Winemaker Notes
Pairs well with fresh egg pastas, risottos, white meats, red meats, venison and cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Bright and fresh Barbaresco with blackberries, dried mushrooms and spices. Full-bodied, round and chewy yet bright and vivid at the same time. Surprising result from this vineyard. Fantastic.
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Wine Spectator
Aromatic, offering cherry, strawberry and tar notes, picking up a licorice flavor on the palate. Round and supple, this has fine grip and a long, savory finish. Drink now through 2028.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Barbaresco Riserva Montefico is a wine that does its utmost to explore the concept of balance. This amazing effort is apparent from start to finish. The wine opens to some ripeness with dark fruit and Morello cherry that is countered by tart flavors of cassis and wild berry. The spice tones are well dosed and delineated, and the wine follows up with herbal and menthol notes that add elegance. The mouthfeel exhibits a good tenor of intensity that never goes too far.
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.