Winemaker Notes
The Curra vineyard is located in the town of Neive, which is very close to the area of Barbaresco; this results in a wine rich in tannis, like all the wines from Barbaresco, but with the fruity, charming elegance of Neive. This wine is released one year after the other crus to better express these components.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Whoa, this is a wine with great potential, but the 2014 Barbaresco Currá needs at least another two years to just chill out. It's way too tightly wound at the moment. This vineyard is right next door to Cottà, but the Currà (the accents here reflect the real spelling of these MGA crus) is a whole different animal altogether. The soil that lies underground accounts for the difference. This Barbaresco is closed and hard if released too early, and this vintage definitely needs more time to show that elegance, which is bound to be remarkable when it does. The fabric of the mouthfeel is different, to say the least, but there is much more complexity as well.
-
Wine & Spirits
This comes from a plot of vines up to 70 years old in Neive’s Currà cru. It produces a formidably tannic wine, which the Sottimanos hold in bottle a year longer than their other Barbarescos. Yet the tannins in the 2014 remain forceful, underlining the wine’s dark-cherry flavors like cool, polished metal. Woodsy tones emerge as the wine is exposed to air, the wine taking on a meaty aspect as it gains notes of cedar, spice and tobacco. Although it’s already complex and layered, this wine will benefit from another five years of cellaring. §
-
James Suckling
A firm and linear red with cherry, cedar and light hazelnut aromas and flavors. Medium to full body. Compacted and refined tannins. Excellent for 2014. Give it a year or two. Try after 2021.
-
Wine Spectator
Dense and tightly wound, with a kernel of ripe cherry and plum fruit locked within the beefy tannins. It's difficult to see where this is going today, but all the components are in the right proportions. Wild herb and earth accents add detail. Best from 2024 through 2043.
-
Wine Enthusiast
This wine's truffle, underbrush, dark berry and baking spice aromas take center stage. Still young and primary, it shows unripe red berry, sage, ground clove, truffle and star anise flavors on the palate, structured with bracing tannins and vibrant acidity. Give it time to fully come together. Drink 2021–2028.
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.