Winemaker Notes
La Spinetta Barbaresco Starderi is a pale ruby red. Hints of ripe red fruits, cinnamon and graphite on the nose. Fresh and elegant, with herbal and spicy shades that give personality to its long. Tannins are soft but well present.
Blend: 100% Nebbiolo
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Strawberry, peach and fresh pink rose aromas. Some hibiscus as well. Full-bodied and very layered with gorgeous tannins that are soft and creamy in texture yet compacted and focused. Best after 2028 but already so beautiful to taste.
-
Vinous
The 2021 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi is one of the classiest wines I have tasted from La Spinetta. Vibrant and poised, with striking beauty, the 2021 is wonderfully vivid in the glass. Crushed rose petal, spice, mint, orange peel and cinnamon all soar out of the glass.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The organic La Spinetta 2021 Barbaresco Starderi Vürsù is a very pretty wine, and I prefer it to the Gallina and the Valeriano. It stands out for its medium-rich density and spicy concentration with layers of dark fruit and blackberry preserves. The quality of the fruit is very dense and rich, and the wine offers sharp definition. With time, it develops a dark, smoky side with cumin and barbecue spice. Rating: 95+
-
Wine Spectator
A mix of savory and fruity, this red embraces rose hip, cherry, raspberry, juniper, eucalyptus and iron flavors in its silky texture. Well-structured, too, yet overall expresses finesse, with a terrific, persistent aftertaste. Shows impressive harmony and complexity. Best from 2027 through 2043. 450 cases made, 150 cases imported.
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.