Winemaker Notes
Pale ruby red with aromas of raspberry jam, eucalyptus and cloves. Full bodied and elegant, floral and spicy shades that give personality to its finish. Tannins are soft and precise.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very floral with both fresh and dried flowers on the nose as well as cherries and hibiscus with some sliced strawberries. Medium to full body, with well-integrated tannins and a long and focused finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
With the red label, the La Spinetta 2020 Barbaresco Starderi Vürsù (with 14,500 bottles released) shows dark fruit, dried cherry and tarry smoke. There is a savory side to Starderi, and the wine delivers extra density and concentration to the finish. Like some of the other expressions from the warm 2020 growing season, this wine is more immediate overall, making it good for near and medium-term drinking. But it should also age nicely, should you decide to take that route.
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.