Giulia Negri: Barolo’s Top
by Anthony Lynch
Virtually nobody had heard of Serradenari up until just a few years ago. Even within La Morra, the commune known for making the most delicate and perfumed wines in Barolo, neighboring vineyards typically enjoyed the spotlight, appearing on prominent labels alongside other famous crus like Cannubi, Brunate, Vigna Rionda, and Bussia.
That was until Giulia Negri came along. Upon assuming management of family vineyards in Serradenari and launching her own label in the 2015 vintage, she has rightfully turned the focus onto the site featuring Barolo’s highest vines, its culminating point reaching 536 meters above sea level. Giulia’s Serradenari holdings also enjoy the unique distinction of being the only Barolo vines surrounded by forest—an oasis of organically farmed Nebbiolo boasting rich biodiversity and a climate all its own. These factors, in conjunction with Giulia’s thoughtful approach to viticulture and winemaking, contribute to the signature purity, vibrancy, and finesse her wines express even in hot, dry years like 2022.
Between hosting Stanley Tucci for a segment on his show Searching for Italy and welcoming her daughter, Costanza, into this world last year—right at harvest, no less—Giulia has found time to steadily hone her methods and establish herself as one of Piemonte’s brightest stars. Her three Barolo bottlings, sourced from subzones of Serradenari defined by their distinct soil profiles, suggest a Burgundian approach to Barolo, gracefully highlighting the subtleties of each terroir through the lens of strikingly fragrant Nebbiolo. Every bottle is a special treat, and for those of us with access to a cellar, a treasure in the making.
2022 Barolo “La Tartufaia”
Italy | Piedmont
Named for the truffle oak groves that once occupied the land before it was planted over to Nebbiolo, La Tartufaia also evokes the white truffles that can be foraged each fall in the woods that surround the estate. Giulia’s best Barolo for drinking young, it is characterized by an open-knit nose of fragrant berries, licorice, and black plum with robust yet approachable tannins.
2022 Barolo “Serradenari”
Italy | Piedmont
This bottling highlights the soaring aromatics and high-pitched precision of Nebbiolo grown at elevation on sandy soils. Sleek and finessed, with luminous energy radiating from its garnet core, it shows a deep structure of tightly knit tannins polished over the course of thirty months in large cask.
2022 Barolo “Marassio”
Italy | Piedmont
An epic Barolo from a small pocket of blue marl at the culminating point of Giulia’s Serradenari holdings. The nose is earthy and savory, like pungent roots being pulled from dusty soil, and the chewy finish feels like liquid chalk. I can’t wait to pull this masterpiece from my cellar one day when I, too, am more mature.