Vittorio Emanuele II reclaimed the title of King of Italy, which had been previously lost since the 6th century, in 1861. Prior to unification, when he was merely king of Sardinia, he morganatically married Rosa Vercellana, known endearingly in Piedmontese as Bela Rosin, who would inevitably become the Countess of Mirafiore. Their legitimate son, Victor Emanuel, became the Count of Mirafiore and inherited the royal estate of Fontanafredda. The Count was said to have, “three great passions, those typical of every aristocratic male of the time: women, horses and wine…With the authority of his name, Emanuele di Mirafiore succeeded in enhancing the value of Barolo and distributing it on numerous foreign markets.” The Mirafiore brand reached exceptional domestic as well as international fame then vanished in the 1930s along with the title. Today, thanks to efforts made by Oscar Farinetti as of 2007, the forgotten name of Mirafiore has been given rebirth over seventy years after its disappearance.
This special pocket of Fontanafredda, perched at 350+ meters and blending crus from Lazzarito and Paiagallo in Barolo’s famed Serralunga d’Alba, boasts Miocene-Helvetian soil with a high concentration of limestone, grey marl and sand. Serralunga d’Alba, located in the southeastern portion of Barolo, reveals a powerful, more structured expression of Barolo than the other four villages, and is built to age gracefully for decades. This special bottling, crafted by respected winemaker Danilo Drocco, is strictly produced according to Piedmontese tradition. Following a manual harvest, the grapes ferment under cap for fifteen days in climate-controlled stainless steel then undergo 10-50 days of maceration on skins, depending on the vintage. The wine is then aged for two years in large Allier oak casks then matured an additional eighteen months in bottle prior to release.
This 2010 Barolo displays a dark ruby red core that quickly moves to orange hues on the meniscus. The nose reveals a classic Barolo with aromatics of beautiful dried black and sour cherry, redcurrant, rose petal, fennel, tar and leather laced with exotic spices. On the palate, the flavor profile reveals further notes of red flowers, tea leaf and wild mushrooms. This rich, nuanced palate features persistent yet soft velvet-like tannins, which makes for incredible stuffing and structure that only an extraordinary Barolo can deliver. Although this wine is divine now, it can easily age for another 5-10 years with proper storage. Serve at 55 degrees in large Burgundy stems alongside a Piedmontese classic like
this Corzetti Pasta with Mushroom Ragu.
