Barbaresco

A fruity and graceful Barbaresco. The loamy soils give it a firm backbone and strong tannins.

Ceretto's entry-level Barbaresco comes from different sites, mostly younger vines from Asili (35%) and the lower part of Bernadot (65%). Bright, elegant ruby red. It has full energy and vivacity and offers excellent persistence and remarkable balance. On the nose, sweet red cherry, mint, pine, liquorice and candied orange peel. Taut and ferruginous on the palate, very juicy, salty, stretches precisely across the tongue, with some pressure, considerable juicy-long finish. After good aeration already impressively accessible when young. SUPERIORE.DE

It was Domizio Cavazza, director of the Royal School of Viticulture in Alba, who gave Barbaresco its name and its claim to fame in 1894. A wine that was to stand up to the more powerful Barolo – finer, accessible earlier, but no less complex. More than a century later, the roles are clearly divided: Barbaresco stands for the elegant side of Nebbiolo, for finesse instead of power, for fragrance instead of darkness. Prunotto has found his answer to this appellation in a single vineyard: Bric Turot. Five hectares at around 200 metres, with an exposure from south-west to south-east, which gives the hill the shape of a natural amphitheatre. The soil – tortonian limestone and marl with veins of sand, rich in magnesium and manganese – is the same foundation on which Gajas Sorì Tildin stands just a few metres away. Not bad terrain then.

Rio Sordo stands alone. It is the southernmost vineyard of the Produttori del Barbaresco, a narrow strip stretching from north to south and bordering the municipality of Treiso to the west. The soils are light in colour, low in limestone and airy – quite unlike the clay-rich slopes to the north or the limestone-rich sites in the centre. And it is precisely this 'less' that leads to a 'more': silkiness. Tannins that never overwhelm, but rather accompany the wine. A surface that seduces before revealing its depth. The winemaking process is the same as for all Produttori del Barbaresco vineyards: 28 days' maceration, more than thirty months in Slavonian oak barrels, and a year in the bottle. First vinified as a single vineyard in 1978 – at a time when the world was just beginning to take Barbaresco seriously.

To the north, Pora borders a vertical rocky ridge that drops steeply down to the Tanaro – covered by a dense oak forest, renowned for its white truffles. This is no coincidence. The river is close by, and its influence is palpable: summer mornings are milder than elsewhere, the humidity is higher, and the soil is more fertile than in most other vineyards belonging to the Produttori del Barbaresco. What the vines produce is a Nebbiolo with a particular approachability – a gentle touch that does not deny the traditional craftsmanship. For the craftsmanship is uncompromising: 28 days' maceration, at least thirty months in large Slavonian oak barrels, and a year in the bottle. Domizio Cavazza was one of the first to include Pora 1894 on his vineyard map; the Produttori have been bottling it separately since 1967.

The name was finally established by the official MGA classification in 2007: Muncagota – the Piedmontese dialect term for what had been known as Moccagatta for decades. The wine, the winegrower and the soil remained the same. The vineyard is situated to the south-east of the village centre, thus facing the morning light, which reaches the grapes earlier than on the west-facing slopes. The soil is rich in limestone, the yield is modest – and the character it imparts to the Nebbiolo is unusual for a Barbaresco vineyard: floral, almost minty and herbaceous, with a freshness that holds its own even in warm vintages. The Produttori del Barbaresco have been vinifying Muncagota since 1967, using the same method as for all the cooperative's other vineyards: 28 days' maceration, thirty months or more in large Slavonian oak barrels, and a further year in the bottle. The same method is used for all wines; the differences stem solely from the terroir.

A Barbaresco of exceptional complexity. Rich in tannins and structured thanks to the chalky composition of the soil, it nevertheless retains a characteristic freshness and minerality that makes it a favourite with connoisseurs. Freshly cut flowers, minerals, crushed rock, rose petals and lavender. As always, Montefico is taut and angular in style. Its sense of transparency is simply beguiling. Sage, mint and sweet pipe tobacco are some of the nuances that linger. Montefico is a Barbaresco for lovers of tauter red wines, which it will delight. It combines the fruity richness of Montestefano with the vigour of Ovello. SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes come from the family's own plots throughout the Barbaresco zone – mainly in Treiso (including Il Bricco, San Stefanetto, Bongiovanni) and in San Rocco Seno d'Elvio (Rocche di Massalupo). Each vineyard is harvested and fermented separately in order to preserve its own characteristics; the lots are only combined after ripening. The wine is matured in the classic way over a long period in large Slavonian oak barrels, supplemented by a smaller proportion in French oak, enough to refine the texture without masking the origin. The 2019 vintage benefited from long, balanced vegetation with cool nights in autumn: fully ripe, aromatically dense grapes with an ideal acid structure.

Domizio Cavazza had vineyards in Ovello. When he founded the first Cantine Sociale in Barbaresco in 1894, Ovello was already part of his plan – one of the oldest and most original vineyards in this appellation. Today, with over twenty hectares, Ovello is by far the largest of the nine Produttori del Barbaresco sites and is located at the northernmost point of the municipal area, where the hill has various exposures – west-south-west and east-south-east – on a soil that is both calcareous and rich in clay. The clay is more present here than elsewhere in Barbaresco, and it gives the wine its typical opulence: plump fruit, full body, firm tannins. The Produttori del Barbaresco also vinify Ovello according to the same principle that has been maintained for decades: 28 days of maceration, at least thirty months in large Slavonian barrels, a further year in the bottle. The Riserve are bottled exclusively in exceptional vintages – and 2021 leaves no doubt about that.

A prime example of perfect balance: elegance and structure harmonise perfectly.

Full, enveloping and with great persistence, Montestefano is sometimes referred to as the "Barolo of Barbaresco".

The vineyard covers just under two hectares. Pajè is the smallest of all nine vineyards belonging to the Produttori del Barbaresco – and yet, or perhaps precisely because of this, it bears one of the most distinctive characteristics of the entire range: a freshness that never fades. The vineyard lies to the south-west of the village, slightly lower than its higher-lying neighbours and more open towards the Tanaro. The influence of the river gives it a cooler microclimate; the soil is rich in limestone with veins of sand that provide good drainage. In cooler vintages, a subtle hint of mint emerges, a characteristic rarely found elsewhere in Barbaresco. First produced in 1967 – at that time as a special label for the "Cavalieri del Tartufo" – it has been part of the regular range since 1982. The winemaking process follows the cooperative's basic principles: 28 days' contact with the must, thirty months or more in large wooden casks, and one year in the bottle.

An elegant, complex and supple Barbaresco. Shy in its youth, it develops its intense personality over the years.

A Barbaresco from our own vineyards in Treiso and San Rocco Seno d'Elvio. Each parcel is harvested separately and fermented in stainless steel; gentle remontage, selective délestage, followed by calm malolactic fermentation. For the maturation phase, the winery uses large Slavonian barrels, supplemented by a smaller proportion of French oak – not to provide flavour, but to fine-tune the texture and balance. Thanks to stable summer weather and cool nights in autumn, 2020 produced fully ripe, healthy harvestwith a well-proportioned acidity line.

Translucent purple with a fresh garnet red rim. The bouquet is a potpourri of dried fruits, truffles, dark chocolate and delicate nougat notes. Opens fruity and velvety on the palate and will give pleasure for many years to come with its straightforwardness and wonderfully integrated acidity. SUPERIORE.DE

2019 was a gift to Nebbiolo in the Barbaresco DOCG - and Vanotu has accepted it. This Barbaresco from the historic Basarin cru vineyard in Neive bears the signature of a great vintage with quiet naturalness: nothing is overdrawn, nothing loud - everything is in its place with quiet precision. The vines stand on sparse limestone marl, interspersed with sandy veins, with optimal south-west exposure. This site produces wines with depth and tension, but also airiness - a play of power and transparency that is exemplified in Vanotu 2019. The wine was matured for 20 months in French barriques, sensitively dosed, only to frame the wine, not to mould it.

Here comes the most opulent and friendly Barbaresco of Sottimano's overall highly impressive line-up of single vineyards. Bright garnet red with a copper rim. Lavish scent of black fruits, orange peel, rounded off with a fine nutty note. Fine-grained tannin even at a young age coats the firm structure and reinforces the easily recognisable highly individual character. SUPERIORE.DE

You have to earn that nickname. They call the Montestefano the "Barolo of Barbaresco" – and anyone who's tasted a good vintage will understand why. The vineyard is situated just a few metres from Montefico; it shares its southern exposure and calcareous subsoil, but is significantly steeper. Excellent drainage, harvest late harvest, and a warmer microclimate thanks to protection from north winds: these are the conditions under which the Nebbiolo reaches maximum ripeness here – an almost smoky depth, full of power. The Produttori del Barbaresco have been vinifying Montestefano as a single-vineyard wine since 1974; the winemaking process has remained unchanged for decades: 28 days' maceration at 30 degrees, followed by at least thirty months in large Slavonian oak barrels.

As always, the grapes come from our own vineyards in Treiso and San Rocco Seno d'Elvio. Each parcel is harvested separately by hand, fermented in stainless steel and left on the skins for around four weeks; gentle remontages ensure a fine extraction. Malolactic fermentation takes place without haste. For ageing, the Boffa family primarily chooses large Slavonian barrels, supplemented by a smaller proportion of French oak – used as a textural tool, not as a flavour enhancer. 2021 was a top year in Piedmont. It was characterised by a long, cool ripening process with clear day-night amplitudes, the harvest was late and selective with excellent results.

Montefico lies between Montestefano and Ovello – long regarded by connoisseurs as the most precise and sophisticated wine in the Produttori range. The vineyard faces south to south-east, sharing its limestone-rich soil with its imposing neighbour, Montestefano, whilst at the same time being exposed to occasional northerly winds that blow through the narrow valley between Barbaresco and Neive, bringing a refreshing coolness to the early morning hours even in hot summers. This lends the Nebbiolo here a characteristic coolness, which it bears with dignity. The Produttori del Barbaresco vinify Montefico using the same approach as for all their other nine crus: 28 days' maceration, followed by thirty months or more in large Slavonian oak barrels – without haste, without compromise. The April frost of 2021 reduced the harvest to the bare essentials; the grapes ripened slowly and fully, and the harvest did not take place until after 8 October – under almost perfect conditions.

The Sottimano winery has five vineyard sites, with the Pajorè site near Treiso having the poorest soils of all. These wines are therefore more elegant and ripe. The current 2018 vintage is a super-classic, explosive wine, with tremendous depth and character. Although it has a lot of breadth and texture, it remains light on its feet. Lavender, mint, liquorice and purple berry fruit are beguiling and wonderfully vibrant in the glass. Pajorè is a spicy, elegant and sweet Nebbiolo that is fine yet covers the mouth well - and we are always impressed by its lovely salty mouthfeel. SUPERIORE.DE

For over 60 years, the Produttori del Barbaresco have stood for an uncompromising commitment to quality, supported by over 50 winegrowers who contribute their finest grapes from Barbaresco, Neive and Treiso to the cooperative. The Barbaresco 2022 is a prime example of collective precision and classic style: the Nebbiolo grapes come from selected municipal vineyards, some of which border the crus, on limestone and clay-rich soils. Vinification was carried out using traditional methods: extended maceration, ageing for 24 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, followed by a further period of rest in the bottle.

Vanotu is the great single-vineyard Barbaresco of the house – a wine with origin at its core and concentration in its expression. The grapes come from the historic Basarin vineyard in Neive, a cru parcel with south-west exposure and steep limestone marl soils, which not only give the Nebbiolo depth, but also structure and vertical tension. The name "Vanotu" is a dedication to Giovanni (Vanotu) Pelissero, grandfather of the current winemaker – a family foundation to which this wine owes its independence. The wine is matured with sensitivity: around 20 months in barriques, some of which are new, precisely matched to the character of the vintage. No dominant wood notes, but a framework that gives the grape variety space and direction.