# Burzi Barolo La Serra (2021)

- **Producer:** Alberto Burzi
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Nebbiolo
- **Region:** Piemonte, Italy
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 14.5%
- **Average price:** €85
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, plum, raspberry, strawberry, rose, violet, black pepper, cloves, cedar, leather, tobacco, forest floor, tar, mushroom

## About this wine

Azienda Agricola Burzi is spearheaded by the dynamic sibling duo of Alberto and Caterina Burzi in La Morra, Piedmont. Reclaiming their family's historic vineyards in 2012—which had previously been leased to legendary local winemakers—Alberto set out to estate-bottle his own wines with a deep respect for traditional Langhe identity. The 'La Serra' bottling represents a single-vineyard expression from a tiny parcel of less than half a hectare. Situated at a high elevation of 450 meters with a cool eastern exposure, this unique terroir features stony calcareous-clay soils that yield a remarkably perfumed, delicate, and mineral-driven expression of Barolo.

## Interesting facts

- The La Serra vineyard is one of the highest in La Morra at 450 meters, featuring a cool eastern exposure that preserves freshness.
- Burzi practices 'tressage' (canopy braiding) instead of hedging, promoting smaller berries with concentrated color and finer tannins.
- With a tiny parcel of under 0.5 hectares, Burzi produces only about 2,500 bottles of this single-vineyard Barolo annually.

## Food pairing

The high acidity and firm, structural tannins of this Nebbiolo require rich, high-fat dishes to soften the palate. Protein-heavy meats and earthy, umami-rich ingredients like truffles and wild mushrooms beautifully complement the wine's savory profile and high-altitude tension.

## Wine making process

The winemaking process at Burzi combines meticulous viticulture with non-interventionist cellar practices. In the vineyard, organic farming is paired with 'tressage' (canopy braiding) instead of hedging, which naturally limits yields and promotes smaller, highly concentrated berries. The grapes are harvested entirely by hand, typically as the estate's final plot due to the cool microclimate. Spontaneous fermentation is carried out with native yeasts in stainless steel, followed by an extended 40-day skin maceration using the traditional submerged cap (cappello sommerso) method. The wine is aged in large, neutral 20 Hl Austrian oak casks (Stockinger) and concrete tanks, with zero new oak used to preserve the pure expression of the La Serra terroir.