Winemaker Notes
Deep garnet red. Intense, frank, fruity, cherry, blackberry, vanilla, toasted nuts, sweet spices, complex, balsamic and mineral notes. Rich, soft, fresh, fine tannins, good persistence.
Pairs well with savory pasta dishes, grilled meat, and medium seasoned cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Rose, iris, menthol and mature berry are just some of the aromas you’ll find on this stunning, full-bodied wine. On the polished, savory palate, notes of star anise and tobacco accent a core of ripe Marasca cherry while fine-grained tannin's offer structure and elegance. Drink 2023–2030.
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Wine Spectator
Bright cherry, strawberry and floral aromas and flavors are the hallmarks of this elegant red, which is firm and vibrant, with refined tannins lending support. There is excellent harmony here, and the aftertaste lingers with a mineral element. Best from 2022 through 2042.
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James Suckling
A fruity, opulent Barbaresco with lots of strawberry and watermelon character and citrus undertones. Tannic, yet there’s plenty of richness and intensity. Better after 2022.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Barbaresco Ronchi is the most representative of this estate because it's where this family estate was born. Grapes from this site have been fermented into wine for many generations starting with great, great grandfather (trisnonno) Carlo who was one of the founding members of the Cantina Sociale di Barbaresco in 1894. The Ronchi cru is planted to 50- to 70-year-old vines on calcareous marl soils that are rich in minerals. This wine reveals a distinctively floral bouquet with pretty contours of crushed stone, white licorice and wild rose. The cornerstones of the characteristic Nebbiolo bouquet are all firmly in place. The Ronchi offers a prominent and pronounced bouquet, followed by medium depth and less power on the mid-palate.
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.