Michele Chiarlo : Cerequio 2020

Characteristics and Tasting Notes for Michele Chiarlo's Cerequio 2020

Tasting Notes

Appearance
Bright, the color captivates with its ruby red and garnet hue.

Nose
Intense and complex, the nose exudes fragrances of ripe fruit, mint, eucalyptus, gentian, and delicate spices.

Palate
Elegant and harmonious, the palate reveals, as the tasting progresses, a rich structure and particularly fine tannins.

Food and Wine Pairings

Roasted meats, truffle tagliolini, game, or aged cheeses make refined pairings with this wine from Piedmont.

Serving

For optimal tasting, serve at 18°C.

An Elegant and Harmonious Barolo Wine

The Estate

Since 1956, the Michele Chiarlo estate has built a reputation for producing great wines from Piedmont. This winemaker founded his own estate with the ambition of showcasing local terroirs and grape varieties, revealing their unique personality through a relentless pursuit of excellence and tailor-made winemaking. Located in Calamandrana, within the Barolo appellation, the Michele Chiarlo estate is renowned for its inimitable style, harmoniously blending aromatic complexity with supple, silky tannins.

The Vineyard

The Michele Chiarlo estate oversees a mosaic of vineyards spread across 110 hectares, forming a true treasure of the Langhe, a historic terroir of Piedmont in northern Italy.

The Wine

Michele Chiarlo's Cerequio 2020 is a Barolo wine made from a 3-hectare vineyard located near the village of La Morra, at the heart of a magnificent amphitheater. This south-southwest-facing terroir is planted on clay-limestone soil, rich in magnesium and manganese, dating back to the Tortonian era (9 million years ago).

The Vintage

The year 2020 began with a mild winter with little rainfall and snow. The first part of spring was dry and sunny, suggesting an early harvest. However, May and June were very rainy, slowing vegetative growth and allowing for the accumulation of a significant water reserve for summer, which was not excessively hot or dry. The ideal climate in September allowed the grapes to ripen perfectly. Despite an overall abundant year in terms of production, thinning operations carried out in late August brought the harvested quantity back to standard levels, thereby improving fruit quality. From mid-August to late September, sunny days and diurnal temperature variation favored a slow and steady maturation of the tannins, a hallmark of great vintages.

Winemaking and Aging

The hand-harvested grapes undergo fermentation in 55-hl oak vats, with a 20-day maceration at a temperature between 30°C and 27°C. Malolactic fermentation takes place in vat. This wine benefits from a minimum aging period of 3 years, including 2 years in medium-sized oak barrels, followed by additional bottle aging before release.

Blend

Nebbiolo (100%).