Michele Chiarlo’s 2019 Barolo Cerequio is a Nebbiolo-based Barolo DOCG drawn from the Cerequio cru, a small, contiguous 3-hectare site positioned between the communes of La Morra and Barolo. The estate frames Cerequio as an “Icon cru,” made only in excellent vintages and in limited quantity. In 2019, that meant roughly 1,000 cases produced, with about 200 cases imported, and the wine bottled at 14% alcohol.

The producer details a traditionally structured, time-intensive élevage: hand harvesting, fermentation in 55-hectoliter oak vats with about 20 days on skins, then a minimum of three years aging, including two years in mid-sized oak casks, followed by bottle refinement. The vineyard’s calcareous marl clay soils—marine in origin and relatively low in organic matter—help explain the combination of perfume and firmness Barolo lovers seek.

Critically, the 2019 Cerequio lands in the top tier of its category. The most emphatic endorsement cited is L’Espresso at **98/100**, an excellent review that places the wine among the standout Barolos of the vintage. Wine Enthusiast also rates it highly at **96 points**, highlighting aromatic detail—“warmed cherries, mint, eucalyptus, and mixed spices”—and sets a long drinking window of **2025–2040**. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate scores it **95 points**, pointing to “dark fruit, plum, and spice,” while also suggesting it “needs more cellar age,” consistent with the wine’s build and élevage.

Michael Godel (WineAlign) awards **95 points**, noting a slightly darker tonal register—“a notable swarthiness and wooly character”—but still within a broader impression of depth and seriousness. Even behind a paywall, Wine Spectator characterizes it as “dense and vibrant,” reinforcing the consensus: this is a concentrated, age-worthy Cerequio with notable aromatic lift and the tannic architecture to justify patience.