2011 | Domenico Clerico | Percristina Barolo

Sun-kissed hay, rose, cherry, berry and earth flavors mark this taut, linear red. Compact and lightly astringent on the finish, with a lingering impression of ripe fruit.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: A very special, late release of just 2,300 bottles, the Domenico Clerico 2011 Barolo Percristina is stunning. If you can get your hands on a bottle, you will be rewarded with impressive finesse and the kind of tiny detailing that can only come to Nebbiolo after a decade of oak and bottle aging. Old vines in the Mosconi cru supply the fruit for this wine, with notes of dried cherry, crushed flowers, spice, tar and licorice. This was a hot and not always easy vintage, but the Clerico crew has pulled out the very best of that vintage with robust, concentrated fruit and all its inner elegance intact.

• James Suckling: Intense aromas of licorice, plums and dried fruit follow through to a full body with rich, round tannins that are very chewy, yet polished, and give this wine strength and form. Very long and rich. Tar at the end. Beautiful now but could use a couple of years of bottle age still.

Producer Information

Domenico Clerico is a small, high-quality producer near Monforte d'Alba in Piemonte. It is particularly known for rich, aromatic, single-vineyard wines from the Barolo appellation. The Barolo lineup is headed by Percristina, from a 1.7-hectare (4.2-acre) plot in the Mosconi cru, which is aged for 36 months in French barriques, then 24 months in Slavonian oak vats. As well-known (and a little easier to find) is the Ciabot Mentin, from a 5.5-ha (13.6-acre) portion of the Ginestra cru, which receives 24 to 30 months in French barriques. A separate 3-ha (7.5-acre) Ginestra plot provides the grapes for the Barolo Pajana. Aeroplanservaj (Wild Aeroplane) is named after the nickname Domenico's father gave him, and is sourced from a rented plot in Serralunga d'Alba. The Bricotto cuvée is rarest of all, sourced from just 0.3ha (0.7 acres) in the Bussia vineyard, and produces a mere 750 magnums annually. The generic Barolo is sourced from a specific 4.1ha (10.1 acres) of vines in cru vineyards, and is aged for 18 to 24 months in a mix of new and old barriques and large Slavonian casks. Capisme-e is labelled as Langhe Nebbiolo, but produced from fruit from Barolo vineyards, aged in steel tanks. Nebbiolo also dominates in the Arte Langhe Rosso which combines fruit from three of the cru plots with 10 percent Barbera, The range is completed by a Barbera d'Alba and a Langhe Dolcetto. Winemaking has evolved over the years and Domenico Clerico does not sit firmly within either the modernist or traditional camp. Decisions regarding use of barriques or large barriques have historically been taken at least partly with a pragmatic view concerning availability and ease of handling, and the big change has been to extend maceration periods from five to eight days to an average of 18. Approaches in the vineyard are perhaps more dogmatic. Vine quality is considered paramount and yields are amongst the lowest in the region. The estate in its current form began in 1976, when Domenico took over his father's 5-ha (12-acre) smallholding, which had supplied the local cooperative. Over the years he has added small parcels from some of the best sites in Barolo and now holdings totals around 21ha (52 acres).

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