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Principiano

Barolo 2012

Sale price: $79.95 Regular price:$99.95
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Tasting notes

The Ravera di Monforte parcel's Nebbiolo Michet vines, planted around 1936-1944, give this wine a depth and aromatic intensity that younger plantings rarely reach. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged in large oak without added sulfur, it shows dried rose, Marasca cherry, truffle, and tobacco with firm, resolved tannins and a balsamic thread on the finish.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Marasca CherryDried RoseTobaccoTruffle
  • Style: Full-bodied, dry red; garnet with brick at the rim; dried rose, Marasca cherry, truffle, tobacco; 13% ABV; ~2,000 bottles
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Nebbiolo (Michet clone); organic; Serravallian limestone, clay, and sand; Ravera di Monforte MGA; ~400m elevation; vines planted c. 1936-1944
  • Winemaking: Indigenous yeast fermentation; no added sulfur; 24 months in large oak botti; foot crushing; no temperature control
  • Serving: Serve at 62-65F; decant 30-60 minutes; can continue aging through 2030+
  • Pairing: Brasato al Barolo, braised short ribs, lamb shoulder, white Alba truffle, aged Parmigiano Reggiano
  • Similar To: For fans of traditional Barolo and Burgundy who want natural-method winemaking and site-specific Nebbiolo

This Barolo comes from the Ravera di Monforte MGA, a 0.6-hectare parcel at roughly 400 meters elevation on the southernmost edge of Monforte d'Alba, just at the border with Serralunga. The vineyard sits on Serravallian soils dominated by limestone with some clay and sand. The vines are approximately 80 years old and planted to the Nebbiolo Michet clone, a smaller-berried, more aromatic selection that gives the site its intensity and color depth.

Ferdinando Principiano farms without herbicides or synthetic treatments, using copper and sulfur only when necessary. Fermentation happens with indigenous yeasts and no added sulfur. The wine rests for 24 months in large oak botti before bottling. Only around 2,000 bottles are produced from this single parcel each vintage.

The 2012 vintage in Barolo produced wines of firm structure and good aromatic definition. At over a decade of age, this bottle has had time to integrate its tannins while the Michet clone's perfume comes forward. Expect dried roses, Marasca cherry, truffle, tobacco, and a minty balsamic thread on the finish. The acidity remains lively and the tannins, while firm, are resolved.

Barolo DOCG requires 100% Nebbiolo and a minimum of 38 months aging before release, of which at least 18 must be in oak. Principiano exceeds these minimums. This is a wine built to age but increasingly expressive now with 30 to 60 minutes of decanting.

Serve with brasato al Barolo, slow-braised short ribs, or lamb shoulder. The wine's firm acidity and tannins cut through rich, fatty meats. Aged Parmigiano Reggiano or a simple preparation of white Alba truffle also work well.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Full Body
Grapes:, Nebbiolo
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2012
Alcohol:, 13%
Country:, Italy
Region:, Piedmont
Appellation:, Barolo DOCG
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

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If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


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Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

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Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Principiano

The Principiano name appears on the Serralunga di Alba land register as far back as 1700. The family ran a mixed farm for generations before Ferdinando's father, Americo, developed the wine estate. Ferdinando took over in 1993 at age 20, initially following the modernist approach common in Barolo at the time, which included barrique aging and cellar interventions. After finding those wines unsatisfying as they aged, he began transitioning to organic viticulture and natural winemaking starting in 2003, completing the shift by 2006. He had previously apprenticed at both Giacomo Conterno and Roberto Voerzio, two estates representing opposite poles of the Barolo debate.

The estate holds around 20 hectares of vineyards split between Monforte d'Alba and Serralunga d'Alba. Farming is organic: no herbicides or synthetic treatments, with copper and sulfur applied only when necessary. Ferdinando has also experimented with replacing copper-sulfur treatments entirely in parts of the vineyard, using orange essence, algae, silica, and bee propolis instead. The Ravera di Monforte parcel is 0.6 hectares at approximately 400 meters elevation on Serravallian soils of limestone, clay, and sand. The vines are roughly 80 years old, planted to the Nebbiolo Michet clone.

In the cellar, Principiano uses indigenous yeast fermentation with no added sulfur. Foot crushing is employed for some cuvees. The Ravera di Monforte Barolo ferments spontaneously and macerates without inoculated yeasts, then ages for 24 months in large oak botti before bottling. Sulfur additions are minimal to none; when used, levels rarely exceed 40 mg/l total. The cellar operates without temperature control. Production from the Ravera parcel is approximately 2,000 bottles per vintage.

Wine region

Piedmont, Italy

Barolo DOCG sits in the Langhe hills of southwestern Piedmont, south of Alba in the province of Cuneo. The zone spans roughly 11 kilometers in length across 11 permitted communes, with over 1,800 hectares under vine. The five core communes — Barolo, La Morra, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d'Alba, and Monforte d'Alba — account for the majority of production. The climate is continental: warm summers, cold winters, and autumn fog (nebbia) that slows Nebbiolo's final ripening and preserves aromatics. Significant day-to-night temperature swings at harvest help retain the grape's natural acidity.

Barolo received DOC status in 1966 and was elevated to DOCG in 1980, one of Italy's first guaranteed-quality appellations. By law, all Barolo must be made from 100% Nebbiolo and aged a minimum of 38 months before release, of which at least 18 must be in oak. The two primary soil types divide the zone's style: Tortonian marls in the western communes (La Morra, Barolo) produce more perfumed, earlier-drinking wines, while the older Serravallian sandstones and limestone of the eastern communes (Serralunga d'Alba, Monforte d'Alba) yield wines with firmer tannins, deeper structure, and longer aging curves. In 2010, the MGA system (Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva) formalized 181 individual vineyard designations across the zone, enabling single-site labeling. Monforte d'Alba's Ravera di Monforte is one of those recognized MGAs.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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