Twenty-three mind-blowing wines of 2023

Chianti Classico Collection, Stazione Leopolda

Composing a year-end, these are the most thrillin’ wines tasted in the last 12 months list is kinda akin to scribbling up a little warble, if you get the director’s drift. The question begs, what’s the cause, what’s the meaning and ultimately why bother? Reminiscences are part of the human condition and while there is little amusement however in watching a wine critic taste wines, there just may be some interest in reading said list, checking it twice and coming to a personal conclusion as to which choices are worthy, and which are merely nice.

Nebbiolo Prima 2023

You will find a notable cadent shift in this year’s melody away from there being a substantial number of older wines chosen as having been the year’s most exciting. Not to mention a concentration of certain grapes and their OG places. It’s just, well, natural. For 2023 more of the choices are directed towards hopelessly romantic youthful wines in their extant moments still years away from entering their right proper drinking windows. No shortage of opportunities in 2023 to taste top examples – Of sangiovese, nebbiolo, nerello mascalese, nero d’avola, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, grenache, syrah, chardonnay, riesling, assyrtiko and chenin blanc – Are but a range within the lion’s share of varietal moments.

Sicilia en Primeur

Old wines can elicit epiphanies but a conscious effort is made to include as many current vintages as possible, provided they represent a winery’s best of the best. This is the state of winemaking today because deeper understanding, the consummate use of technology and a passionate willingness to always improve are qualifying so many of the world’s finest wines at poll positions to a greater degree than before. There is little surprise that Italian wines coexist in highest favour if only because the author spends more than 25 percent of a 365-day timeframe in that country. Italy’s long, deep and intimate relationship with success is a serious attraction and so being afforded the opportunity to taste 2,000 Italian wines in a calendar year will almost certainly result in experiencing no less than 50 thrilling examples. A Bordeaux trip in September to 25 growth properties could and should rightly deliver wines to dot this list. Same could be said for many other palate awakening wine regions worldwide. All this and yet overall travels and tastings were less diverse and more focused in 2023. The author is known to follow the work.

L’Etna, Sicily

Act one: Nebbiolo Prima. Act two: Two weeks later, the Chianti Classico Collection. Act three: Three months later, Sicilia en Primeur and a Canadian Sommelier boot camp with Chianti Classico. Act four: Summer in Paris with Lambrusco, judging at the Nationals in the Okanagan Valley for WineAlign, shooting video in Florence, up to Collio and Hungary and finally 113 degrees in the smoky shade of Washington. Act five: Europe all fall, from Bordeaux to Monferrato, Chianti Classico to Montalcino, Piedmontazine Alta Langa and back to Chianti Classico. These decisions are not taken lightly, nor are they apocryphal fabrications, but they are Godello’s 23 mind-blowing wines of 2023.

Coppo 1892 Piero Coppo Riserva Del Fondatore 2013, Alta Langa Riserva DOCG, Piedmont, Italy

The 2013 vintage is the turning point to this 60 percent pinot noir and (40) chardonnay becoming and being labeled Alta Langa, recently disgorged in 2022. Previous disgorgements were labelled Vino Spumante di Qualità. Now into wildly vivid and famous complexity, toasty yes but there’s a crème frâiche and an almost strawberries and cream component. Eonologists GianMario Cerrutti, Guiliermo Grasso and Vittorio Pescarmona conspired to see this age 85 to 90 months on the lees, almost unprecedented around Asti. Has hit its stride, in the right place between crunchy and the kind of sparkling wine that you begin to ruminate with in the mouth. Cerebral wine in every respect. Drink 2023-2027. Tasted January 2023

Hermann J. Wiemer Riesling HJW 2020, West Seneca Lake, Finger Lakes

Upper echelon aromatic stage presence, stoic and static as riesling must be if it wants to set a gold standard. Dry entry that sides and morphs into natural sweetness of peach and Forelle pear, almost lime cotton candy scented. From the original vineyard planted in 1976 closer to the lake where tender varieties excel. The elastic extension and tension together coexist as long as Seneca runs from the snow belt to Watkins Glen. Drink 2023-2030. Tasted April 2023

Vineyards of the Szent György Hegy, Balatoni

Gilvesy Rajnai Rizling Tarányi 2020, Szent György Hegy, Balatoni, Hungary

Old vines over 50 years of age (planted sometime in the 1970s), right below the estate, just nine rows and once belonging to the cooperative. Named after a landowner from the 1920s (or 30s) connected to the local governmental administration. Crunchy as only a Gilvesy rizling can be, lime doused, acids so bloody intelligent and making sure fruit is put into flight. Aged in steel, Austrian Stockinger cask and Flex-Cube. There is no doubt that the single vineyard Tarányi delivers a richer and luxe expression of rajnai rizling but also one of flint, petrol and scintillant emission. This flashes across the palate like a supernova and lingers long after the wine is gone. That is powerful rizling. Drink 2024-2030. Tasted July 2023

Vassaltis Gramina Cuvee Des Vignerons 2021, PDO Santorini, Greece

Of course 100 per cent assyrtiko, picked and collected between six and eight AM, straight into the press, stainless steel vinified, no cooling, no passing go, no collecting 200 drachmas. All about preserving essential freshness, finesse and elegance. Spontaneous fermentation, a year on lees, in bottle six months. It is right here where we are to understand why Yiannis Valambous gave up a life 14 years ago that was not focused on Santorini, chose to return and altered his history. Santorini once a place of summers spent without purpose or tension is now all encompassing, focused on assyrtiko and for good reason. It is the variety to which all white grapes now aspire. Gramina sheds distraction and focuses on purity and 2021 is a great vintage. It celebrates assyrtiko from where it thrives and conveys that all important message of place. After tasting the Vassaltis Cuvée Des Vignerons 2021 winemakers around the world will ask their farmers to plant the grape in the place where they are. They will do so because even a fraction of this excellence will be worth pursuing. Drink 2023-2033. Tasted February 2023

Ulmo Chardonnay

Planeta Didacus 2020, Sicilia Menfi DOC

From Vigneto Maroccoli, The Didacus home where vines were planted in 1997 and 1998. The connection with chardonnay “Classico” is obvious but whole bunch fermentation and seriously selected oak barrels change the complexion and even more so the spice cupboard of this high caste wine. It may seem that Didacus would fare at its best in the warmest of vintages but it does not really need the extra sunshine and ripeness. Didacus gets there quite easily thank you very much and so the slightly cooler and more classic 2020 is ideal for a wine of exceptional depth and weight. Harmony is the result. Che equilibrio! Drink 2023-2028. Tasted May 2023

With Sarah Goedhart and Christophe Hedges

Hedges Family Estate Red Mountain Reserve 1999, Red Mountain AVA, Yakima Valley, Washington

The artist formerly known as Red Mountain Reserve became Le Haute Cuvée with the 2012 vintage. Hedges was both ahead of their time (because the word Reserve was already losing its wine world lustre) and respectful of family history by labelling in a Champagne or at least a French vernacular. Here is a nearly 24 year-old red blend that has aged remarkably well and though thinking miraculously was a momentary thought – there is no miracle but something more profound at play. The Mountain for one thing and a family at least a decade ahead of the curve. Early Washington organics, no reverse osmosis, no mechanical filtration and no lobotomizing a bottle of red wine. Yes the secondary notes are present and they are settled in a state of absolute proprietary grace. Very little trace of tannin, nor any barrel that is but a superfine mountain induction that makes for a silky feeling in the mouth. There is a chance this will live another 24 years but the fruit is already leaving and so 12 should be the maximum with half that the truest and most honest recommendation. Drink 2023-2027. Tasted August 2023

J.B. Neufeld Cabernet Sauvignon Two Blondes Vineyard 2021, Yakima Valley AVA

From Justin and Brooke Neufeld who first bottled their cabernet sauvignon in 2008. “In my opinion the Yakima is the state’s most diverse terroir,” explains Justin. “By focusing on one variety it forces me to concentrate on the nuances of the sites here in Rattlesnake Hills and the Upper Valley.” A cooler clime for a less granular if also reduced austerity as compared to what comes from Red Mountain. Here the ridges run east to west and Two Blondes is as cool a site as there is the Upper Valley where the cataclysmic glacial lake outburst Missoula Floods peaked at 1,200 feet. Early concrete raising for a cabernet of place above all else, conspicuously aromatic with a whole helluva lot of things (and love) going on. Famously and indelibly connected to the winemakers who created it. A cerebral cab that makes you perk up, ponader and pay attention. The wood factor is quite present, the wine is so young and this feeling of delicasse, grace and repose are on the indigo horizon. Should take about three years time to get to a point of heartsease and another three to gain serenity. Drink 2025-2033. Tasted August 2023

Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Trailside Vineyard 2008, Napa Valley, California

As Trailside Vineyard from Heitz will always do, is it the acid that is preserved. This was the case in both the ’06 and the ’07 but back in 2008 the aromatics were expressed in extra level florals, savoury elements and a charming layering of swarthiness. Five years of bottle aging before release plus nine more since have gathered the necessary elements and when you nose but then taste this wine you just know that it is Heitz, by style and out of a context that speaks to what the vineyard is want and purposed to say. Fine position, time and place right here, right now, ready, willing, able to please and without any moment of equivocation. Might just stay this way for another five, perhaps even ten years. Drink 2023-2031. Tasted October 2023

Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, Napa Valley, California

Opened after a near 20-year stay in the cellar and just a few days after tasting the 2010 and 2020 with Beth Weber Novak in Toronto. The vintage has not been considered as one to hold as long as either 2001 or 2003 but there can be no questioning this 2002’s longevity on this very day. Inventiveness without reinvention because this scents as fresh as it must have been at the essence of its very nascence. All that can be crushed to express in aromas for which imagination conjures berries, stones, clay and flowers. Spottswoode ’02 defines a Napa Vally posit tug between power and grace while existing in a controlled state of confidence and calm. A wine that gently, privately seduces the palate, body and mind into the gentlest slumber of our lives. Drink 2023-2028. Tasted October 2023

Graci Etna Rosso DOC Arcurìa Sopra Il Pozzo 2018

The southwest corner of Graci’s Arcurìa cru is Vigna Sopra Il Pozzo, identified as a most important block within a larger vineyard already qualified as something of great Etna Versante Nord value. Challenging season and every iota of energy captured and encapsulated inside a nerello mascalese of supreme freshness. The palate is the profound matter of this wine’s supreme expressive nature, with soft, graceful and subtly powerful tannins. An Etna Rosso that lays in waiting, not to pounce but to slowly and persistently keep hold of our attention. No density from Sopra Il Pozzo ’18 but compact layers of slow-release tension – and also energy. Drink 2024-2035. Tasted May 202

Girolamo Russo Etna Rosso DOC Piano Delle Colombe 2020, Sicily, Italy

Piano delle Colombe is a single block (or vineyard if you like) identified within San Lorenzo aged in tonneaux and barriques. Not a different take on the contrada but one that considers some rows of nerello mascalese whose separated vinifications have consistently performed well (and more often than not better) in many consecutive vintages. Concentration and hyper purity is incredulous, encouraged to the point of hyperbole by the vintage. Would say yet another Girolamo Russo ’20 that opens the floodgates of Etna Rosso fruit potential so that this waterfall of beauty crashes over the palate. Which in turn abides if only because it has no choice or else be drowned in fruit. Submit and be graced with a fineness of structure that can only feel the condition of greatness. Texture and finish are tops. Drink 2025-2038. Tasted May 2023

Il Poggio, Castello di Monsanto, San Donato in Poggio

Castello Di Monsanto Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG Vigneto Il Poggio 2018, San Donato In Poggio, Tuscany, Italy

There can be little doubt that Gran Selezione is the wine to explain style from a place within a place, that being Monsanto’s Il Poggio Vineyard inside the UGA of San Donato In Poggio. Il Poggio is four things; famous, respected, stunning and structured to design formidably age-worthy sangiovese. Stylistically speaking this Gran Selezione is so very different than Riserva because older-school austerity and unrelenting tannic structure keep fruit locked in tight while also interpreting place with pinpoint precision. But 2018 is a warm and accumulating vintage and so all things being equal there are strong determining factors for the fate of this place. Highly aromatic, tripping with light, energy and the science of the soils, of Galestro and schisty fragments that must be a part of the make up, from stones through vines and vines to fruit. This Monsanto Selezione smells like the place’s dust kicked up by heels and hands dragged through the dirt. With 2018 in bottle there could be an argument that San Donato in Poggio’s are some of the richest of all the UGAs, but this is Monsanto where destiny is all. Drink 2025-2037. Tasted February and May 2023

Related – 16 mind-blowing wines of 2016

Fèlsina Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG Colonia 2009, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Tuscany, Italy

Colonia Vineyard is a short jog up the hill past Rancia and through the woods. In 1966 Domenico Poggiali found a cellar set into the “tufa” hills of his Fèlsina estate. It was small, built of stone and with a wide brick vault. It was a start. In 1967 he chose to plant Colonia in an impossibly challenging and extreme Alberese limestone rocky location. He used dynamite because that was the thing at the time but it was soon outlawed and made clearing the land near impossible. Twenty-four years later Giovanni Poggiali resumed the project and planted its first vines in 1993, just before Domenico passed away. Colonia 2009 is La Prima, the first Gran Selezione and this look back is one to recall roots (tethered to 2006), familial traditions and passing of the Chianti Classico torch. This vintage separates and leaves its original designations in the rear-view mirror. At 14 years of age it remains austere but austere can be beautiful. As here, with severe and chiseled features though the savoury elements differ from Rancia. More resinous evergreen and forested aromas but also a chalkiness that speaks directly out of the Alberese. The thing is Colonia remains still young and fresh, while the powdered mineral persists unresolved. One of the most fascinating retrospective looks at aged Chianti Classico. Drink 2023-2036. Tasted October 2023

Il Molino di Grace

Il Molino Di Grace Gratius 2019, Toscana IGT

Gratius will make a very high quality Gran Selezione and the time is nigh to accord it the designation. All the qualities are inherent and intrinsic to the coming status, namely concentration, finest silken grains of texture and balancing tannin. Come now, the future is poetic and gracious. Last tasted October 2023

Choosing not to compare Gratius to Chianti Classico at any level, let alone Gran Selezione, is wise and for several reasons. For one thing the blending in of canaiolo and colorino changes dynamics by setting and settling acidity, elevating pH and stabilizing colour. For more reasons check out the manual but here are the Coles notes. Gratius delivers two-toned liquorice, more direct solar radiated brightness, finer and yet less immediately understood structure and a chewiness that sets it apart. What matters is here is that Gratius is the representative for the single San Francesco vineyard and so it is a profound IGT ready, willing and able to become a wine graced with the Gallo Nero and labeled as Panzano. Two new Austrian casks will conceive 3,900 bottles going forward and the future is all about DOCG quality at the highest appellative level. Drink 2024-2030. Tasted February 2023

Isole E Olena Cepparello 2021, Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Italy

Paolo’s first tasting of this finished 2021 Cepparello since bottling back in May is this right here. The frost vintage, namely on April 7th, with secondary buds on the Cordone vines being the source of most of the wine’s fruit. Not a disaster at Isole e Olena, maybe 35 percent loss in total but the quality was high and so less Chianti Classico was made. “That wine is less about the vintage for us,” says de Marchi and so this as the decision made to cope with the small crop. Once again (and since forever) Paolo employs the aromas and proteins inducing method of soft maceration, long délestage and skins connected back with already half fermented juice. The ’21 is a wine of “frescezza” and yet saying freshness does not do the description justice. There is tension and a nervous energy buzzing from Cepparello 2021 and one to really hold your attention. There may be no Italian word for texture but were there one that made any real sense it might be the dramatic threads of “weft” from this 2021 youthful work in progress. This will be a Cepparello for the ages, Buy it and bank on it. Drink 2026-2040. Tasted December 2023

Related – 15 Mind blowing wines of 2015

Casanova Di Neri Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Tenuta Nuova 2019, Tuscany, Italy

Tenuta Nuova is something next level and you know this from the moment you put nose to glass. It consumes the senses straight away with its intoxicating perfume as deep as it is strong. Muscular in that regard and exponentially so at the intersection of palate and structure. The stuffing, intensity, power and layers are what we call “off the charts” and there are but a few vintages that create, instil and then leave this kind of impression. Drink 2027-2038. Tasted November 2023

Conti Costanti Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG Colle Al Matrichese 2019, Tuscany, Italy

Take a moment, reflect even before this has even begun, focus the senses and prepare for a long connection with a 2019 from Andrea Costanti. A Brunello di Montalcino that graciously requests full attention paid because vineyard, experience and vintage have taken no liberties as it pertains to what is the necessary requiem. Aromatic wealth void of force and punch without gratuity comes out of the glass like an apparition gliding through the halls of a medieval edifice. They are sweet, flowing and casually swift. The palate and mouthfeel are one in the same – in most wines made everywhere around the world this is simply not the case. Acidity is right and it is bloody correct – whatever that means but in this case it’s true. Costanti tannins are always their best self but then there are 2019 tannins which elongate with elastic ease, always stretching forwards and return they will though it is hard to say when that will happen. It just does not happen on the finish, which is something impossibly so. Who would not wish to be frozen in this youth, impeccably fresh, limber and athletic? May act this way with generosity and charm for decades. Drink 2026-2040. Tasted November 2023

Biondi Santi Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva DOCG Tenuta Il Greppo 1988, Tuscany, Italy

It is very important to be reminded that Biondi-Santi is the original but also the estate that practiced early harvesting before just about anyone else. At the time the sangiovese grosso vines from the estate BBS11 clone (mainly intended for Riserva) would have been 25 years of age and while considered then and also now as a great vintage it is worth noting that in 1988 the final alcohol was 11 percent. When the estate style is reflected upon there is just something about the continuity which begins with the 1980s and especially the 1985 forward to the later part of that decade, all the way through to 2018 more than thirty years later. Yes there is in fact a connection despite the gap, the huge change in climate and the challenge to maintain identity. The last point is key because the contiguous teams focus on this ahead of all else. The ’88 now shows dried red fruits but also the wild strawberry and then frutta di bosco that are the hallmarks of an older Brunello that has not fallen over into the porcini and truffle zone. Not Biondi-Santi because wood was never the axis nor the focus and fruit was always carefully selected before being gently coaxed to arrive at this kind of secondary level. No matter the age the style persists as fresh red fruit, with fine acids more than alive and a specific succulence specific to place. Il Greppo the estate – which means the people abided by their charge to preserve this heritage. The original endowment of Montalcino. Respect. Drink 2023-2027. Tasted November 2023

Related – Mind blowing wines of 2014

Cantina Del Pino Barbaresco DOCG Ovello 2017, Barbaresco, Piedmont

The 2017 is part of a life’s work and now legacy defining Barbaresco by Renatto Vacca of Cantina del Pino who three years ago was lost to the nebbiolo, Barbaresco, Piedmontese and Italian world, but most of all to his adoring family. For now and wishfully forever there is Aldo Vacca of Produttori del Barbaresco who will not just transition but consult in perpetuity to this great estate. In the meantime Renatto’s 2017 Ovello from the Grand Cru vineyard overlooking the Tanaro River is sumptuous, silken textured, fruit maximized and elegance incarnate. Easy to be romantic in this situation but also wistful and somber – yet the wine speaks so clearly and emphatically it’s all that matters at this very moment. These are complete, distinct and forward carrying tannins to take Ovello ’19 deep into this and well further through the next decade. Solo cose belle Cantina del Pino. Drink 2025-2034. Tasted January 2023

Pio Cesare Barolo DOCG Ornato 2019, Serralunga d’Alba, Piedmont

Tasted with Cesare Benvenuto in Alba from the Serralunga cru and a vintage of round fruit set against a backdrop of understated if surely intense tannin. A year for which a winemaking team had to reset and not push anything too hard, lest there creep in notes of volatility and astringency. Jam as well and the report on Ornato by Pio Cesare speaks nothing of these things. A softness in the beginning and also a state of grace with the force of structure waiting in the wings, respectfully and knowing now is the merely the time for introductions. Some fruit from 1947 planted vines takes part in this nebbiolo play and the rest seem to follow, fill and support, dutifully in the tradition of this menzione. Though those vines are hard to define in how they affect overall concentration there is the unspoken aspect of experience and strength. Of character which leads to probability to say this Ornato will live long and prosper for decades. Another stunner from the world of Pio Cesare. Drink 2026-2039. Tasted January 2023

Cavallotto Tenuta Bricco Boschis Barolo Riserva DOCG Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe 2017, Castiglione Falletto, Piedmont

Not entirely sure why there is a need or desire to show a Riserva 2017 from a cask sample but frankly this feels ready to be in bottle. The aromatics are resolved, the fruit laid in a state of preparedness and the nebbiolo character intact, with tact and in display of its varietal guarantee. No other 2017 exhibits this much acidity and while some might see it as edgy to verging on volatile, the reminder is this. Bricco Boschis, Castiglione Falletto and an old school soul for Barolo that will outlast them all. What a glorious Barolo, without holes and one hundred percent in charge of its emotions. Ours submit to the character of this great nebbiolo. Drink 2025-2040. Tasted blind at Nebbiolo Prima, January 2023

Château Troplong-Mondot Premier Grand Cru Classé 2019, Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France

First vintage where the malolactic fermentation was done 100 percent in tank before being racked to barrel. Some simultaneous spontaneity overlapping with alcoholic fermentation but more often than that there will be control to have them happen one after the other. The fact that 35 percent of the vineyards at the top of the hill are filled with the hardest clay anywhere in Bordeaux, coupled with limestone all over creates the most mineral quotient around. This transmits as contained and controlled power, especially from the generously wooded 2019 but my goodness the saline freshness, chalky quality and silken tannin wrap up the fruit with a ying-yang of nurture and grip. Whether you are familiar with, an expert on or just arriving at a Troplong Mondot Grand Cru Classé for the first time – it just doesn’t matter. This 2019 will blow your mind. Drink 2025-2039. Tasted September 2023

Château Les Carmes Haut Brion Grand Vin De Graves 2018, AC Pessac Léognan, Bordeaux, France

Extremely different vintage but not like ’17, here with much darker, riper and developed fruit. Freshness would have to have been a challenge but at 13.5 percent alcohol and high pH there comes this ulterior freshness with texture imposed by great and forceful will. More active infusion earlier on because there was so much colour and extraction on hand from a vintage where the blend was nearly the same as that of 2017. That being 38 percent cabernet franc, (35) cabernet sauvignon and (27) merlot. There really is no other chateau that creates this style, a mix of salt and pepper seasoning over blue to black fruit and in 2018 the whole bunch inclusion was 60 percent. If you are buying high end Bordeaux from 2018 then Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is the place to be, though it’s likely sold out wherever you may live. Just about nothing else in the Left Bank finds this level of quality, balance and success. The whole bunch “infusion” methodology controls the heat and excess of the vintage to deliver finesse, precision, restraint and honesty. Drink 2025-2038. Tasted September 2023

Good to go!

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Nebbiolo Previews: Barbaresco DOCG 2020 and Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 2018

Sep6

Nebbiolo Prima 2023

What’s in a vintage? If we are talking about 2020 Barbaresco there is so much to say because these are a group of nebbiolo that meet at the crossroads of variability, complexity, multiplicity and whimsy. At their finest the ’20s are a textural bunch, suave and sensorial because of high levels of glycerol and unctuousness. If there is density it’s of an elastic, chewy, often leathery and pliable kind. Many examples reach levels that heighten awareness and elicit deeper understanding of what it means to be Barbaresco. The best are the sort that exhibit experience, acumen, stage presence and when appropriate, also ambition. Top end Barbaresco are varietal distillate expressions of cru, soil, vintage and maker. Wines that finish with dignified tannins, often sweet ones that carry forward from nearly identical vintage acidities. Anyone will tell you that nebbiolo of this world are marked from the get-out, before they are bottled. Not all the 2020 Barbaresco can be credited as being exceptional but there are many worthy of kind and even reverential praise.

While it is said that as a rule the wines of Barbaresco drink earlier than those of Barolo, the fact of the matter is they are bottled earlier and a more recent vintage is presented at each anteprima. It must also be explained that Barolo’s tannins are never sneaky, more like in your face but those from Barbaresco can lurk beneath the surface, pounce when you least expect them and in some cases create nebbiolo of longevity that rival Barolo. This is one of the fascinations about Barbaresco, especially when tasted blind and young, because a taster is made to concentrate, focus and try to determine if there may just be wily structure laid in hiding inside the fortifications of a wine. Barbaresco is so often a crafty and cunning example of nebbiolo worthy of decades of time in the cellar.

Barbaresco is so many things. A village, commune and also a set of wines made from nebbiolo grown on the right bank of the Tanaro River, southeast of Alba. The eponymous village is joined by three others, they being Neive and Treiso, plus San Rocco Seno d’Elvio, an outlying district of Alba. In geological terms, the Barbaresco wine growing area is approximately 23 to 5.3 million years old, belonging to the Miocene Epoch of the Tertiary Period. A drone’s view might say the area resembles a horse’s head, or more appropriately a cluster of nebbiolo grapes. In 2020 vine space increased to 783 hectares and for the first time production exceeded five million bottles (5,128,920).

If seeking Barbaresco cru from 2020 with a plan to hold and then drink well five through 15 years forward is the intended search, well then this Grand Crus like Asili, Rabajà and Martinenga will fulfil those hopes and dreams

There can often be depth to nebbiolo of no particular cru affiliation, a.k.a nessuna menzione but also those composed of fruit taken off of several vineyard sources, or what are called più comuni. The communes of Neive, Barbaresco, Treiso and San Rocco Seno d’Elvio each produce different styles of nebbiolo but one thing is certain. Barbaresco wines as a whole are more identifiable than those from Barolo, mainly because the hectarage and diversity of soils are much smaller by comparison. Barbaresco are not younger siblings and while they are cousins they are the cool, hip, intriguing ones full of interest, fantasy and meaning. As for the crus (referred to in the Langhe as menzione), yes there are in fact those considered Grand. The ridge that includes Asili, Rabajà and Martinenga receive the greatest respect. These sites along with Neive’s Santo Stefano and Treiso’s Pajorè are considered the finest vineyards anywhere in the the entirety of the Barbaresco DOCG. For Barbaresco commune the top menzioni have been classified as Pajè, Pora, Asili, Martinenga, Montefico, Montestefano, Muncagota, Rabajà, Rio Sordo, Roncagliette and Secondine. Then there are Albesani, Basarin, Currá, Cottá, Gallina, Santo Stefano and Serraboella from Neive. Out of Treiso the higher mentions have been Bernardot, Bricco di Treiso, Pajorè, Rombone and Vallegrande. For San Rocco Seno d’Elvio; Meruzzano, Montersino, Rizzi (all these are shared with Treiso) and Rocche Massalupo.

Barbaresco and the Langhe

This 27th edition of Nebbiolo Prima took place in Alba back in January of 2023, with thanks to Albeisa and the organization’s President Marina Marcarino, along with Anna Barbon and Linda Foltran of AB Comunicazione. These 2020 Barbarescos are now showing up in the Canadian market and will continue to do so through the early months of 2024. Once again a reminder that not all producers participate in Nebbiolo Prima, for a myriad of reasons and so consider this report as a relevant snapshot of those that did. These 77 tasting notes, which include some older vintages poured that week, tell a vintage story, or at least Godello’s interpretation of it.

Barbaresco DOCG 2020

Alba

Masseria Di Delmonte Pierina Barbaresco DOCG Montersino 2020

Surely top of the pops and tip of the pips ripe fruit, some dry to leathery plum and cedar noes, a mature perfume all in all. Rescued by quality acids and a silky texture. Easy access all the way through with dignified tannins. Early drinking 2020 is the call, perhaps a factor of Montesino’s particular Alba exposure. Drink 2023-2025. Tasted January 2023

Adriano Marco E Vittorio Sanadaive Barbaresco DOCG 2020

Reticent, compact, a bit hard to get. Also some proper nebbiolo volatility straight away. Surprising considering the villages-level cuvée though there is a good chance the fruit source is primarily from one block in a cru. A bit boozy feeling as well and then a repeat on the palate of what the aromas originally dictated. That being taut, weighty and non-disclosed agreements. There is depth to this nebbiolo of nessuna menzione and a year or so will likely release what’s base, right and necessary. Drink 2024-2026. Barrel sample tasted January 2023

Manera Fratelli Barbaresco DOCG Rizzi 2020

Good brightness and specificity of place through quick-ish reveal, that being Rizzi from the commune of Alba and a nebbiolo that scents as one would 100 per cent expect. Rose petals, sweetly perfumed, almost candied and expressive, surprisingly early it should be noted. Full and generous palate, tons of fruit without fail or need of hasty retreat, therefore lingering and satisfying. Tannins are sweet as well, acids too. Fine wine though not for long term aging. Drink 2023-2027. Barrel sample tasted January 2023

Barbaresco

Giordano Luigi Giuseppe Barbaresco DOCG Asili 2020

A bit more seriousness here from nebbiolo out of the Asili cru in the commune of Barbaresco. Far from draughty in fact this is a closed, hermetic and locked in environment where the perfumes and volatile compounds swirl in centrifuge. A wine of equally formidable and important structure, tannins persistent, semi-austere and very much in charge of the show. If seeking Barbaresco cru from 2020 with a plan to hold and then drink well five through 15 years forward is the intended search, well then this Asili will fulfil those hopes and dreams. Drink 2026-2034. Tasted January 2023

Giordano Luigi Giuseppe Barbaresco Cavanna 2020

From Cavanna in the commune of Barbaresco and a lithe nebbiolo, quite tisane styled aromas, from Ceylon to Rooibos, in other words also equipped with the kind of tannins that feel seeped as opposed to buffering. An easy and rustic example to be fair, traditional yet accessible, one that won’t solicit suffering and ready as early as you choose. Drink 2023-2025. Tasted January 2023

Culasso Piercarlo Barbaresco DOCG Faset 2020

Faset delivers a higher tonality, not necessarily a brighter iteration but instead the kind of aromatic profile that heightens awareness and also sensation. Move quickly into the textural and structural parts and there is more of the same elevated feels, of unctuousness and glycerol, silky liquidity and organza layering. Here drinks a fine, moving and vintage appropriate nebbiolo, finely tannic, never dense or weighty, always on the upswing. Would wait a couple of years to see the grains melt further and really tie the room together. Drink 2025-2032. Tasted January 2023

Culasso Piercarlo Barbaresco DOCG Faset Duesoli 2020

Different sort of aromatic profile here from Faset in Barbaresco, an almost gummy to plum-stick profile from start to finish. There is this disparate feeling ascertained, from sweet aromatics through to grainy tannins and a tacky profile in between. Nothing totally wrong and yet nothing quite right. Dries out at the finish and those tannins are all that remain. Drink 2024-2026. Tasted January 2023

Chiarlo Michele Barbaresco DOCG Faset 2020

Strong mocker aromas straight off the dense top of this Faset Barbaresco, fulsome, cumbersome and like a heavy cloud looming overhead. Quite a macerated plum note, not sweetly cloying but rather savoury, heady and weighty. Serious wine fully pressed, extracted and pulled from itself, dragging all the weight of the world while it carries this magnitude of fruit and tannin. Seems to seek the modern but can’t help bring all the rusticity and traditional ways along for the ride. Drink 2024-2028. Tasted January 2023

Tenute Cisa Asinari Dei Marchesi Di Gresy Barbaresco DOCG Martinenga 2020

Perfectly, beautifully and candidly simple but lithe, ripe, really elegant nebbiolo. Perfumes are intoxicants. Well-rounded and surprisingly easy to access. Drink 2024-2029. Barrel sample tasted January 2023

Cascina Morassino Di Bianco Roberto Barbaresco DOCG 2020

Reductive as can be with seriously austere tannins and and nearly inaccessible as any Barbaresco 2020 you are likely to encounter. Just a wall of tannin with angular and angry notes, clearly built to age but even the micro-oxygenation of time in bottle under cork won’t happen fast enough. Not before what little fruit there is dies off well ahead of intended schedule. Drink 2025-2027. Tasted January 2023

Giacosa Carlo Di Giacosa Mariagrazia Barbaresco DOCG 2020

Classic and traditional, sweetly rustic and old-school nebbiolo with no real invitation to specificity of place. A cuvée that speaks to a half century of making Barbaresco from these hills by combing fruit from several blocks to speak in a broad local vernacular. Austerity and demand of tannins are just what to expect and a long life where dried herbs, green notes and waning fruit will always be the way. Drink 2024-2028. Tasted January 2023

Giacosa Carlo Di Giacosa Mariagrazia Barbaresco DOCG Montefico 2020

Full attack from a well-grounded cuvée that speaks in modern terms though not without well-pressed fruit dragging all the acids, tannins, elements and minerals along for the ride. A serious chemical compound of complexities await in a nebbiolo of no particularly focused origin. At one crunchy, like trying to bite through stones and then chewy, leathery textures, of liquorice and animal hides. Tannins build and build. Drink 2024-2030. Tasted January 2023

Moccagatta Barbaresco DOCG Bric Balin 2020

Über cherry nebbiolo, suave yet tannic, inviting but admittedly intense. High tonality with some swarthiness though not overt and full fruit glycerin slide across the palate. A Barbaresco of density if the kind that is elastic, snapping back without too much recoil by force. Solid wine, mid to longer aging potential and a truly good example of the vintage. Drink 2024-2028. Tasted January 2023

Castello di Verduno Barbaresco DOCG 2020

Gone for broke, ripe to the nth degree nebbiolo, pressed and excited to show what it’s got. A Barbaresco villages appellative wine, almost a syrupy swirl of perfume, of plums and black cherries, evergreen and mint. Some varnish as well so you can really feel the skin-contact macerate juices swelling and then come the tannins, marching in, connected on a chain, one by one. Barbaresco of command, on the move, attack mode, restless and ruthless. Drink 2025-2030. Tasted January 2023

Cascina Morassino di Bianco Roberto Barbaresco DOCG Ovello 2020

A pinpointed Barbaresco with fruit selected from the Ovello cru, taut and closed nose, of strong grip and while this youthful it is yet to relent. One taste and you know this is a serious glass of nebbiolo because the integration or rather the seamlessness of fruit and structure is so readily apparent. Strong tannic presence yet one that lifts, supports and holds up the whole so that it may walk a fine linear path and that should last for a decade or more. Impressive wine, far too youthful to fully appreciate but the beauty lays ahead. Drink 2025-2032. Tasted January 2023

Musso di Musso Emanuele Barbaresco DOCG 2020

Fine Nebbiolo swirl of perfumed floral fruit here from the Pora MGA, surely indicative of vintage from which attempting less will ultimately add to more. Hard not to imagine 2020 as sharing some affinity with 2000, misunderstood in youth and then exhibiting greatness 10-plus years into its tenure. This just strikes as one of those wines, chewy enough of texture while perfectly taut and elastic, bending but never breaking. Would really like to see this wine in 10 years time. Drink 2025-2035. Tasted January 2023

Cascina Luisin Barbaresco DOCG 2020

Really light and effusive 2020 Nebbiolo, fine floral scents, white roses in a way and a mildly tart push of raspberry. Pretty and elegant wine at first but their is a silkiness to the mouthfeel, albeit once again on the faint and lithe side of Barbaresco. There are tannins however and a notable cask component. It’s a tricky wine, sneaky even and may flesh out to bigger surprises down the road. Drink 2025-2030. Tasted January 2023

Musso di Musso Emanuele Barbaresco DOCG 2020

Curious if enticing nose of nebbiolo, spiced to the nines with the wood playing an integral part of development. From the Rio Sordo cru in Barbaresco commune and the more you nose this 2020 the more you will receive. Plenty off fleshy berry to plum fruit and more spice, if also spiciness that really directs the way this drinks. A modern wine with more than ample tannins. Drink 2025-2033. Tasted January 2023

Poderi Colla Barbaresco DOCG 2020

A fulsome nebbiolo is all respects from Roncaglie in Barbaresco, open and ready to be expressive of a vintage that may be on the lighter side but shows no lack of typically deduced tradition. Would never go so far as to call this a modern nebbiolo but it surely would like to announce its arrival in the olfactory and also on your palate. So much to go on with a nebbiolo of this ilk and structurally speaking the first four to six years will be the best. Drink 2024-2028. Tasted January 2023

Albino Rocca Barbaresco DOCG 2020

Full attack if somewhat closed and unforgiving in Barbaresco indicative of the Ronchi cru. An aromatic front of more breadth than most out of 2020 with well-pressed and macerated fruit, a gentle swarthiness and then more acidity and tannin above all else aboard the weighty palate. The fruit is a party in the front while the tannins are long-haired and wispy in the back. Out of fashion nebbiolo, earthy and rustic despite all that up front fruit. Drink 2024-2026. Tasted January 2023

Neive

Antichi Poderi dei Gallina di Francone Marco Barbaresco DOCG Albesani 2020

Darker than most as far as 2020 nebbiolo go, a concern of place which is Albesani cru in Neive and the decision to press form success. Boozy nose it feels, yet elemental too, like smelling metal filaments, magnesium and iron mainly. Perhaps a ferric soil, redder earth than some other hills and so the wine is an expression of place after all. Quality Barbaresco in any case, balanced and truthful, exacting as needs to be from the location it was born. Kudos for that and with tannins in effect though never overbearing in any shape or form. Drink 2024-2027. Tasted January 2023

Castello di Neive Barbaresco DOCG Vigna Santo Stefano Albesani 2020

The second of two Albesani cru nebbioli is nearly an exact copy of the first, dark of fruit though here in black cherry that is really quite an obvious aromatic fruit expression. Smoother and silkier than its counterpart yet with much higher acidity and not quite as suave tannin. More energy and drive this time while less elegance defining the character of the wine. Drink 2024-2026. Tasted January 2023

Adriano Marco e Vittorio Barbaresco DOCG Basarin 2020

Wealth of constituent parts emit with haste, gregariousness and also attentive demand from this Basarin. ’Tis a wine that stands and opens up to be heard but also paid immediate attention. Carries some volatility in its voice and while there is fruit but also tension there may be no getting rid of that high and mighty tonality. Plenty of herbal earthiness, strong bones and drying at the finish. Drink 2025-2028. Barrel sample tasted January 2023

Cascina Luisin Barbaresco DOCG Vecchie Viti Basarin 2020

Lighter style or perhaps a hands-off, naturally leaning, let it ride approach by a winemaker wishing to seek purity, honesty and cru definability. This from Basarin is beautifully elegant and proper nebbiolo that should never be referred to as “light.” The aromatics are equally handsome while the wine flexes muscles and is yet nimble, agile and sleek. A fine specimen in all regards with a knowable and confident glide. Complex and characterful without needing to attract attention. Lovely wine. Drink 2025-2032. Tasted January 2023

Fontanabianca Barbaresco DOCG Bordini 2020

Nebbiolo from Bordini cru is hard and brittle, tannins that is with simple fruit that will never keep up with the demand. Already drying out as we taste and speak about the prospects. Drink 2023-2024. Tasted January 2023.

Cascina Vano di Rivetti Bruno Barbaresco DOCG 2020 Canova

Intensity of acidity and tannin supersede the fruit in this Canova cru nebbiolo. Earthy and dry though there is some charm. Tart and really compact so give it three to four years. Perhaps it will open like a flower. Perhaps not. Drink 2026-2028. Tasted January 2023

Cascina Saria Di Abbruzzo Francesco Barbaresco DOCG Colle Del Gelso Canova 2020

Early earthy, volatile and syrupy from the aromatics all glycerin inflected with soy, wood and baking spice. Hard tannins and a wave off vanilla mark this wine of barrel and more barrel. Drink 2024-2026. Barrel sample tasted January 2023

Albino Rocca Barbaresco DOCG Cotta’ 2020

The cru Cottà delivers a fine and typical Nebbiolo from 2020 with fruity aromas and good vocal acidity. Chewy red fruit in tart raspberry meets somewhat dusty plum make this getable yet not overly excitable. A crunchy mineral example that is notably tannic but five years should solve all issues and see this drink with Barbaresco excellence. Drink 2026-2033. Tasted January 2023

Taverna Roberto Barbaresco DOCG Senteùndes Cotta’ 2020

Quite up front, gone for it nebbiolo, fruit spent before it’s even entered the glass and tannins hard, brittle, not so very inviting. Notable presence of Brettanomyces. Aromas and flavours are all wood. Tasted January 2023

Roberto Sarotto di Cavallotto Aurora Barbaresco DOCG Gaia Principe 2020

So much of everything off the top, fruit, glycerin and tannin coming from all directions. This is a nebiolo predicated on elévage that much is abundantly clear with a wave of vanilla that speaks louder than varietal words or the Gaia Principe location. Needs time and there is some fleshy-pulpy substance to see this Neive commune nebbiolo gain some status. Drink 2026-2029. Tasted January 2023

Negro Giuseppe di Negro Piergiorgio Barbaresco DOCG Gallina 2020

Fine lines define this linear and upright Gallina cru nebbiolo of all parts registered to play a significant role through a long life of development. Plenty of fruit substance will hold well while the structure abates and abides as it manages a pact with the aforementioned fruit. Really solid Neive Barbaresco that will gain traction slowly and surely over ten years time. Drink 2025-2034. Tasted January 2023

Poderi e Cantine Oddero Barbaresco DOCG Gallina 2020

Some formaggi on the nose of this nebbiolo and a strong tannic presence for a Gallina that’s not showing much love in these beginning stages. Lots of acidity and intensity but really quite rustic and this will not change. Time is the matter and there may just be some beauty behind the brawn Drink 2025-2029. Tasted January 2023

Pelissero Pasquale Barbaresco DOCG Cascina Crosa 2020

Fruity, elegant and simple though as always there is a string of strong tannins matched by a tonic and bitter presence. Dusty and earthy nebbiolo, nothing truly specified in terms of cru or location and carrying the overall feel of a traditional wine. Drink 2025-2028. Tasted January 2023

Bera Barbaresco DOCG Serraboella 2020

High-toned, of red fruit and notable tang, somewhat sour gummy and though it looks to be light there is a strong presence of barrel on this nebbiolo. Tannins creep up quite quickly and though they are demanding there is an accord struck in a composite to complimentary village level way. Quite a solid Neive example. Drink 2024-2028. Barrel sample tasted January 2023

Cordara Ornella Barbaresco DOCG Tufo Blù 2020

Reductive and also acetic, with capers and dill, wood spice and hopeful red berry fruit. Liquid chalky and tannic but the minor faults add up to major distraction. Drink 2024-2025. Tasted January 2023

Taverna Roberto Barbaresco DOCG Duicrü 2020

Major amount of shoe polish and strange varnish notes indicate a problematic wine. Hopefully just this bottle but there is not much recourse in a blind tasting. Drink 2024. Tasted January 2023

Pietro Rinaldi Barbaresco DOCG San Cristoforo 2020

Acetic and reductive off the top, not egregiously so but these elements are there. More of the latter so giving this nebbiolo a fair agitate swirl to reveal some quality fruit behind the swarthy veil. Dark black cherry and the stone, a definite mineral presence and hard tannins come up the rear for this cru example out of Neive’s San Cristoforo. Tough and gritty wine needing time, a whole lot of precious time. Drink 2026-2030. Tasted January 2023

Pelissero Pasquale Barbaresco DOCG Bricco San Giuliano 2020

From San Giuliano in Neive and a nebbiolo of darker red fruit though quite effusive to nose. Good aromatic profile from which violets and also blue fruits join the mix. These are quality tannins as well as acidity which is well matched to the overall profile. Will benefit from a year or so in bottle to soften the edges, integrate the oxygenating cask workings and bring all the parts together. Drink 2026-2032. Tasted January 2023

Fontanabianca Barbaresco DOCG Serraboella 2020

More than enticing Serraboella aromatics emit and grab attention for a nebbiolo that’s worth knowing. Glycerin all the way through though never drifting into sap, resin or syrup. All three in faint hints are fine and their mentions are in this Neive’s character but yes, subtlety is the name of the game. A fine floral addendum and then proper mouthfeel while tannins are stronger than might have been anticipated. A most commanding wine with stage presence and a great idea of what it desires but also choose to become. Drink 2025-2033. Tasted January 2023

Paitin di Pasquero-Elia Barbaresco DOCG Serraboella 2020

Some reductive and stemmy behaviour. Lively and lovely Serraboella aromatics fly out of the glass from this nebbiolo to create great anticipation for what else is to come. Seems and feels like a wine of experience, acumen and proper ambition. Just what the doctor orders in healthy, clean living by fruit that’s been raised in all the right ways. Pure varietal distillate that expresses cru, soil, vintage and maker with equal, four part-symbiotic stability and equal footing for all. Top, top Barbaresco for the vintage. Drink 2025-2036. Tasted January 2023

Collina Serragrilli Barbaresco DOCG Starderi 2020

Quite classic, rustic earthy and yet vintage fruity so in the end we’d expect this to land somewhere in between. Tart red fruit and fine acidity – a lighting strike kind of nebbiolo that should indicate lighter white or grey clay and fine sandy quality of soil. High in mineral as well. Starderi? Really tight and compact wine, far from generous and some might see it as tenebrous. Seems proper and honest from this point of view. Drink 2025-2028. Tasted January 2023

Treiso

Cantina del Nebbiolo Barbaresco DOCG 2020

Stems and a volatility define the first impression for a Barbaresco that draws fruit from at least two communes. Somewhat simple and rounded with the least demanding tannins around. Think of nebbiolo and while it qualifies as Barbaresco the wine should be consumed in its first two years. Drink 2023-2025. Tasted January 2023

Masseria di Delmonte Pierina Barbaresco DOCG Mon Sertù 2020

From a few commune’s fruit and a well rounded nebbiolo at that with stuffing in a most generous sort of way. Some sap and glycerin though not overt and all is manageable for quality consumption. Does well to speak on behalf of Barbaresco with distinction if not a pinpointed sense of a particular block or cru. Which is fine when a wine does everything well. Represents as a great intro to the appellation and the vintage. Drink 2024-2027. Tasted January 2023

Socré Barbaresco DOCG 2020

Slightly jammy and also acetic notes, some reduction as well in a broadly accumulated, rendered and interpreted nebbiolo for Barbaresco. Tart and full of tang, drying out already and needing some air. Hard tannins make this somewhat problematic. Drink 2024-2026. Tasted January 2023

Molino Barbaresco DOCG Ausario 2020

Ausario as a cru seems to be a place of solar accumulation as noted by the massive fruit substance emanating from this full on nebbiolo. So much up front but also a liquid chalkiness and definite vanilla swirl by wood with the intention to create a structure wine. A bit too much of these things I’m afraid yet time will see good integration and when the wine settles in it will drink well indeed. Drink 2024-2027. Tasted January 2023

Nada Giuseppe Barbaresco DOCG Casot 2020

Casot delivers fine goods in 2020 from its Treiso cru with a nebbiolo in fine form and especially fashion. The trilogy and trinity of fruit, acid and tannin get on the same page, linear of design, one following the other and then returning back to begin the process over again. Seems to do this on repeat several times before retiring so not only are the parts full of character but their familiarity with one another breeds consistency and length. Fine Casot from a Casot vintage indeed. Drink 2025-2033. Tasted January 2023

Cascina Alberta Barbaresco DOCG Giacone 2020

An upfront, centred and look at me Giacone full of fruit and more fruit. Carries on with Treiso familiarity and quality to deliver a Barbaresco of the times, heady and high-toned. Lots to go on here and tannins quite grippy but there is always some brightness and airiness to this nebbiolo. Crafty if older schooled but that luminosity is quite something. Hard to believe considering the structure of the wine. Drink 2025-2030. Tasted January 2023

Cantina Vignaioli Elvio Pertinace Barbaresco DOCG Marcarini 2020

Marcarini cru brings some baritone to nebbiolo for 2020 and this example expresses the depths of its varietal fruit. Chewy liquorice is indicative of the tannins involved but the fruit keeps pace. Nothing limpid or softy about this one at all in fact it’s grip is both admired and feared. Chewy and it would be hard not to see the great probability for longevity out of this formidable Nebbiolo. Drink 2025-2034. Tasted January 2023

Nada Giuseppe Barbaresco DOCG Marcarini 2020

The second of two Marcarini shares some affinities with the first but they are far from the same wine. This time the combination of swarthiness and swaying texture are at the fore. Definitely not the formidable brood of its counterpart though it does share in the other’s chewy fruit thickened on the palate. Drink 2024-2028. Tasted January 2023

Cantina Vignaioli Elvio Pertinace Barbaresco DOCG Nervo 2020

Nervo delivers a lighter style of nebbiolo for Treiso out of a variable 2020 vintage. That is aromatically speaking and yet the palate is very much a matter of glycerol fruit. Thickens with pectin and therefore both sweetens and fleshes as it airs to receive equally sweet acids and then tannin in the end. There is a bit of vanilla and wood derived elements that distract but overall the quality inherent in this Nervo is impressive. Drink 2025-2030. Tasted January 2023

Molino Barbaresco DOCG Teorema 2020

Basic Treiso nebbiolo without cru affiliation brings accessibility and what we call drink-ability without strings attached. Sweet fruit, raspberry and cherry, good quality tannins and brightness of acidity. A Barbaresco to drink soon and in a the most amenable of ways for three to five years. Drink 2024-2027. Tasted January 2023

Lodali Walter Barbaresco DOCG Rocche Dei 7 Fratelli 2020

Somewhat reductive and so a bit unclear as to where this will go though some beauty is noted on this nebbiolo’s immediate horizon. That and notably grippy tannins so as far as Barbaresco is concerned there must be food involved to truly enjoy this wine. Drink 2024-2026. Tasted January 2023

Bosio Family Estates Belcolle Barbaresco DOCG Pajorè 2020

Light and effusive Pajorè with plenty of pre-introduced oxygenation to make this an open, airy and knowable nebbiolo that surely does well to represent the vintage. A Treiso Barbaresco of quality raised by acumen and on promises for a long and prosperous life. Fine liquidity and stage presence, confidence and what is necessary for grape and place. Tannins are quite fine as well to equip this wine with what in needed, wanted and expected. Drink 2025-2032. Tasted January 2023

Piazzo comm. Armando di Piazzo Marina Barbaresco DOCG Pajorè 2020

Consistently Pajorè in that the upront fruit is the sort of purity and existential lightness though this iteration is a bit more pressed and of a depth as compared to some counterparts. Results in moCascina Vano di Rivetti re flesh and substantial palate presence but also an increase in tannic pressure. More ambition here with cask aging and spices running amok distracts from the purity though the wine is still really quite impressive. Drink 2024-2027. Tasted January 2023

Ada Nada Barbaresco DOCG Elisa Rombone 2020

The first of two from Rombone cru is somewhat reductive and though there is some acetic presence it’s far from over the top. Tart and intense nebbiolo for sure, cool of mint and evergreen. Savoury wine which speaks to the acetic nature though it feels like a coming together will happen and lower the glare. Time will be this nebbiolo’s friend. Drink 2025-2028. Tasted January 2023

Vigneti Luigi Oddero e Figli Barbaresco DOCG Rombone 2020

The second of two from Rombone is the lighter and less aggressive with higher and airy tonality which speaks to this Treiso cru’s DNA. While the other is expressed in a slight acetic way this does not and in fact a settling already seems to have occurred. Liking the parochial nature and the way it just seems so comfortable in its own skin. No lack of intensity here and longevity will surely be probable. Drink 2024-2031. Tasted January 2023

Ada Nada Barbaresco DOCG Valeriano 2020

Soupy or stewed character while also a bit thin and dilute. Quite a simple nebbiolo. Tasted January 2023

Grasso Fratelli Barbaresco DOCG Vallegrande 2020

Fine nebbiolo here from Villagrande with all the fruit and structure up front and no real skeletal backbone to hold up for long. Enjoy this early while so many others take there time to flesh and settle. Drink 2023-2026. Tasted January 2023

Ca’ Del Baio di Grasso Giulio Barbaresco DOCG Vallegrande 2020

As for this second of two Vallegrande there is more compaction and tannin mixed with fruit from the very beginning. Also a thickening and a pectin influence to give a strawberry and raspberry confection though one with plenty of savour in the mix. Chalky as well, a lactic feeling and then those tannins of great grip and drying force. This nebbiolo needs years of time to resolve. Drink 2026-2032. Tasted January 2023

Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 2018

Manera Fratelli Barbaresco Riserva DOCG Rizzi 2018

Indicative of vintage, hot and steamy, a now drying nebbiolo of Rizzi origin so very intense on the nose. Quite mature and evolving with great haste. Sappy and to say this offers effusive enjoyment would be the opposite of what’s really going on. Hard times. Drink 2023-2024. Tasted January 2023

Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Gresy Barbaresco Riserva DOCG Martinenga 2018

Fine nebbiolo aromatics from ’18 Riserva with thanks to Martinegra and a wine that was shown some restraint throughout its early voracious appetitive exercise. Strong tannic presence no doubt while the fruit source turns into ever-fleshing substance. Chewy on the palate and really persistent so ultimately this represents a fine Riserva and likely one of the finer examples to come out of 2018. Drink 2024-2032. Tasted January 2023

Socré Barbaresco Riserva DOCG Roncaglie 2018

From the cru of Roncaglie and a nebbiolo as Barbaresco, from Barbaresco with as many issues as it displays beauty because the lactic tang is equal to the fulsome fruit. A thick and swarthy example that’s both traditional (well, actually antediluvian) and naturally avant-garde at the same time. My goodness what a mess and clash of personalities. Drink 2024-2028. Tasted January 2023

Castello di Neive Barbaresco Riserva DOCG Albesani 2018

High fruit concentration and substantial nebbiolo so apposite to the other ’18 Riservas in this flight and clearly happy to be this way. Carries enough weight and tannin to not only impress but allow the wine to drink well over the coming five too eight years time. Drink 2023-2029. Tasted January 2023

Giacosa Fratelli Barbaresco Riserva DOCG Basarin Vigna Gianmate’ 2018

Still a touch reductive and restrained with unyielding tannin in a nebbiolo that will require another two or three years to drink as it was surely intended to do. Plenty of flesh hangs on these bones so expect Basarin to win in the end. Serious wine, surely a matter of heat by vintage but there will be comfort before too long. Drink 2025-2033. Tasted January 2023

Punset di Marcarino Marina & C. Barbaresco Riserva DOCG San Cristoforo Campo Quadro 2018

Lightest, most transparent and glaringly beautiful of the Barbaresco Riserva with a maturing quality at this stage. Sweetly lactic note, fruit of the brighest reds while settling in because tannins are drying yet of nary a moment that might be considered austere or abrasive. Seriously well made, vintage indicative and in the end, drink up. Drink 2023-2025. Tasted January 2023

Bera Barbaresco DOCG Serraboella 2019

The western cru close to Neive village, exposition to the west, from the lower section at 350m. Planted 15 years ago with the intention to make classic “Villages” Barbaresco but the fruit from 2016 changed the family’s perspective. That vintage was the first cru label and here from the fourth consecutive the refinement time is 24 months in grandi botti, part Slovenian and part Austrian oak. Tannic to be sure yet not quite what you’d call austere. Greatly structured wine and still far from readiness. “That’s the young baby we’re talking about,” says Riccardo. “It’s the cru that surprises me.” Great aromatic presence and fine chalky liquidity running through. Drink 2025-2032. Tasted January 2023

Cascina Vano di Rivetti Bruno Barbaresco DOCG 2019 Canova

“Traditional” vinification for this Neive nebbiolo and put to Grandi Botti (300L size) for two years. Very traditional Barbaresco, quietly aromatic of pretty perfume and in 2019 a lovely, elegant wine. Proof that Vano’s needs an extra year to settle its harder parts and while ’19 remains or persists as tannic they are strong and elastic ones that will continue to effect a positive stance on this Canova. Drink 2023-2026. Tasted January 2023

Culasso Piercarlo Barbaresco DOCG Faset Duesoli 2019

Warmer of Faset’s two parcels on its western flank, southeast exposure at the hill’s base. Top notch red fruit with a unique game swarthiness and so much personality swelling into complexity. Nothing shy or demure here and clearly a vintage that sweats out the eccentricities of Duesoli. Drink 2024-2028. Tasted January 2023

Cerrino Barbaresco DOCG 2019

Cerrino is found in Trezzo Tinella close to Treiso which is the commune for this nebbiolo’s fruit. More specifically Meruzzano though the vru won’t show up on the label until the 2021 vintage. From 450m of elevation for a Barbaresdco of somewhat stewed black cherry and stone, balsamic edginess, quality acid and tannin. Drink 2023-2025. Tasted January 2023

Paitin Barbaresco DOCG Sorì Paitin Serraboella 2019

A Barbaresco of soft extraction at 24-26 degrees celsius, some cappello sommerso submerged cap workings, “when we feel we can,” says Luca Pasquero Elia. Aways scarico, meaning the unwanted elements are always left behind to result in a transparent nebbiolo without intensity of colour. “We want to keep the integrity of the skins, as much as possible,” to restrict oxygenation and racking is done only when necessary. Goes to bottle “after the second phase of closure.” Paitin in Barbaresco is a matter of objective over style. Serraboella is most always wanting to be expressive but this 2019 actually is, at least aromatically, of bright red fruit but be reminded how converse this is against the quality of tension in the tannins. Not a nebbiolo of glycerin despite the cappello sommerso‘s effects, because of the combination of two things. Reasonable alcohol and wild yeast strains that don’t induce such texture. The elasticity and balance in this ’19 Serraboella are just exemplary and the elegant notes play early, which is kind of unprecedented. Drink 2024-2032. Tasted January 2023

Cerrino Barbaresco DOCG 2018

From Treiso and what will eventually become a cru (Merazzano) labeled Barbaresco. For now it is a super correct and fine example for nebbiolo and the vintage, 25 day fermentation to coax out a gentility. The season was cooler than 2019 and the resulting wine more balanced, elegant and lovely in its held persistence. Right in the vintage window as we speak. Drink 2023-2026. Tasted January 2023

Cantina Del Pino Barbaresco DOCG Ovello 2017

The 2017 is part of a life’s work and now legacy defining Barbaresco by Renatto Vacca of Cantina del Pino who three years ago was lost to the nebbiolo, Barbaresco, Piedmontese and Italian world, but most of all to his adoring family. For now and wishfully forever there is Aldo Vacca of Produttori del Barbaresco who will not just transition but consult in perpetuity to this great estate. In the meantime Renatto’s 2017 Ovello from the Grand Cru vineyard overlooking the Tanaro River is sumptuous, silken textured, fruit maximized and elegance incarnate. Easy to be romantic in this situation but also wistful and somber – yet the wine speaks so clearly and emphatically it’s all that matters at this very moment. These are complete, distinct and forward carrying tannins to take Ovello ’19 deep into this and well further through the next decade. Solo cose belle Cantina del Pino. Drink 2025-2034. Tasted January 2023

Cascina Vano Di Rivetti Bruno Barbaresco Riserva DOCG Pilone Nei Rivetti 2016

From heavy clay soil abutting the hill of Serraboella. Big shouldered nebbiolo, broad and muscular, ancient warrior of Barbaresco. Still expressly tannic after all this time, having spent three years in Botti and another in bottle. Traditional though quite fine and needing two more years to integrate. Drink 2025-2031. Tasted January 2023

Bera Barbaresco Riserva DOCG Rabajà 2015

Rabajà faces southwest and this fruit comes right from the heart, only bottled as Riserva. Vines in and around 40 years of age and three years spent in Grandi Botti. Aromatically you intuit glycerin and as a Barbaresco there is clearly more acumen and experience from plants that first gave this wine life out of the 2011 vintage. Tannins are even more compact than Seraboella, trying to expand but they just keep weighing down and won’t fully relent. Layering of red fruit and they are beautiful layers but each one carries tannin of ilk upon ilk. This is Barbaresco of sapidity as a quotient of acids and pH working in cohorts. The palate attack is quite fantastical. Give this another year. Drink 2024-2033. Tasted January 2023

Paitin Barbaresco DOCG Sorì Paitin Serraboella 2013

Plenty of breezes blow through this vineyard that is easier to farm with far less disease pressure than many. Also one of the first to ripen in the whole of Barbaresco. Allows for more maneuverability to create verticality and the winemaking can encourage some of this style – though form and objective are always the most important matters. The 2013 still shows as a linear nebbiolo with tension unabated while the once austere elements are finally subsiding. Yet it is still a baby, a 14 percent Barbaresco built for longe range aging from fruit drawn off of the steepest part on the long ridge of the Serraboella hill. Sandy soils on the southeastern slope with surrounding woods all conspire to create this slow-evolving, cru-designate wine with ample fruit, structure and trenchant abilities. A marker for Neive. Drink 2023-2028. Tasted January 2023

Bera Barbaresco Riserva DOCG Basarin 2012

Basarin is home to much older vines, upwards of 65 years-old and is one of the steepest vineyards in Barbaresco. A snake of a vineyard and very challenging to work. South exposure, warm for sure and a soil composition higher in chalk than clay but not too dissimilar to Rabajà. Herbaceous notes come from Basarin and “when I was young, every time I went to the tank I had this feeling,” tells Riccardo Bera. The first vintage out of which the tannins are nearly resolved and yet the fruit persists in near whole and perfect freshness. A nebbiolo in wonderful condition and while the vintage was hot there might have been a different result. This is almost, not quite but nearly ready, as far as optimum or perfect windows are concerned. Liquorice here, a touch of tar and well, “most of this job for us is to start with the best grapes you can. The quality is in the vineyard. A good winemaker can keep the 10. A five you cannot fix.” Ten it is. Drink 2023-2032. Tasted January 2023

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Nebbiolo Prima 2023

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Tag Archives: Renatto Vacca

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