Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very pretty, linear fruit and tannin structure here with blueberry and spice character. Full to medium body, fruity center palate and a fruit-driven finish. Better to give this three or four years to soften and open.
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Wine Enthusiast
Iris, rose petal, fresh red berry and chopped mint aromas mingle together on this stunning red. The vibrant palate delivers crushed raspberry, red cherry, baking spice and star anise. Firm polished tannins provide structure and impeccable balance. Drink 2018–2028.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Michele Chiarlo 2013 Barbaresco Reyna is a savory and masculine Nebbiolo-based wine with pretty aromas of dark fruit, cola, rust, tilled earthy and autumnal leaf. The wine offers a unique aromatic profile that is interesting and compelling. The tannins are smooth, but there is enough structure here to support the overall power and balance of the vintage.
Rating: 90+
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.