experience.
Details
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Grape Variety
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Vintage
2003
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Size
750ml
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Farming Practice
Organic
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Sweetness
Dry
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Body
Medium Bodied