Barolo Ludo Poderi Luigi Einaudi 2020

A wine of this great class can be aged for a very long time. It has a brilliant grainy red colour, a strong, long-lasting aroma, and a full, taste that is both austere and velvety. It has a correct balance of tannins, and a long, spicy finish. It is obtained from the Nebbiolo variety of grapevine, from the most mature vines on the Einaudi estate near Barolo, where thinning out and harvesting are staggered in order to drastically limit the yield. The wine is matured for a lengthy period in Slavic oak casks and medium-sized French "allier", and then for more than a year in the bottles, completing its superb structure. Contains sulphites. Produced by Poderi Luigi Einaudi Az. Agricola Srl - Borgata Gombe 31 - Cascina Tecc. - 12063, Dogliani (Cn) - Italy.

The producer

Poderi Luigi Einaudi is the oldest wine-making company in Dogliani. In 1897 Luigi Einaudi bought the San Giacomo estate in the Dogliani area. He was 23. The property, which included an old chapel and a ruined eighteenth century edifice, measured 40 "giornate piemontesi", which is about 15 hectares of land. It was bought for 32,351 lira, most of which was borrowed. The last land purchase took place when, at the age of 84, Einaudi bought 6 "giornate piemontesi" in Barolo. Ninety-eight of the one hundred and eight hectares of land owned by the company, are spread across the hills of San Luigi, Gombe and Santa Lucia in Dogliani. The other eight are in Barolo on hills of Connubi and Terlo Vie Nuove. Just over thirty hectares - the best land - is given over to vineyards. The rest is made up of cedar forests, mixed forests, hazelnut trees, and meadowland. The vineyards are entrusted to the care of employees who live in nine rural houses scattered around the property. The members of every household are responsible for tending their plot of land - a truly rural company. A new wine cellar has recently been built at one of these households. In order to assure a constant temperature and the correct level of humidity, it is completely underground. The wine is fermented in steel containers under carefully controlled temperatures. It is matured in small and medium-sized oak casks.

Best with

It is an excellent accompaniment for substantial, richly flavoured dishes, and is particularly suitable for braised or roast red meat and game, truffles and mature, spicy cheeses.

How to serve it

It is recommended to open the bottle three or four hours before serving. The wine should be served at 18-20 degrees centigrade. The best glasses are clear, transparent crystal goblets.

How to keep

If this wine is kept well, it can be aged for more than thirty years. The bottles should be laid flat in a cool, dark, humid cellar.