Ceretto
About Ceretto
Founded in the 1930s by Riccardo Ceretto, the great man’s eponymous “azienda vinicola” did not own any vineyards throughout its formative years, instead of focusing singularly on the vinification of grapes purchased from growers across the region.
Taking the youthful boldness and vision, Riccardo’s sons embarked on a project of ambitious purchasing. In the 1960s, Bruno and Marcello were highly attuned to the winds of change, which would see a deepened appreciation for terroir in all its glorious subtly and peculiarities.
The 1960s saw the brothers begin their epic Odyssey of mapping, studying and finally purchasing swathes of the greatest vineyards available. Truly avant-garde in the region, this foresight has paid dividends when one considers both the extent of Ceretto holdings and the sublime wines crafted from these individual terroirs. Neither brother left the region after their great expansion – remarkably, 2020 saw Marcello celebrate his 60th harvest amongst the vines in the heat, rain and wind shoulder to shoulder with fellow pickers.
Viniculture
In Barbaresco, the “Queen” to Barolo’s “King”, Ceretto owns and sources grapes from; Asili, famed for its silky tannins - Pajoré, a high-altitude limestone site in Treiso - Rabajà, with its dark fruits and muscular structure and Santo Stefano, arguably the single greatest Barbaresco vineyard of them all.
A model of exceptional management, the third generation of Ceretto vignerons have inherited a second Eden planted with transcendent vines in the shadow of the mountains – a testament to this philosophy, the entire range of Ceretto wines is certified organic as of 2015.
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James Suckling (93)
Aromas of plums, oranges and cedar follow through to a full body with soft and velvety tannins. A juicy and luscious finish. Made from organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.Inc. VAT£285.64 -
Wine Advocate (95+)
Ceretto offers a tour de force in the 2016 vintage with four excellent single-vineyard expressions from Bricco Rocche, Bussia, Brunate and Prapò. If you can't choose between those wines, you always have this excellent fallback. The classic 2016 Barolo offers dark intensity with great aromatic detailing. Fruit and some floral notes are followed by ferrous notes and a good amount of powdered licorice. The aromas are delicate and fragile; however, the wine deftly hides its power within the soft folds of its slender, mid-weight mouthfeel. This is a perfect go-to Barolo when you can't choose from all the excellent options in this benchmark 2016 vintage. This wine, like the others, hit the market in May 2020.Inc. VAT£319.24 -
Matthew Jukes (18)
The nose on this wine is a veritable mosaic of the amazing villages which make up blend. The blend is a super-complicated combination of La Morra (twoBrunates – La Morra and Barolo, Zonchetta), a Barolo plot in Cannubi San Lorenzo, Castiglione Falletto (2 parcels of Bricco Rocche, facing La Morra, and Rocche di Castoglione, Bussia in the Bussia Soprana section which is the finest and also Serralunga d’Alba (in Gabutti and Prapò). Federico would love to release these as three individual ‘village’ wines as opposed to a blended village Cru, but this will happen in the future. As far as this wine is concerned, it is a triumph of blending and the harmony here is extraordinary. This is a stunningly balanced wine which is forward, clean and refreshing. The fruit is cherry-soaked, tender, balanced and the tannins are crisp and juicy. This is a stunningly forward and expressive wine and it is a magnificent example of harnessing the most favourable characters of the vintage and gently coaxing these elegant tones from this myriad of vineyard sites. It is an incredibly impressive and also unnervingly sensitive Nebbiolo.Inc. VAT£321.64 -
Vinous (93+)
Medium red. Complex, ripe aromas of cherry, plum, marzipan, dried rose, earth and peppery spices. Big, lush and expansive but adamantly dry. A very full, layered Barolo with lovely vinosity and balance. Finishes with lush, very fine but strong tannins and insinuating, impressively persistent flavor. Possesses more than enough material to handle the 100% new barriques A superb bottle. According to Alessandro, this cuvee is Ceretto's most complete Barolo, typically combining the character of the Brunate and Prapo.Inc. VAT£654.41 -
Wine Advocate (98+)
These back-to-back vintages, 2015 and 2016, deliver knockout performances. The Ceretto 2016 Barolo Bricco Rocche has always been one of the benchmark wines in this revered portfolio. It offers a lovely bouquet that explores some of the more nuanced sides of Nebbiolo that veer into the realms of rose, ash, tar and smoke. These pretty little details frame a solid core of berry fruit, cassis and dried cherry. One of the most distinctive aspects of this wine is the mouthfeel, which manages to impart its power and length without subtracting from its profound elegance. Fruit comes from a 1.5-hectare site owned by the Ceretto family, with sandstone soils at 350 to 370 meters above sea level. This is a Barolo to remember—and save in your cellar.Inc. VAT£1,087.24 -
Wine Advocate (97)
I wasn't sure how to order my tasting flight of Ceretto's four single-vineyard Baroli (from Castiglione Falletto, Monforte d'Alba and Serralunga d'Alba), so I decided to start with this wine from Brunate in La Morra, at the heart of the appellation. The 2016 Barolo Brunate shows a dark core of fruit, and you are immediately aware of the depth and profound nature of this wine. The bouquet is lifted by cassis, wild cherry and plum. The ferrous quality that we saw in some of the other wines is softer here, and I would describe Brunate as the most fruit-forward (at this young stage) with elegant tannins and impactful fruit weight on the finish. All of these wines are aged in new oak (just 10% of the total) and used oak barrel (90%) for the first 12 months. After that, the wine is racked into Austrian oak casks for an additional two years before going into bottle for one more year.Inc. VAT£729.64 -
Jancis Robinson (17++)
Monforte d'Alba. Just mid ruby. Rich, full cherry fruit of great depth and focus. A little less sensuous and nervier on the palate than Brunate. Sappy raspberry and cherry fruit over a layer of firm, grainy tannins. The acidity lifts the fruit but right now it is a little austere and needs more time. Long, fragrant raspberry fruit turns up at the end.Inc. VAT£715.24 -
Vinous (95)
The 2013 Barolo Prapò shows quite a bit more Serralunga muscle and power than it did when I last tasted it. The tension between the wine's elegance and its more natural leanings towards power is utterly compelling. Orange zest, cinnamon, dried flowers, iron and smoke infuse the deep, resonant finish. Not surprisingly, the 2013 appears headed into a period of dormancy. I wouldn't touch a bottle anytime soon.Inc. VAT£872.44 -
Vinous (92)
: Bright medium red. Redcurrant, minerals, graphite, licorice and tobacco on the nose. A step up in depth, sweetness and intensity from the Bernadot, with more volume and a serious spine for aging. This mounts nicely on the back end and finishes with very good flavor impact and energy.Inc. VAT£759.37
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James Suckling (93)
Aromas of plums, oranges and cedar follow through to a full body with soft and velvety tannins. A juicy and luscious finish. Made from organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.In Bond£222.00 -
Wine Advocate (95+)
Ceretto offers a tour de force in the 2016 vintage with four excellent single-vineyard expressions from Bricco Rocche, Bussia, Brunate and Prapò. If you can't choose between those wines, you always have this excellent fallback. The classic 2016 Barolo offers dark intensity with great aromatic detailing. Fruit and some floral notes are followed by ferrous notes and a good amount of powdered licorice. The aromas are delicate and fragile; however, the wine deftly hides its power within the soft folds of its slender, mid-weight mouthfeel. This is a perfect go-to Barolo when you can't choose from all the excellent options in this benchmark 2016 vintage. This wine, like the others, hit the market in May 2020.In Bond£250.00 -
Matthew Jukes (18)
The nose on this wine is a veritable mosaic of the amazing villages which make up blend. The blend is a super-complicated combination of La Morra (twoBrunates – La Morra and Barolo, Zonchetta), a Barolo plot in Cannubi San Lorenzo, Castiglione Falletto (2 parcels of Bricco Rocche, facing La Morra, and Rocche di Castoglione, Bussia in the Bussia Soprana section which is the finest and also Serralunga d’Alba (in Gabutti and Prapò). Federico would love to release these as three individual ‘village’ wines as opposed to a blended village Cru, but this will happen in the future. As far as this wine is concerned, it is a triumph of blending and the harmony here is extraordinary. This is a stunningly balanced wine which is forward, clean and refreshing. The fruit is cherry-soaked, tender, balanced and the tannins are crisp and juicy. This is a stunningly forward and expressive wine and it is a magnificent example of harnessing the most favourable characters of the vintage and gently coaxing these elegant tones from this myriad of vineyard sites. It is an incredibly impressive and also unnervingly sensitive Nebbiolo.In Bond£252.00 -
Vinous (93+)
Medium red. Complex, ripe aromas of cherry, plum, marzipan, dried rose, earth and peppery spices. Big, lush and expansive but adamantly dry. A very full, layered Barolo with lovely vinosity and balance. Finishes with lush, very fine but strong tannins and insinuating, impressively persistent flavor. Possesses more than enough material to handle the 100% new barriques A superb bottle. According to Alessandro, this cuvee is Ceretto's most complete Barolo, typically combining the character of the Brunate and Prapo.In Bond£540.00 -
Wine Advocate (98+)
These back-to-back vintages, 2015 and 2016, deliver knockout performances. The Ceretto 2016 Barolo Bricco Rocche has always been one of the benchmark wines in this revered portfolio. It offers a lovely bouquet that explores some of the more nuanced sides of Nebbiolo that veer into the realms of rose, ash, tar and smoke. These pretty little details frame a solid core of berry fruit, cassis and dried cherry. One of the most distinctive aspects of this wine is the mouthfeel, which manages to impart its power and length without subtracting from its profound elegance. Fruit comes from a 1.5-hectare site owned by the Ceretto family, with sandstone soils at 350 to 370 meters above sea level. This is a Barolo to remember—and save in your cellar.In Bond£890.00 -
Wine Advocate (97)
I wasn't sure how to order my tasting flight of Ceretto's four single-vineyard Baroli (from Castiglione Falletto, Monforte d'Alba and Serralunga d'Alba), so I decided to start with this wine from Brunate in La Morra, at the heart of the appellation. The 2016 Barolo Brunate shows a dark core of fruit, and you are immediately aware of the depth and profound nature of this wine. The bouquet is lifted by cassis, wild cherry and plum. The ferrous quality that we saw in some of the other wines is softer here, and I would describe Brunate as the most fruit-forward (at this young stage) with elegant tannins and impactful fruit weight on the finish. All of these wines are aged in new oak (just 10% of the total) and used oak barrel (90%) for the first 12 months. After that, the wine is racked into Austrian oak casks for an additional two years before going into bottle for one more year.In Bond£592.00 -
Jancis Robinson (17++)
Monforte d'Alba. Just mid ruby. Rich, full cherry fruit of great depth and focus. A little less sensuous and nervier on the palate than Brunate. Sappy raspberry and cherry fruit over a layer of firm, grainy tannins. The acidity lifts the fruit but right now it is a little austere and needs more time. Long, fragrant raspberry fruit turns up at the end.In Bond£580.00 -
Vinous (95)
The 2013 Barolo Prapò shows quite a bit more Serralunga muscle and power than it did when I last tasted it. The tension between the wine's elegance and its more natural leanings towards power is utterly compelling. Orange zest, cinnamon, dried flowers, iron and smoke infuse the deep, resonant finish. Not surprisingly, the 2013 appears headed into a period of dormancy. I wouldn't touch a bottle anytime soon.In Bond£711.00 -
Vinous (92)
: Bright medium red. Redcurrant, minerals, graphite, licorice and tobacco on the nose. A step up in depth, sweetness and intensity from the Bernadot, with more volume and a serious spine for aging. This mounts nicely on the back end and finishes with very good flavor impact and energy.In Bond£615.00