Winemaker Notes
Pairs well with fresh egg pastas, risottos, white meats, red meats, venison and cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Always one of my favorite wines from Produttori del Barbaresco, the 2014 Barbaresco Riserva Ovello lays out a broad and soft mouthfeel, with tannins that have already been polished and integrated thanks to ample time in the bottle already. It's safe to say that this Ovello cru loyally demonstrates the level of richness and textural softness that this site is known for. The bouquet is redolent of bright berry fruit with cherry, blackberry and plum. Also, the 2014 vintage was a warm one at the end of the growing season, and you taste a little bit of that ripeness here too.
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Wine Enthusiast
Lovely aromas of perfumed berry, rose petal, aromatic herb and baking spice set the tone on this fragrant red. The ethereally elegant, medium-bodied palate is all about finesse and balance, delivering succulent red cherry, juicy raspberry, cinnamon and a dash of white pepper. It’s nicely balanced, with polished tannins and fresh acidity. It’s already accessible but will also age well over the next several years or more. Drink through 2026.
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Decanter
Though the summer was cool and wet, the last rainfall in Barbaresco was on 12 August. Harvest started exactly two months later, allowing the grapes to ripen under much improved conditions. Quantities were down 30%, but quality was high enough for Produttori to craft their cru Riservas. Bottled 20 days prior to tasting, the 2014 is uncharacteristically forward with a veritable explosion of red cherry. Enchanting notes of rose petal, violet, blood orange peel and pepper follow. Bright acidity accentuates the tannins, but they are fine and dissolve effortlessly. While this comes across as approachable now, it might shut down in bottle and I'd give it some time following its release next spring. I suspect it will be a mid-term rather than a long ager.
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Wine Spectator
Balsamic aromas of menthol, wild thyme and juniper complement the black cherry core of this muscular red, with dense tannins lending support. Though a bit more severe now than its peers, this is balanced overall and will age well. Best from 2022 through 2042.
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.