The name Palladino needs no introduction here at PRIMA as it has been the source of our best-selling Barbera d’Alba (still available for $19.99) for going on five years.  Their Barolos, though, are much rarer as very few cases actually make their way to the United States, and they are, after all, a very small, very artisanal producer.  Their production is exclusively estate-grown from the several Serralunga d’Alba vineyards they farm.  The classically-styled 3000-bottle production Barolo Parafada is sourced from Palladino family holdings in the Parafada MGA bordering Gabutti and Lazzarito just north of the Serralunga castle.  

It’s a wonderful, historic site known for making wines with all of Serralunga’s noble austerity but without the hardness or ‘brittleness’ of some of its neighbors.  Aged only in large wood botti, it’s an old-school rendition of a Serralunga Barolo that, in 2015, brings forth a mouthful of beautifully lifted cedar-infused cherry balsamico notes with fig, cinnamon, wild herb and dry earth notes contributing to a surprisingly svelte, polished, warm palate.  The vintage has always impressed us for its freshness relative to the boldness of the fruit and we’ve been watching the progress of this 2015 for several years since it first arrived in the winter of 2020 and a check-in with dinner the other night proved so delicious, I went back to the importer and bought all that was left- which wasn’t much, alas.  Despite its precocious aromatics (which, if anything, are even more pronounced), back when it first arrived it was a big, bold statement of Serralunga Barolo- beefy and burly on the palate with some fierce tannins bringing up the rear.  

Revisiting the wine now, it has become a wonderful example of why waiting for Barolo is a most rewarding proposition.  Those once-fierce, edgy tannins are now a lot tamer, a lot rounder and more pliant.  While the word ‘elegant’ is not quite the word I’d use yet, ‘suave’ maybe is.  In fact, those of you who went deep on the 2015s from other producers and regions should take this moment to try a few.  Most are beginning to round into wonderful form and are having their ‘moment.’  There is a lot of 2007 in their DNA, I think.  While it’s still Barolo-drinking weather, we think it’s time to restock on this lovely drinker.  Build a fine meal around it soon and you’ll love it.  Me?  I’m planning to open another for Easter dinner! And be sure to cellar some too.  It’ll age effortlessly. Indeed, while not the cheapest Barolo in the store, this gorgeous single-vineyard wine represents your Barolo dollar very hard at work!  Very highly recommended. (By the way, 2015 was the last vintage of Palladino’s really cool, old school label.)

Wine Advocate: The 2015 Barolo Parafada is a beautifully supple and velvety expression (from Serralunga d'Alba where Nebbiolo tends to show more concentration and power) that wraps smoothly but thickly over the palate. The wine imparts dark fruit aromas with plum, pressed blackberry, tar, smoke and tobacco. Despite the immediate power of the wine, it ultimately performs with elegance and softness. These Barolos from 2015 tend to be more accessible overall and are suited to medium or long-term drinking. This wine sees a prolonged fermentation period (of up to one month) and undergoes malolactic fermentation in cement before aging in large oak casks for two years (and one year in bottle before its commercial release). Some 2,948 bottles were made. 93 points

Wine Enthusiast 92 Points:  Aromas of French oak, spiced plum, violet and pipe tobacco mingle with a balsamic note of eucalyptus. The dense, full-bodied palate offers raspberry jam, licorice, orange zest and dried sage framed in tightly knit, close-grained tannins that grip the finish. Drink 2023–2035.