Tag Archives: luigi pira

Luigi Pira Barolo 2019

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I tasted the Luigi Pira Barolo 2019 ’s over Easter, and while they have been available worldwide for a while, the new vintage of Barolo normally doesn’t hit the Norwegian market until the fall.  But let’s not get into the intricate world of Vinmonopolet now.

For those of you who are not familiar with Luigi Pira, let me just do a quick introduction. The winery was founded in the 1950’s by Luigi Pira. Today, it’s his son Gianpaolo who runs the show, with his wife Tiziana and their two daughters. It’s been a pleasure to see this winery grow and evolve, and in my opinion the wines just keep getting better and better.

Anyway, here are my tasting notes:

Luigi Pira Dolcetto 2022

The grapes for the dolcetto come from north facing vineyards right by the winery. Really good dolcetto nose. Intense and aromatic. Fruity in the mouth, mostly dark red berries, like blackcurrant. Integrated tannins. Yum!

Luigi Pira Barbera d’Alba Superiore 2021

The Barbera spends 12 months in big barrels. A very fruity and elegant wine, with a hint of spices. Balanced with good acidity and a medium body.

Luigi Pira Barolo 2019

Luigi Pira Barolo Serralunga 2019

Their classic Barolo contain grapes from multiple vineyards including Marenca, Margheria, Sorano and Rivete. It’s aged in big barrel for 24 months. Beautiful, typical Barolo nose. Floral with hints of leather and balsamic. Big tannins, but still very fruity. A good bodied wine with a long finish.

Luigi Pira Barolo Margheria 2019

The Margheria is quite a bit more aromatic than the Serralunga. Crisp with aromas red fruit and hints of herbs and spices. Very crisp in the mouth. An elegant wine with quite approachable tannins.

Luigi Pira Barolo Marenca 2019

The Marenca spends 12 months tonneaux and 12 months in big barrels. The nose is similar to the Margheria. Maybe a bit more balsamic. The grapes come from a steep hill. The bunches are smaller, more concentrated. This is a bit more punchy, with bigger tannins.

Luigi Pira Barolo Vignarionda 2019

Now on the to grand finale: Vignarionda! The Vignarionda has a bit more masculine nose with aromas of tobacco and herbs. Powerful, but elegant. Tannins are big but not punchy.

Barolo del comune di …

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Barolo del comune di …

What is a Barolo del comune di “La Morra” or a Barolo de comune di “Serralunga”?  The Comune Barolo’s are relatively new, and were previously called just Barolo. In the Barolo region there is a distinction between Barolo and single vineyard Barolo, the difference being where the grapes come from.

Arborina in La Morra

Blend vs. single Vineyard

In the classic  Barolo, the grapes usually come from different vineyards and are blended together into one wine, as opposed to the single vineyard Barolo, where all the grapes come from one specific vineyard.

Most winemakers these days make both a blend and single vineyard Barolo’s. I say most, but there are of course exceptions, like Maria Teresa Mascarello. There is only one Bartolo Mascarello Barolo, and it’s a blend from four different vineyards. Exceptions aside, you’ll find most winemakers have both a single vineyard Barolo as well as some single vineyard Barolo’s in their line-up.

Comune vs Classic Barolo

What is the difference between the “Barolo del commune di” and the Barolo Classico? In the Comune Barolo, all the grapes come from the specific Comune, whereas in the Barolo Classico the grapes can come from any of the Barolo villages. But why make the distinction? Terroir plays an integral part in Barolo, and the terroir differs from town to town, making a Comune Barolo an interesting concept. It’s not single vineyard representing a Cru, but it does represent the Comune.
*as with the rules for single vineyard wines, they can add up to 15% of the grapes from any Barolo vineyard.

For instance, the Giovanni Corino Barolo del Comune di La Morra has quite different characteristics from the Luigi Pira Barolo del Comune di Serralunga. The La Morra Barolo is a bit more feminine and elegant, whereas the Serralunga Barolo is more masculine and structured.

Note: there are other factors that affect the wine, but it is generally accepted that the wines from La Morra are more feminine than wines from Serralunga.

Tasting Notes

Giovanni Corino Barolo del Comune di La Morra and Serralunga

Giovanni Corino Barolo del Comune di La Morra

Beautiful floral aromas, as well as cherry and other red fruit. Elegant and balanced, with a feminine touch. One year in the bottle has rounded the tannins quite a bit, and the wine has perhaps become even more approachable!

Luigi Pira Barolo del Comune di Serralunga

Aromas of cherry and black currant, darker fruits than the Barolo from La Morra. The tannins are also a bit bigger and the wine is more structured. A big but elegant wine. After one year in the bottle, the tannins are still quite persistent. I think this wine could benefit from a few more years in the cellar.

Luigi Pira Barolo 2017

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Luigi Pira Barolo 2017 & more

For many, the new year starts January 1st. For some of us, the real fun begins when the new vintages hit the market! The 2020’s should start to show up, and some have made their way to me! In addition to the new vintages of Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo, I was lucky to taste a Luigi Pira Barolo 2017 as well!

Luigi Pira Barolo 2017

Below are my tasting notes for the new vintages:

Luigi Pira Dolcetto d’Alba 2020

Luigi Pira’s Dolcetto is made with 40 year old Dolcetto vines. After spending 8-9 months in stainless steel, the wine is bottled and ready to go! The 2020 has a beautiful Dolcetto nose. Not as explosive and concentrated as 2019, but more floral with notes of dark red fruit and cherry. Good structure and relatively full bodied for a Dolcetto.

Luigi Pira Barbera d’Alba Superiore 2019

The Luigi Pira Barbera d’Alba Superiore ages 12 months in botte grande. The Barbera plants grow in Roddino a town that borders Serralunga d’Alba and Monforte d’Alba, and are about 20 years old.  

Luigi Pira Langhe Nebbiolo 2019

Released a year later than most of its “peers”, the Langhe Nebbiolo from Pira has spent about 12 months in big oak barrels. In addition to the terroir, the oak helps to give the wine its structure and complexity.
The 2019 is very fruity and crisp with hints of Strawberry. Full bodied and structured with tannins that disappear quickly, leaving you with red fruits. A balanced wine.
The Luigi Pira Langhe Nebbiolo 2018 was a bit different, with aroma of red fruit, leather, spices and tobacco as well as a hint of oak notes. Fruity in the mouth, crisp and complex. Persistent tannins with a long finish.

Luigi Pira Barolo 2017 – Vignarionda

The Luigi Pira Barolo Vignarionda is considered Pira’s top wine.  Aged for 24 months in a mix of barrique, tonneau and botte grande. Floral and fruity on the nose, with hints of mineral and we earth. The Vignarionda is a big, but the tannins disappear quickly, and you’re left with a well-balanced Barolo.

News at Vinmonopolet

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Elio Altare Dolcetto

It’s a pleasure to see the Dolcetto from Altare on Vinmonopolet.no. For as long as I can remember it has been my go-to Dolcetto, and even with Covid screwing up prices, it’s still below 300kr.  

Luigi Pira Barbera Superiore Magnum 2018

The Barbera Superiore from Pira disappeared at record speed after the last release, but is making a comeback in Magnum!

Alberto Viberti Barbera

Mr. Viberti is the new kid on the block! This young man, who works at the family winery Cascina Ballarin, decided to forge a new path for himself and now makes his own wines!

Trediberri Nebbiolo

Yes, Nicola’s wines have been available in Norway for quite some time BUT for the first time the Langhe Nebbiolo will be on the shelves in most stores across Norway!

La Vedetta Swanti

Swanti combines the best of Barbera and Nebbiolo, and the result is amazing. I find I really like blends. I also know you will just love the woman the wine is named after!

Cascina Fontana Barolo del Commune di Castiglione 2015

As Mario says: “It’s not that I release my wines late. The others release theirs early.” And with that I welcome his Castiglione Barolo 2015 to Norway!

Wines under 300kr

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If you’re located in Norway, check out these wines that are currently available at Vinmonopolet. These days it can be difficult to find a good quality wine under 300kr, for various reasons, but here are some worth mentioning.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to queue for these wines

White Wine

Kruger-Rumpf Schiefer Trocken 168kr
The wines from Kruger-Rumpf are growing on me, and although this was a little “green” on the nose, I quite enjoyed it. As we wine people say: “It was good in the mouth.” Which means we like it. Riesling, known for its acidity, didn’t disappoint in this wine. Lots of citrus and yellow stone fruit flavors.

Roche De Bellene Bourgogne Chardonnay 190kr
If you’re looking for a white burgundy and don’t want to break the bank, try this one.

Domaine de Bellene Saint-Romain Vieilles Vignes 310kr
(Yes, I know its not under 300, but I think its still worth mentioning).
Those extra 10kr are well worth it, in my opinion.

Red Wine

Azelia Barbera 289kr
Recently back on the market in Norway, this Barbera will definately become a staple at my house. You know when you’re drinking a wine, and you just can’t seem to put the glass down? That’s exactly what happened with Azelia’s Barbera. Acidity on point, lots of fruit, long finish – all good things when reviewing a wine.

Burlotto Barbera 2018 285kr
The 2018 Barbera from Burlotto recently arrived in Norway and it’s good. High in acidity, but still balanced, the fruit sort of explodes in your mouth and puts a smile on your face.

Luigi Pira Dolcetto 199kr
Currently one of the best buys at Vinmonopolet. Dolcetto’s are few and far between in Norway, but this one made it in and it’s a good one.

Trediberri Langhe Nebbiolo 189kr
Never get tired of mentioning this wine. As we say in Norway, “Løp å kjøp”!

Luigi Pira

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View Serralunga

It’s been a while since I visited Pira. (Although, if you want to say hello you can just stop by Centro Storico, you’re very likely to run into him there!)

View from Massolino

It’s always a pleasure to visit Pira. This time I learned something new: Gianpaolo is an avid truffle hunter! In his new tasting room you will see some pictures of truffles and his truffle dogs. So I hope to one day join him for a truffle hunt. Mostly just because I love dogs. And because I am sure there will be a celebratory glass of wine waiting for me at the end.

Pira Botti

This is the lineup we tasted. In 2014, Pira only made their classic barolo. No cru barolo. Actually quite common in the area for the 2014 vintages. So keep this in mind when buying 2014 barolo!

Pira Lineup 2018