Winemaker Notes
Blend: 100% Nebbiolo
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Focused aromas of wild strawberry and raspberry combined with fresh bay leaf, wildflowers and sandalwood rise from the glass of this serious wine. Flavors of cranberry and tart cherry pop off the vibrant palate with notes of leather and tea finishing with supple tannins and a persistent minerality. Drink 2028–2040.
Cellar Selection -
James Suckling
Crunchy and fruity with very fine tannins and bright raspberry, cherry and spice aromas and flavors. Makes you want to drink it now but it should age nicely. Citrus at the end.
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Wine Spectator
This red delivers sufficient cherry, strawberry and hibiscus flavors, augmented by eucalyptus and grassy notes. Turns leaner and firmer on the finish, where sanguine and iron accents add detail. Graceful and multifaceted. Best from 2026 through 2042.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One of the historic wines made by the Marchesi Antinori-owned Prunotto (with a winery outside of Alba), this is a lean and streamlined expression with mild aromas of dried cherry and redcurrant. The bouquet comes off as rather simple, although there are some spices and savory tones to add depth. I find this wine to be rather one-dimensional and stripped-down in terms of mouthfeel. It offers a good portrait of Nebbiolo but with only some of the magic.
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.