Ferdinando Principiano Barolo 2018

"Barolo di Serralunga is 80% from the Boscareto vineyard and 20% from the Lirano vineyard. Boscareto’s limestone soils give depth and minerality, while Lirano’s sandy soils give an added airiness and elegance to the fruit. Boscareto fruit is vinified 100% whole cluster for the cru bottling, a portion of which goes into the Serralunga bottling. Fruit from Prinicipiano’s other vineyards is mostly destemmed with some beautifully ripened whole clusters in the mix. … Barolo, the Principiano way... Ferdinando Principiano is producing world-class elegant and natural wines, with a watermark of traditional Barolo terroir. Ferdinando started in 1993, with 7 hectares from his father and grandfather; he now owns and farms 21 hectares. All farming is uncertified organic, but he goes way beyond the normal organic practices and is obsessed with preserving or creating the conditions for biodiversity in and around his vineyards. This includes buying adjacent forests, and creating a pond at the base of his Boscareto cru that acts as a home for migratory birds, and a chorus of frogs. He works the vineyards by hand, including the use of a scythe, as we’ll see described below in a moment. All cellar work is low intervention." -PortoVino