Winemaker Notes
Fine, gently floral nose with wild cherry and redcurrant fruit. Spicy and lifted with notes of dried herbs. More sour cherry fruit on the palate, which combines richness and structure with complex layers of balsamic, toasty notes, dried fruits and liquorice. Fresh acidity gives balance, and the finish is savoury and textured with integrated oak.
Ideal with richly seasoned meats (red or white) or mature cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This wine pours from the bottle with a light ruby or garnet color. The Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Gresy 2017 Barbaresco Martinenga puts on a fascinating aromatic performance that starts off with candied fruit (like cherry Sucrets) followed by a touch of medicinal or balsamic herb that adds some Nebbiolo context to the larger picture. The wine shifts quickly, moving away from those initial aromas to embrace grounded earthy tones of chalk, limestone, cola and zesty ginger. The wine's pretty evolution in the glass and those subtle transitions are very attractive. The mouthfeel is fine and delicate, and the tannin is well tucked in and silky.
Rating: 94+
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Wine Enthusiast
Camphor, forest berry, rose and exotic spice form the inviting nose Full-bodied and enveloping, the palate features dried cherry, tobacco and mocha before close-grained tannins grip the assertive close.
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Wine Spectator
This red evokes pure cherry and black pepper flavors, with hints of tar, earth and tobacco on a lightweight frame. It's more savory than fruity at this stage, with latent ripeness. Dense, chalky tannins rim the finish, with fine balance and length overall. Best from 2023 through 2038.
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.