Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
A perfect mixed garden, with aromas of turned soil, blackberries ready to be picked, herbs fragrantly filling the air and warmed raspberries sitting in a basket weave their way into and out of the glass. Savory flavors of mixed herbs, tobacco and licorice root open the palate as flavors of cherry and marionberries pop with fresh acidity against a frame of elegant and superjuicy flavors of macerated cherries that burst with freshness and a lifted finish.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Produttori del Barbaresco 2019 Barbaresco Riserva Ovello is a tighter wine with more elegant mineral definition compared to the 2020 vintage that I tasted at the same time. However, this wine is not as accessible and remains a little shy or closed at this young stage in its life. The tannins are well managed in this edition that naturally delivers more richness and concentration.
-
Wine Spectator
Round and supple, this red features cherry, raspberry, rose, iron and menthol flavors. Though well-structured, this finishes with a flourish of red fruit and energy.
-
James Suckling
Leafy lightness with a meaty character and earthy cherry and pomegranate notes. Firm tannins and crisp acidity on the classic, extracted palate, with massive structure, a medium body and a juicy finish.
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.