Villadoria Barbaresco 2012
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Pasta dishes with meat sauces, red meat based, braised dishes and game, cheeses including matured cheeses.
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2020-
James
Suckling
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Villadoria, a winery deeply-rooted in tradition is building a bridge to the future. Over the years, the Lanzavecchia family, winemakers for four generations, has witnessed the evolution of an area which has its most precious treasure in wine. The Serralunga d’Alba hills, in the heart of Barolo, is the ideal location for the cultivation of the native vines at the origin of Piedmont’s most prestigious wines. It is in this invaluable land that Villadoria is located on the Cappallotto Estate: over 20 hectares in the heart of the Langhe. From starting as a nursery selling root stock to other growers in the late 1800’s they opened their winery in 1959.
In recent years, Daniele Lanzavecchia turned over the winemaking to his daughter Paola. Her talents have raised the profile of Villadoria by applying the most modern technology to the concept of traditional production, which takes meticulous care with every stage of the process. They farm naturally/sustainably, not using any pesticides or chemical fertilizers and are founding members of the Associazione Nazionale Biotipico.
Paola has renovated the old cellars and brought in new casks and barriques, designed a new tasting room and the overall look and feel of the winery. She is continually improving the quality and flavor profiles of her family’s wines. Her wines are the “new bridge” in the sense that they are softer, more elegant with integrated tannins yet still uphold the “iron fist inside a velvet glove” tradition of what makes Piedmont wines the most prestigious of all of Italy.
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.