Prinsi Barbaresco Gaia Principe 2016
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James
Suckling
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Ruby red with garnet reflections. Persistent with memories of cinnamon, soft fruit and pepper. Elegant with soft tannin. Spicy and vanilla notes.
Perfect with roasted and braised meats, seasoned cheese but also to drink alone thanks to its pleasantness.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Hazelnuts and cedar are the predominating force here with dried red cherries and plums taking a supporting role. This isn’t solely about richness, though, as some solid acidity carves out a pointed construction of angular, powerful tannins and vertical acidity. Drink from 2023.
Azienda Agricola Prinsi is a premier estate belonging to the Lequio family in the magnificent territory of Barbaresco. Their Nebbiolo vineyards are all first-growth ‘crus’ located within the commune of Neive. This close-knit family benefits from 90 years of winemaking tradition passed from generation to generation since the grandfather Ottavio began bottling his own grapes in the 1940’s. Two generations are currently present in the daily operations – Franco, Ottavio’s son, who supervises the agricultural part of the winery together with his wife Silvana, and their son Daniele, the winemaker, who is fueled by his passion for making memorable wines.
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.