# Tenuta Cucco Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d'Alba DOCG (2021)

- **Producer:** Tenuta Cucco
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Nebbiolo
- **Region:** Piemonte, Italy
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 14.5%
- **Average price:** €38
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, strawberry, plum, rose, violet, lavender, orange, liquorice, cloves, leather, tobacco, tar

## About this wine

Tenuta Cucco is a historic estate situated in Serralunga d'Alba, beneath the shadow of the village's iconic medieval castle. Acquired in 2015 by the Rossi Cairo family, owners of the biodynamic La Raia estate in Gavi, the property underwent a revitalization centered on certified organic farming and traditional cellar practices under winemaker Clara Milani. The estate's high-altitude vineyards in Serralunga d'Alba benefit from ancient limestone marl soils and substantial daily temperature variations, making this cuvée a quintessential expression of one of Barolo's most prized subzones.

## Interesting facts

- Tenuta Cucco sits beneath Serralunga d'Alba's 14th-century castle on high-altitude vineyards.
- The wine is aged in large Slavonian oak botti crafted by renowned Austrian cooper Stockinger.
- The estate converted to certified organic viticulture following its acquisition by the Rossi Cairo family in 2015.
- Serralunga's ancient Lequio Formation soil gives the wine its famed structure and aging potential.

## Food pairing

The robust tannins and bright, high acidity of Nebbiolo require rich, fatty proteins and earthy flavors to soften the wine's tight grip. Rich braised red meats, wild game, aged hard cheeses, and earth-driven truffle or mushroom dishes harmonize perfectly with the savory structure and red fruit character of Barolo.

## Wine making process

Harvested by hand in small crates parcel-by-parcel in October 2021, the Nebbiolo grapes undergo spontaneous fermentation with a submerged cap for 25 days. The wine ages for 24 months in large 25 to 50 hectoliter Slavonian oak botti from Stockinger, followed by 12 months in stainless steel tanks for natural settling. The wine is bottled unfiltered without active manipulation.