Brezza Barbera d'Alba Superiore 2012
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Mature dark-skinned berry, leather, forest floor, eucalyptus and dark cooking spice aromas come together in the glass. The delicious palate doles out juicy black cherry, blackberry, white pepper, clove and licorice alongside round, chewy tannins.
The Brezza private estate, with vineyards in Barolo dating back to 1885, takes its name from Giacomo Brezza, who with his father Antonio bottled the first wine of the estate in 1910. The family has strong ties to the land and region. Winemaker Enzo Brezza has stayed true to the family style; he crafts traditional wines of noted finesse that display elevated characteristics of the varied soil types present in commune.
The wines hailing from the self-named Barolo commune are of moderate structure, more elegant and feature finer olfactory significance than its neighboring communes. The wines of Brezza embody this distinction, with nebbiolo holdings in the grand cru sites of Sarmassa and Canubbi. More noteworthy, however, are the barbera vines in Canubbi Muscatel and the dolcetto vines in San Lorenzo; locations of such value in the zone, that these "lesser" varieties are rarely encountered.
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.
An historic village situated right in between the famous regions of Barolo and Barbaresco, Alba is also the name for the larger wine region surrounding the village.
In a sense, “Alba” is a catch-all phrase, and includes the declassified Nebbiolo wines made in Barolo and Barbaresco, as well as the Nebbiolo grown just outside of these regions’ borders. In fact, Nebbiolo d’Alba is a softer, less tannic and more fruit-forward wine ready to drink within just a couple years of bottling. It is a great place to start if you want to begin to understand the grape. Likewise, the even broader category of Langhe Nebbiolo offers approachable and value-driven options as well.
Barbera, planted alongside Nebbiolo in the surrounding hills, and referred to as Barbera d’Alba, takes on a more powerful and concentrated personality compared to its counterparts in Asti.
Dolcetto is ubiquitous here and, known as Dolcetto d'Alba, can be found casually served alongside antipasti on the tables of Alba’s cafes and wine bars.
Not surprisingly, given its location, Alba is recognized as one of Italy’s premiere culinary destinations and is the home of the fall truffle fair, which attracts visitors from worldwide every year.