Winemaker Notes
This highly regarded cru in Barbaresco is prized for its finesse, which Luisin’s version provides in spades. Compared to its sibling “Rabajà”, the graceful, majestic “Asili” is amply structured but the structure feels more a matter of fact than a particular point of emphasis, and the overall impression is one of lifted, red-fruited elegance. The oft-articulated differences between Barbaresco and Barolo can sometimes be overstated, as cru character and (especially) grower style play exceedingly significant roles, but Luisin’s “Asili” could come from nowhere else but this zone.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Asili has limestone soils and the vines here are over 60 years old. Roberto Minuto at Luisin favours a well structured style of Barbaresco after a 40-day maceration. The fragrant nose is very delicate and almost febrile, but there's lovely floral raspberry fruit here. It's full-bodied and succulent, with ripe tannins and underlying acidity. The finish shows force and persistence, but is admirably balanced and classic.
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James Suckling
Aromas of strawberries and cherries with earth and sweet-spice undertones. It’s medium-to full-bodied with chewy tannins and bright acidity. Serious and focused with juicy character on the mid-palate. Flavorful finish with excellent length. Drink after 2023.
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Vinous
The 2017 Barbaresco Asili is a sexy, open-knit wine that can be enjoyed with minimal cellaring. Macerated cherry, spice, blood orange, mint, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco all meld together. Even in this warm, dry vintage, the 2017 Asili retains its signature classicism.
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Wine Spectator
Bright cherry, currant, floral and tobacco aromas and flavors mark this fluid, juicy red. Balanced and well-built, it finishes long, with the tannins flexing their muscles on the finish. Best from 2023 through 2040.
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.