Mirafiore house spotlight
Italian Wine Travel visits Fontanafredda in Serralunga d'Alba, the royal estate of Emanuele Alberto, Count of Mirafiore, the same house behind this 2007 Barolo Riserva.
The market on this bottle
Wine-Searcher tracks this 2007 Mirafiore Barolo Riserva DOCG Piedmont, Italy across the open market. Their published U.S. low is $142.63 and the average is $161.12. Our slash is $143.00.
2007 Mirafiore Barolo Riserva DOCG Piedmont, Italy
Casa E. di Mirafiore's 2007 Barolo Riserva from Serralunga and Barolo fruit, Wine Enthusiast 95, a mature Nebbiolo you can open at one hundred sixty dollars.
The 2007 Mirafiore Barolo Riserva is 100 percent Nebbiolo from estate vineyards in Serralunga d'Alba and Barolo: leather, black cherry, tar, and spice after five years of Riserva aging, now $143.
A 2007 Barolo Riserva from the Count of Mirafiore's Serralunga house
Casa E. di Mirafiore is the 1878 royal label of Emanuele Alberto, Count of Mirafiore, now reunited with Fontanafredda in Serralunga d'Alba. The 2007 Riserva is estate Nebbiolo from Serralunga and Barolo, aged the full Riserva term, much of it in large oak. Wine Enthusiast 95: new leather, tilled soil, pipe tobacco, then creamy black cherry, star anise, and clove, a remarkable performance for a hot vintage. James Suckling 94: ripe fruit, coffee, spice, velvety tannin. Wine Spectator 94: truffle, dried cherry, floral, tar, then cherry, spice, leather, mineral, and tobacco. Catalog retail on this SKU is unset. Typical Barolo Riserva street and winery figures for this class sit $200 to $250; this 2007 and sibling Fontanafredda Riserva list about $179 to $205. We show $220 typical retail, never $0.
The house
Emanuele Alberto, Count of Mirafiore, founded the Serralunga cellar in 1878. Fontanafredda still farms the estate that carries his name.
The wine
Barolo Riserva from Serralunga and Barolo fruit. Traditional ferment, large oak, five years of aging. 14% ABV.
The scores
Wine Enthusiast 95. James Suckling 94. Wine Spectator 94. Vinous 93.
The drinker
Leather and black cherry first. Decant 45 to 60 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. Short ribs or duck.
Leather and black cherry, then tar, spice, and a long close
Wine Enthusiast found gorgeous, smooth 2007: new leather, tilled soil, pipe tobacco, then creamy black cherry, star anise, and clove on refined tannin. Wine Spectator opened on truffle, dried cherry, floral, and tar, then cherry, spice, leather, mineral, and tobacco with a hint of licorice. James Suckling found lots of ripe fruit, coffee, and spice, full body, velvety tannin, a long flavorful finish.
A hot Langhe year. The Riserva kept polish instead of jam. Wine Enthusiast called it a remarkable performance for an extremely hot vintage, still youthful with a long life ahead.
Black cherry, dried cherry, plum, truffle, leather, pipe tobacco, tar, roasted almond.
Full, 14% ABV, muscular then refined tannin, five years of Riserva aging, large oak.
Star anise, clove, mineral, tobacco, length. Decant 45 to 60 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F.
Riserva time in large oak, then bottle
On the house brief, this Barolo Riserva is 100 percent Nebbiolo from carefully selected estate vineyards in Serralunga d'Alba and Barolo. Traditional stainless ferment, then years in medium to large oak, concrete, and bottle to meet the Riserva clock. The point is Serralunga grip and Barolo perfume, not a small-barrel costume.
Fourteen percent alcohol. Clay, marl, and sand at 300 to 400 metres, south and southwest. The 2007 has already passed a decade in bottle.
Stand the bottle. Decant 45 to 60 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. Keep the last inch of sediment in the bottle.
The Count of Mirafiore's Serralunga argument
Casa E. di Mirafiore exists because Emanuele Alberto, son of Vittorio Emanuele II and Rosa Vercellana, turned a royal gift into a Barolo cellar.
The Fontanafredda estate was purchased in 1858 as a gift for La Bella Rosina. Their son, the Count of Mirafiore, built the wine house that still carries his name.
Oscar Farinetti later reunited Fontanafredda and Casa E. di Mirafiore on the same Serralunga campus. Mirafiore keeps its own 25-hectare organic estate, including Lazzarito and Paiagallo.
The 2007 Riserva is that house after a hot vintage and a long cask stay: leather, cherry, and spice you can pour now.
Collagen, cherry, and a slow rib
Mature Barolo Riserva wants collagen, earth, and a red-fruit plate. Short ribs take tar and spice. Duck and cherry stay in its black-cherry lane.
Two plates. One pot of Barolo-braised short ribs. One duck breast with cherry. Both can take 2007 Nebbiolo tannin.
Stand the bottle. Decant 45 to 60 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F.
Short Ribs Braised in Barolo
A slow braise in Nebbiolo country. This Riserva's classic landing.
Why it works: Collagen softens resolved tannin. Reduced wine echoes tar, cherry, and spice.
View Recipe for short ribs braised in Barolo (opens in a new tab)
Duck Breasts with Cherry Sauce
Sweet-tart cherry and crisp duck skin for black cherry, leather, and clove.
Why it works: Fat cushions Riserva tannin. Cherry keeps the 2007 in its fruit lane.
View Recipe for duck breasts with cherry sauce (opens in a new tab)Put this 2007 Mirafiore Riserva in the cart
Wine Enthusiast 95. Serralunga and Barolo fruit. One hundred forty-three dollars against a $220 typical retail.
Put six in the cart. This is the Mirafiore Riserva for a table that wants 2007 Barolo without a library tax.
