Barolo DOCG La Serra 2021 – Giovanni Sordo | Elegant Cru Barolo from La Morra
Sordo Barolo La Serra 2021 – a special premiere from a top vineyard in La Morra
The Barolo DOCG La Serra 2021 by Giovanni Sordois a particularly attractive Barolo for lovers of the elegant, refined style of La Morra. La Serra is one of the historic crus of this municipality and lies high above the surrounding vineyards. It is precisely this altitude, combined with the relatively sandy soil, that gives Nebbiolo its characteristic perfume, freshness and fine tannins here.
Moreover, 2021 is a special vintage: it is the first vintage in which Giovanni Sordo bottled La Serra as a separate cru. The result is a very pure Barolo with aromas of red fruit, roses and violets, complemented by herbs, liquorice, tobacco and a mineral touch. On the palate, it is refined and energetic, with fresh acidity, beautifully fine-grained tannins and a long finish.
A Barolo for those seeking the finesse of La Morra, but with sufficient structure and ageing potential.
Giovanni Sordo – traditional Barolo with the vineyard in the starring role
Giovanni Sordo belongs to the traditional producers of Barolo. The family business was founded at the beginning of the twentieth century by Giuseppe Sordo. From the 1950s, his son Giovanni significantly expanded the vineyard area by specifically purchasing plots on high-quality hills in the Langhe.
Today, the family owns approximately 53 hectares of vineyards, spread across, among others, Castiglione Falletto, La Morra, Serralunga d'Alba, Monforte d'Alba, Barolo, Novello and Verduno. Sordo owns plots in an exceptionally large number of important Barolo MGAs.
A characteristic of Sordo is that the different cru Barolos are made as much as possible in the same traditional way. As a result, the difference between, for example, La Serra, Monprivato, Gabutti and Ravera is not created by different wood regimes, but mainly by soil, altitude, exposure and microclimate.
La Serra – a famous Barolo Cru in La Morra
La Serra is an official MGA – Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva – within the municipality of La Morra.It is therefore not just a fancy name on the label, but an officially demarcated origin within the Barolo DOCG.
The vineyard is relatively high. Sordo's plot is located at approximately 380 to 420 meters above sea leveland is mainly oriented to the south and southeast. This places La Serra significantly higher than some other famous vineyards in the immediate vicinity, such as Brunate and Cerequio.
This altitude is important. Nebbiolo ripens slowly and benefits greatly from temperature differences between day and night. This allows aromas and acidity to be preserved, while the tannins have sufficient time to ripen phenologically.
This partly explains why La Serra often produces a very aromatic and elegant Barolo.
Giovanni Sordo's vineyard in La Serra
Sordo bought his plot in La Serra in 2016. The vines were already mature at that time. Key data:
Municipality:La Morra
Cru / MGA:La Serra
Grape:100% Nebbiolo
Altitude:approximately 380–420 meters
Exposure:south and southeast
Age of vines:more than 30 years
Planting density:approximately 4,000 vines per hectare
Pruning method:traditional Guyot
First separate Sordo La Serra:2021
For his Barolo vineyards, Sordo uses traditional Guyot training and a planting density of approximately 4,000 vines per hectare.
The soil of La Serra: sand and Sant'Agata Fossili marl
One of the interesting characteristics of La Serra is its soil.
In the Sordo plot, we find relatively sandy soils with Sant'Agata Fossili marl, including the characteristic bluish marl of this part of the Barolo zone. The soil is also relatively stony and well-draining.
This influences the style of the wine.
While some parts of Serralunga d'Alba and Monforte d'Alba can produce very powerful, deeply structured Barolos, the emphasis in La Serra is more on:
perfume – finesse – red fruit – flowers – freshness – fine tannins.
The combination of the high altitude and the larger proportion of sand ensures that La Serra generally makes a lighter and more aromatic impression than many more powerful Barolo terroirs.
But make no mistake: despite its elegance, La Serra can possess quite a bit of tannin and structure.
This is clearly evident in the Sordo 2021.
Barolo 2021 – an exceptionally beautiful vintage
The 2021 vintage is now considered one of the most important recent Barolo vintages.
After a relatively dry winter, the growing season did not start without problems. Night frost in April caused local damage and lower yields. The summer was warm, but conditions during the crucial final ripening phase were particularly favourable.
September, in particular, played an important role. Warm days were combined with much cooler nights. Nebbiolo was therefore able to continue ripening slowly while acidity and aromas were well preserved.
The Nebbiolo harvest in various parts of Barolo began in early Octoberand continued until mid-October for later plots.
2021 yielded Barolos with a particularly beautiful combination of:
ripe fruit, fresh acidity, aromatic precision, ripe tannins and an excellent structure for further bottle ageing.
Decanter later described 2021 as a modern benchmark vintage for Barolo.
How was the Sordo La Serra 2021 made?
Giovanni Sordo follows a distinctly traditional vinification.
After harvesting, the grapes are destemmed and crushed. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks.
This is followed by a remarkably long skin maceration according to the traditional system of cappello sommerso, the so-called submerged cap. Depending on the vintage, this maceration at Sordo can last approximately four to seven weeks – up to about 50 days.
This slowly extracts colour, tannins, aromas and structure from the Nebbiolo grapes.
After alcoholic fermentation, malolactic fermentation takes place.
This is followed by approximately:
2–4 months in stainless steel
24 months in large Slavonian oak botti
4–6 months again in stainless steel
at least approximately 6 months of bottle ageing before release
Sordo therefore does not use small new oak to give the wine a pronounced oak character. The large Slavonian barrels leave very little oak aroma. The goal is precisely a slow development of the wine, where Nebbiolo and the specific characteristics of La Serra remain central.
How does Sordo Barolo La Serra 2021 taste?
This is clearly a Barolo from La Morra, but not exclusively soft and seductive.
The colour is bright ruby to garnet red, as we would expect from young Nebbiolo.
Aroma
On the nose, aromas mainly emerge of:
- red cherries
- raspberries and small red berries
- rose petals
- violets
- dried flowers
- liquorice
- white pepper
- dried herbs
- tobacco
- slight earthy and balsamic notes
With aeration, more complex notes of dark spices, tea, minerality and a slight graphite-like touch also emerge.
Several professional tasters emphasize the very aromatic characterof this wine. Mike Bennie of The Wine Front rated the wine with 96 pointsand praised, among other things, the perfume, freshness and particularly fine, mineral tannins.
Taste
On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied to full-bodied, but never heavy.
The red fruit is supported by lively acidity and very fine, powdery Nebbiolo tannins. The higher altitude of La Serra gives the wine an attractive tension and freshness.
The interesting thing is that the wine is simultaneously:
elegant and structured.
This clearly makes it different from an easy, soft young red wine. This remains serious Barolo, with a tannin structure that will further refine in the coming years.
The Real Review rated the La Serra 2021 with 95 pointsand described it as rich and round, with clear but already quite approachable tannins.
The finish is long, fresh and slightly spicy, with red fruit, minerality and fine tannins that linger slowly.
A special first vintage
For collectors and enthusiasts, there is an additional reason why this bottle is interesting.
2021 is the first La Serra that Giovanni Sordo has released separately.
Sordo had owned the plot since 2016, but previously did not bottle the grapes as a separate La Serra. With the excellent conditions of 2021, this cru appeared independently on the label for the first time.
This means that the 2021 is not only an excellent wine, but also the debut vintage of this Barolo within Sordo's assortment.
Drink now or age?
The Sordo Barolo La Serra 2021 can be drunk now, but is still at the very beginning of its development.
For those opening it young, we recommend decanting the wine approximately two hours beforehandand using a large Burgundy or Barolo glass.
Currently, the dominant notes are:
red fruit – flowers – herbs – freshness – young Nebbiolo tannins.
With further bottle ageing, more classic ageing aromas will likely develop such as:
dried roses, tobacco, leather, forest floor, spices and truffle.
Thanks to the excellent 2021 vintage, fresh acidity and serious tannin structure, this wine has good ageing potential. Professional assessments place the optimal drinking period roughly from now until around 2038–2040, with well-stored bottles potentially remaining interesting for even longer.
We would say ourselves:
2026–2028:drink with plenty of air
2029–2035:probably a beautiful balance between fruit and development
2035+:increasingly classic tertiary Barolo aromas
Serving temperature
Do not serve this Barolo at 20–22°C.
A temperature of approximately 16–18°Cis ideal. In the glass, the wine will warm up slightly by itself, while the red fruit, freshness and aromatic finesse will be much better preserved.
Wine and food pairings with Barolo La Serra
The combination of fresh acidity, fine tannins and aromatic complexity makes this Barolo particularly suitable for classic Italian dishes.
Good combinations include:
- tajarin with white truffle
- risotto with porcini
- ravioli with meat or mushrooms
- brasato al Barolo
- slow-cooked beef
- ossobuco
- veal
- duck breast
- deer and other game
- lamb
- aged Parmigiano Reggiano
- Castelmagno and other aged hard cheeses
Truffle and Nebbioloremain, of course, one of Piedmont's most beautiful gastronomic combinations.
Why choose Sordo Barolo La Serra 2021?
The Giovanni Sordo Barolo La Serra DOCG 2021actually brings three attractive elements together.
First and foremost, La Serra is a historic cru of La Morra, known for elegant, perfumed Barolo.
Furthermore, 2021 is an exceptionally strong Barolo vintage, in which Nebbiolo beautifully managed to combine ripeness, freshness and structure.
And finally, 2021 is the very first separate La Serra that Giovanni Sordo has released.
Add to this Sordo's traditional vinification, the long maceration and the ageing in large Slavonian oak barrels, and you get a Barolo in which the vineyard, above all, tells the story.
