Winemaker Notes
A bright ruby red, this wine has notes of violets, blackberries, raspberries and spices. It is a full bodied, well-structured, and harmonious wine. The finish is long and savory.
Blend: 100% Barbera
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A captivating blend of spice and cigar-box aromas mingle with dark fruits. Plum compote and violet perfume perk up the senses. The palate is giving and generous, with an abundance of fruit and moderate tannins. A zip of acidity on the finish keeps the wine lively and balanced.
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James Suckling
A pleasant barbera with fresh berry, cherry and pungent herb notes, as well as a hint of oak from its year in large casks. Medium-bodied with good balance and enticing barbera-style fruit and herb flavors.
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Vinous
The 2023 Nizza Cipressi is packed with crème de cassis, blackberry jam, licorice, cloves and menthol. This overt, flamboyant Barbera packs a serious punch. Plush contours wrap around the heady, substantial finish.
Friendly and approachable, Barbera produces wines in a wide range of styles, from youthful, fresh and fruity to serious, structured and age-worthy. Piedmont is the most famous source of Barbera; those from Asti and Alba garner the most praise. Barbera actually can adapt to many climates and enjoys success in some New World regions. Somm Secret—In the past it wasn’t common or even accepted to age Barbera in oak but today both styles—oaked and unoaked—abound and in fact most Piedmontese producers today produce both styles.
Recognized as the source of the best Barbera in all of Italy, Asti is a province (as well as major city) in Piedmont, consisting of a gentle, rolling landscape with vineyards, farmland and forests alternating throughout.
Barbera d’Asti can be made in an array of styles from relatively straightforward, fruity and ready for consumption early, to the more concentrated, oak aged version with an ability to cellar impressively for 10-15 years and beyond. Some of the very best sites for Barbera in Asti are concentrated in the subzone of Nizza Monferrato. Other red varieties grown here include Freisa, Grignolino and Dolcetto, which can be bottled varietally or blended into Barbera.
Historically consumers commonly associated the Asti region with Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti, both playful, aromatic, sparkling wines made from the Muscat grape. Asti Spumante is less sweet, fully fizzy and more alcoholic (yet still clocking in at only around 9% alcohol) while Moscato d’Asti is sweeter, gently sparkling (“frizzante”) and closer to 5 or 6% alcohol. Each is produced in stainless steel tanks to preserve the fresh and fruity flavors of the grape, often including peach, apricot, lychee and rose petal. Asti is also the spot for the pink-hued Brachetto d'Acqui, a slightly sparkling wine ready to charm with its raspberry and rose flavors and aromas.