Winemaker Notes
Intense ruby-red turning to light purple hue, due to the ageing in barriques. The nose shows oaky notes well-integrated with hints of plum and cherry. Warm sensations in mouth thanks to its high alcohol content, with rich toasty notes of ripe fruit and jam. Sour and long finish due to its typical varietal acidity.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
An intense barbera with super clean blackcurrant and blackberry character. Full-bodied, structured and layered with beautiful balance of fruit, natural acidity and oak influence. Delicious now, but this is a barbera that you can cellar for a while with confidence.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This is a new discovery from Fabio Oberto. Closed with a wax capsule, the Fabio Oberto 2018 Barbera d'Alba Superiore is dark, rich and meaty in a manner that only Barbera grapes can achieve. The fruit is softly textured and succulent with generous blackberry and plum. You feel some ripeness as well, with dried currant or cherry liqueur, followed by savory spice and smoke. It has all the trappings of a great summer night barbecue wine. Some 4,000 bottles of this inaugural vintage were released in March 2021.
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.