Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2020 Barbaresco Bricco di Neive Vie Erte is classy, elegant and polished, with the harmony that is such a signature of the best wines in this vintage. Bright red-toned fruit, blood orange, mint, spice and white pepper lend brilliance. There's plenty of the linear focus that is typical here, but no hard edges or awkward contours. The Vie Erte is the more classic of the Cigliuti Barbarescos. In 2020, it's a real stunner.
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Wine Spectator
A rich style, this red features black cherry, black currant and violet aromas and flavors, shaded by tar, eucalyptus and iron notes. There's a solid structure underneath and this finishes long, with emphasis on the fruit.
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Wine Enthusiast
Warmed cherries macerate in a slurry of allspice, clove and dried herbs, while subtle hints of dried earth, black tea and pressed roses all add to the depth of the nose of this wine. The palate bursts with wild raspberries and red currants, leading to a savory midpalate that yearns for roasted meats, mushrooms or game. Elegant and supple tannins provide a plushness that brings a smile.
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.