Barolo Serra, Prunotto 2020 75cl
Serra is Prunotto's cru Barolo, a single-vineyard bottling that steps up in depth and detail from the classic. The 2020 comes from a warm, drought-touched vintage that produced ripe, generous Nebbiolo, and this is a wine to lay down rather than rush.
The Serra site sits in the Barolo commune and gives Prunotto fruit with real concentration and structure. Under Antinori ownership the estate has invested in precise site work, and Serra is where that shows — a wine meant to express one place rather than blend across many. Nebbiolo remains the sole grape, aged in oak to build the frame these wines need for the long haul.
In the glass it's classic garnet edging to brick, with a complex nose of dried rose, macerated cherry, liquorice, tar and a whiff of woodland floor. The palate is fuller and more powerful than the standard Barolo, tannins dense and fine-grained, acidity singing underneath the ripe 2020 fruit. The finish is long, savoury and mineral.
This needs time. Give it five years minimum and it will drink beautifully for fifteen or more. At around £130 it is a genuine cru Barolo at a fair price for the category — a wine for collectors and for occasions that deserve something with gravitas.
How to Serve
Serve at 16-18°C in a large Burgundy glass. Decant two hours ahead if drinking young, or cellar and open with less fuss once mature.
Where to Drink It
Sartoria on Savile Row for a considered Piedmontese dinner. Bocca di Lupo in Soho for regional cooking. Locanda Locatelli in Marylebone for a special-occasion table.
Food Pairings
Serve alongside brasato al Barolo or truffle-shaved tajarin — rich, slow food that meets its structure head on.
