Winemaker Notes
This wine is ruby red in color with brilliant garnet borders. Its fresh and lively nose has distinct traces of blackcurrant, berries, toasted hazelnut and vanilla. Immediately pleasant, balanced and harmonious, the taste is elegant with soft tannins. The spicy and woody notes blend together perfectly.
Barbera Peiragal is a perfect companion for every occasion. It matches well with all the typical Langhe appetizers, such as veal with tuna sauce and vegetable soufflés, pastas with rich sauces and boiled or roasted meats. It enhances traditional vegetable soups and is the ideal partner to moderately mature cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Blueberry and chocolate aromas follow through to a full body with juicy fruit and hints of orange peel. Delicious, as always.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
he Marchesi di Barolo 2017 Barbera d'Alba Peiragal opens to a dark and inky, rich appearance followed by plummy fruit, dried blackberry and blackcurrant. The wine is frank, easy-drinking and thick in fruity fiber and richness. This wine definitely flaunts the heat and excessive nature of the vintage that works so well with the Barbera grape.
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.