Winemaker Notes
A deep ruby red hue. Intense with notes of violet and maraschino cherries. Rich middle notes are nostalgic of dates and figs. The palate is powerful and fresh. With notes of white pepper and chocolate. It is balanced with a persistent finish.
Pairs well with Carne Cruda, BBQ, and Pasta w/ Sage & Butter.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta Valmorena is a sleek, yet richly layered Barbera d'Asti. TASTING NOTES: This wine has excellent lasting satisfaction on the palate. Enjoy its ripe red and black fruits, and savory spices with rosemary and garlic-infused lamb kabobs. (Tasted: May 16, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
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James Suckling
Whereas the other bottling from this producer has all the hallmarks of a blockbuster style, this Barbera d’Asti couldn’t be more different. It trades in vibrant, lightly fragrant morello cherries and raspberries. It’s soft and round, but with zesty acidity and ends zippy and citrusy.
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Wine Enthusiast
Fragrant and fresh, this has classic varietal aromas of dark-skinned berry, baking spice and blue flower. On the savory palate, bright acidity and smooth tannins accompany flavors of Marasca cherry, raspberry and white pepper. Enjoy through 2023.
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.
Recognized as the source of the best Barbera in all of Italy, Asti is a province (as well as major city) in Piedmont, consisting of a gentle, rolling landscape with vineyards, farmland and forests alternating throughout.
Barbera d’Asti can be made in an array of styles from relatively straightforward, fruity and ready for consumption early, to the more concentrated, oak aged version with an ability to cellar impressively for 10-15 years and beyond. Some of the very best sites for Barbera in Asti are concentrated in the subzone of Nizza Monferrato. Other red varieties grown here include Freisa, Grignolino and Dolcetto, which can be bottled varietally or blended into Barbera.
Historically consumers commonly associated the Asti region with Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti, both playful, aromatic, sparkling wines made from the Muscat grape. Asti Spumante is less sweet, fully fizzy and more alcoholic (yet still clocking in at only around 9% alcohol) while Moscato d’Asti is sweeter, gently sparkling (“frizzante”) and closer to 5 or 6% alcohol. Each is produced in stainless steel tanks to preserve the fresh and fruity flavors of the grape, often including peach, apricot, lychee and rose petal. Asti is also the spot for the pink-hued Brachetto d'Acqui, a slightly sparkling wine ready to charm with its raspberry and rose flavors and aromas.