Winemaker Notes
Pairs well with meat-based raviolis, mushroom-topped pork saltimbocca, and elegant filet mignon dishes.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Though muscular, this shows a layer of inviting cherry and raspberry flavors, shaded by hints of licorice, tar, mineral and menthol. Offers fine energy and is well-balanced overall, with a long, complex aftertaste.
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Vinous
The 2020 Barbaresco is a very pretty, classy wine. Crushed flowers, bright red-toned fruit, tobacco, cedar and mint are some of the notes that waft from the glass in this attractive, mid-weight Barbaresco. I would give this a bit of air to help the bouquet come together. It's a lovely wine from Castello di Neive, and absolutely stellar in its peer group.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Very attractive spice and floral aromas in the 2020 Barbaresco include smoky incense, cranberry, and dusty earth. Medium-bodied, it has a nice arch of the fruit throughout, revealing notes of blood orange, raspberry, and dried roses. It has good balance and a clean finish, with loads of citrus propelling the wine forward. Drink 2023-2030.
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.