Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This is a beautiful wine and one that I preferred (ever so slightly) over the Barbaresco Starderi Vürsù of the same vintage. The 2014 Barbaresco Gallina Vürsù is especially elegant and fine, rendering the idea that its future evolution has a long way to go. That profound elegance continues to the palate where the wine wraps softly over the senses. That fine, but equally powerful nature of the wine's textural richness is what stands out most here. The mouthfeel is just fantastic.
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Wine Spectator
Macerated cherry, plum and spice aromas and flavors are allied to eucalyptus, menthol, saline and mineral elements. Taut and tannic, with a lingering, vibrant finish echoing the fruit and underbrush notes. Best from 2022 through 2033.
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James Suckling
Sweet plums and hints of flowers on the nose. Smoked meat, too. Medium body, pretty silky tannins and a flavorful finish.
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.