Winemaker Notes
A wonderful accompaniment to meat, pasta and aged cheese. Especially delicious with local specialty "bagna cauda."
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Saturated with blackberry, black currant and violet flavors, with a hint of licorice, this red is intense and lively. Finishes with density and a light dusting of tannins. Drink now through 2023.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Although this is a cooler, less Barbera-friendly vintage compared to the lavish 2015 edition, the 2016 Barbera d'Alba Vignota pulls off a lot of the same magic. This wine is generous and forthcoming with dark fruit stacked wide and tall. The grapes are harvested from five separate vineyard sites. Each is vinified separately and blended only after the malolactic fermentations are finished. Bouquet highlights include salty mineral notes that make a perfect pairing partner to fatty foods like deviled eggs or bite-sized sandwiches with mayonnaise. The alcohol is high at 15%, but it also serves to keep the palate stripped clean.
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.