(BAUDANA Barolo Baudana) Barolo Dear Friends, This wine may be even better than I thought. When traveling through Piedmont I usually make a habit of stopping at Baudana simply due to the vineyards they possess (some of the best in the region) but the wines never seem to get over the hump. I've always felt their greatest shortcoming was their own lack of direction and this wine proves my theory - in a good way. When I originally tasted the components for the 2005 "Baudana" three years ago in Serralunga it was unformed and in need of direction. The raw materials appeared to be superlative but the blend they showed me did not live up to the grandeur of its potential. Enter Giuseppe Vajra to change that in a hurry. In a formidable move for the environs of Alba, the Vajra family purchased Baudana a year or two ago with the intent of challenging the big guns of Serralunga and even Monforte. Giuseppe Vajra now runs the winery and all I can say is wow. What Giuseppe has done with this property in such a short time is remarkable - while the prices are up substantially since the Vajra takeover (as an example, the 2004 version of this wine was $38), it's more than worth it. This is Baudana's top Barolo, above their Ceretta bottling. In some way, it is even above Vajra's own Bricco bottling and it has a chance over the next decade or more to be the elite flagship wine of the family's holdings. The 2005 has gone from disjointed barrel sample (before the takeover) to a wonderful, textural example of Nebbiolo with rose, tar, sifted stone and an elegant minerality that lingers for some time on the back of the palate. As a combination of traditional winemaking and unobtrusive modernity, there are many in the environs of Alba that could learn from this style. The wine keeps getting better each time I taste it and the bottle I'm sipping from as I write this is the best yet. There's a certain magnetism to this wine that cannot be created - it just is. In addition, it is still one of the lowest priced examples of Barolo at the top end. In short - memorable: Baudana is one of the reinvented stars of Piedmont with sights set on ascension to the upper ranks in a hurry. If you like to discover what lies behind the curtain just before the rest of the world catches on, I urge you to give this a detailed look. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for elegant structure and textural harmony not often found in Serralunga ONE SHIPMENT ONLY directly from the winery cellar with perfect provenance (this wine is not very easy to come by): 2005 Luigi Baudana Barolo "Baudana" (Serralunga d'Alba) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Italy7351
By Jon Rimmerman
(BAUDANA Barolo Baudana) Barolo Dear Friends, This wine may be even better than I thought. When traveling through Piedmont I usually make a habit of stopping at Baudana simply due to the vineyards they possess (some of the best in the region) but the wines never seem to get over the hump. I've always felt their greatest shortcoming was their own lack of direction and this wine proves my theory - in a good way. When I originally tasted the components for the 2005 "Baudana" three years ago in Serralunga it was unformed and in need of direction. The raw materials appeared to be superlative but the blend they showed me did not live up to the grandeur of its potential. Enter Giuseppe Vajra to change that in a hurry. In a formidable move for the environs of Alba, the Vajra family purchased Baudana a year or two ago with the intent of challenging the big guns of Serralunga and even Monforte. Giuseppe Vajra now runs the winery and all I can say is wow. What Giuseppe has done with this property in such a short time is remarkable - while the prices are up substantially since the Vajra takeover (as an example, the 2004 version of this wine was $38), it's more than worth it. This is Baudana's top Barolo, above their Ceretta bottling. In some way, it is even above Vajra's own Bricco bottling and it has a chance over the next decade or more to be the elite flagship wine of the family's holdings. The 2005 has gone from disjointed barrel sample (before the takeover) to a wonderful, textural example of Nebbiolo with rose, tar, sifted stone and an elegant minerality that lingers for some time on the back of the palate. As a combination of traditional winemaking and unobtrusive modernity, there are many in the environs of Alba that could learn from this style. The wine keeps getting better each time I taste it and the bottle I'm sipping from as I write this is the best yet. There's a certain magnetism to this wine that cannot be created - it just is. In addition, it is still one of the lowest priced examples of Barolo at the top end. In short - memorable: Baudana is one of the reinvented stars of Piedmont with sights set on ascension to the upper ranks in a hurry. If you like to discover what lies behind the curtain just before the rest of the world catches on, I urge you to give this a detailed look. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for elegant structure and textural harmony not often found in Serralunga ONE SHIPMENT ONLY directly from the winery cellar with perfect provenance (this wine is not very easy to come by): 2005 Luigi Baudana Barolo "Baudana" (Serralunga d'Alba) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Italy735112/3/2009, (See more on Garagiste...)