Luigi Pira founded this property in Serralunga d’Alba in 1950. The Pira family started selling grapes to merchants. However, Barolo has been bottled up through the 1980s, but a new era began here in 1993 when a new and more modern style was introduced, inspired by Elio Altare. Since then, there has been a reduction in the use of barriques, and several of Pira’s wines have today matured on large casks alone. Pira’s progress right from the start. The first vintages were 1993 by Barolo Normale, Barolo Vigneto Margheria and Barolo Vigneto Marenca. Barolo Vigna Rionda was first produced in 1997.
The property is now run by Luigi’s sons Gianpaolo and Romolo, who have approx. 10 ha of the best fields in Serralunga d’Alba and 2 ha in Roddino, from which Pira makes Barbera d’Alba. The total production is approx. 56,000 bottles annually. The wines are of a very high-quality level and testify to an extreme uncompromisingness in both field and cellar. An excellent Barbera d’Alba is produced, complex and very well structured, and Piras Barolo are all different and impressive with both modern and traditional expressions for their respective cru’s. The first time Pira really hits the desired style for Barolo is with the vintage 1996. Since then, all the wines have possessed purity, masculine power, complexity and a significant, mature structure, and thus they are close to the ideal of Baroli from Serralunga d’Alba, which has the potential to provide the dustiest, tannic and storable wines from Barolo’s total of 11 municipalities!
Marenca is one of the best fields in Serralunga. Renato Ratti’s historical map of the Barolo fields puts it in the highest category. Gaja has also had a good eye for the field and owns a large part of it today. From the field, Gaja makes sin Sperss (Marenca-Rivette).Luigi Pira Barolo Serralunga.
Rionda has always been coveted. Bruno Giacosa has previously made some of his best wines from this field. Unfortunately for him, he did not own part of the field but bought the grapes when it was still possible. The problem with the Piras Rionda has been that it was impossible to obtain. In the first vintage, Pira made only 700 bottles of Vigna Rionda. In recent years, we have reached 4,000 bottles, which has meant that we have been able to stock it for a large part of the year.