Punset Barbaresco 2008
-
Wine
Spectator -
James
Suckling
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Spectator
An aromatic and flavorful red, with rose, cherry, licorice, tobacco and briar notes. Both supple and vibrant, this has an elegance that belies the extremely dense tannins. Shows excellent length, with an aftertaste of fruit, underbrush and mineral. Best from 2015 through 2030.
-
James Suckling
A little earthy with meaty, ripe fruit and hints of flowers on the nose. Full bodied, with velvety tannins that are slightly chewy but should come around nice with a year or two of bottle age.
Other Vintages
2007-
Wine
Spectator
“Punset” derives from piedmontese dialect and has legendary origin: it seems that historically the Count of Neive gave this nickname, which literally means “beautiful hill” or “peak”, to describe the only of their lands emerging by the autumn fog they could admire from the castle. The vineyards have been owned by the Marcarino family since distant times and it is difficult to trace to the date of commencement of the activity of wine-making; this in the past was not the main effort of the house and the production of wine was limited to having to meet the family consumption. Renzo Marcarino, in 1964, officially begins the activity by placing the first bottles on the market.
At the beginning of the years ’80 a decisive step, desired and pursued by his daughter Marina, marks the turning point: convert all of property to organic farming, eliminating all kinds of pesticide and chemical products.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
A wine that most perfectly conveys the spirit and essence of its place, Barbaresco is true reflection of terroir. Its star grape, like that in the neighboring Barolo region, is Nebbiolo. Four townships within the Barbaresco zone can produce Barbaresco: the actual village of Barbaresco, as well as Neive, Treiso and San Rocco Seno d'Elvio.
Broadly speaking there are more similarities in the soils of Barbaresco and Barolo than there are differences. Barbaresco’s soils are approximately of the same two major soil types as Barolo: blue-grey marl of the Tortonion epoch, producing more fragile and aromatic characteristics, and Helvetian white yellow marl, which produces wines with more structure and tannins.
Nebbiolo ripens earlier in Barbaresco than in Barolo, primarily due to the vineyards’ proximity to the Tanaro River and lower elevations. While the wines here are still powerful, Barbaresco expresses a more feminine side of Nebbiolo, often with softer tannins, delicate fruit and an elegant perfume. Typical in a well-made Barbaresco are expressions of rose petal, cherry, strawberry, violets, smoke and spice. These wines need a few years before they reach their peak, the best of which need over a decade or longer. Bottle aging adds more savory characteristics, such as earth, iron and dried fruit.