Luigi Baudana “Baudana” Barolo, 2011
Baudana enjoys amazing soil conditions, thanks to a higher water retention. Harvest usually takes place on the third week of October. Fermentation starts quite fast and runs smoothly for approximately 30 days, followed by another 10 days of maceration. One Slavonian cask is used to ferment most of the grapes, with some stainless-steel vessels used as a backup. Punch-downs and gentle pump-overs are the only operations over the time of maceration. The wine is wracked into oak after malolactic fermentation and spends an average of 32+ months in large Slavonian oak casks.
Â
The Baudanas and the Vairas (of G.D. Vajra fame) met in 2008, at a time Luigi and Fiorina were considering retirement. It was a very secretive first meeting across the Tanaro river on a silent Monday night. Many more discrete encounters followed throughout the summer while walking vineyards and barrel-tasting together. The sympathy and human bond that was established over those many hours led the Vaira family to suggest they could become the ‘guardians’ of Luigi and Fiorina’s history rather than just taking over their land. This is why the old cellar is still operating today, to vinify and age the Baudana Barolos. The Baudana name lives on through each bottle.Â
