2016 Giulia Negri “La Tartufaia” Barolo
Named after the truffle woods that border the vineyard, this is La Morra at its most linear and refined. The
Producer
Giulia Negri
I have reviewed one wine from Giulia Negri: the 2016 Giulia Negri “La Tartufaia” Barolo (95 points). Giulia Negri also features in one journal article on this site.
Known as the “Barolo Girl”, Giulia Negri represents the new generation of traditionalist winemakers in the Langhe. She took over her family’s Serradenari estate in La Morra, which has the highest vineyards in the Barolo zone, and she makes Nebbiolo of striking alpine elegance.
Influenced by Burgundian philosophy, she farms organically and intervenes little in the cellar. Her Barolos are fermented spontaneously and aged in large Slavonian botti, with soaring floral aromatics, bright acidity and finely etched tannins rather than heavy extraction: weightless, pure expressions of high-altitude Barolo.
“La Tartufaia”, named after the truffle woods that border the vineyard, is La Morra at its most linear and refined, one of the essential nervy La Morra wines with a classic chalky tannin. The 2016 has heady aromas of underbrush, eucalyptus and mint, spiced cranberry and red cherry, and firm, silky tannins, an athletic wine that feels cool and vibrant.
2021 Barolo – Vintage Report
After a series of warmer, solar vintages, 2021 marks a majestic return to the “Alpine” soul of Nebbiolo. Defined by a long, snowy winter and a perfectly paced autumn, this is a vintage of noble austerity and breathtaking precision. These are not the open-knit wines of 2020; they are tension-filled, vertical, and built for the long haul. With “crunchy” red fruit, savory minerality, and a spine of vibrant acidity, 2021 is being hailed as the most complete and “classic” vintage since 2016—a year where the distinct terroir of each commune is rendered in high definition.