Winemaker Notes
This Barbaresco pairs well with roasted meat or wild game dishes.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Balsam, leather, perfumed berry, pressed blue flower and dark spice aromas lead the way in this elegant, vibrant red. The savory, focused palate offers red cherry, tobacco, licorice and ground clove flavors set against a backdrop of bright acidity and firm, refined tannins. Drink 2022–2034.
-
James Suckling
Aromas of flowers, tar and dark berry follow through to a full body, chewy tannins and a savory, velvety finish. Needs two to three years to soften. Try in 2020.
-
Wine & Spirits
Scents of bay leaf and menthol amplify this wine’s lively cherry and tart raspberry flavors, giving it a fresh and energetic personality. It feels less weighty and structured than is typical of wines from this cru, reflecting the cooler vintage, yet delivers mouthwatering pleasure in its tightly knit, precise fruit flavors.
-
Wine Spectator
A pure, racy style, boasting floral, cherry, currant and spice flavors. Picks up some earth and tobacco elements as the finish lingers. Best from 2021 through 2032.
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.