Winemaker Notes
Ruby red color with garnet hints. Velvety and full bodied. Typically pure and distinctive aromas of red cherry, raspberry, white pepper and tobacco, with spicy notes.
Pair with red meats and savory cheeses with medium-long ageing.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Bright fruitiness here with maraschino cherries, blood oranges, sweet violets and peonies. The elegant, medium-bodied palate has refined tannins and refreshing acidity. Drinkable now but best from 2026.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The refined and aromatic 2022 Tenute Neirano Barbaresco delivers classic Nebbiolo character with enticing notes of rose petals, black fruits, and dried herbs layered over subtle spice and earthy undertones. Elegant yet structured, the wine’s lively acidity and polished tannins provide excellent balance and persistence on the palate. This traditional Barbaresco shines with braised veal shanks (Osso Buco) alongside saffron risotto, a pairing that complements the wine’s savory depth and layered fruit profile. (Tasted: March 2, 2026, San Francisco, CA)
Tenute Neirano is a small estate in the heart of Monferrato in Piemonte. Giacomo Sperone founded the family winery in 1911. The 5th generation of the family has now joined Tenute Neirano to continue the vision and passion of sustainably farming their 60 acres of pristine vineyards. Tenute Neirano is located in a lovingly restored 17th century villa built on top of a hill in Casalotto di Mombaruzzo, near Asti, in the heart of Monferrato. It is surrounded by estate vineyards in the heart of the production of some of the top wines of the Piedmont region. The region is unique, it has a colder continental climate in winter, with low rainfall as a result of the rain shadow effect of the Alps, followed by warm dry summers.
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.