barbera

FRIENDLY FOILS FROM SILVIO GRASSO

This is devoted to a more casual, comfortable wine moment. We are keenly aware that we, and other merchants, spend the majority of promotion energy on ‘superlative’ wines. Yes the industry has become very much about ‘highest scores’, ‘greatest ever’ kind of rhetoric. It’s amazing how elevated the jargon has become. Well, this piece is about ‘comfortable’ wines you don’t have to think about but serve their purpose with style.

What do we mean? Well, while we know it is risky not overstate our case because people might think we aren’t enthusiastic enough, we aren’t going to sling about grandiose terms to try and convince you that these wines will change your life. Most wines aren’t the ‘greatest ever’ and what the definition of that would even be is in the eye, or palate, of the beholder. But we are going to tell you that wines like this are absolutely necessary.

The vintners don’t drink Barolo every day. They like to have tasty, serviceable wines for the table. For those mid-week burgers, a take-out pizza, or a quick pasta dish, wines like this that are easy-drinking, tasty, unpretentious and well priced are invaluable companions.

This pair comes from a house we have worked with for a long time, and also sells big time Barolos. But they have also been a great place to procure ‘comfortable’ wines. Silvio Grasso isn’t exactly a household name and these little wines aren’t going to make the winery famous because they aren’t going to get the reviews that will cause people to pay attention. But if you want a glass of something to go along with everyday fare and be interesting enough to keep your attention, these are worthy candidates.

The Silvio Grasso Nebbiolo2018 is a fine representation of the varietal with the high toned minerality, rosehips, and sweet earth with a central theme of supple red fruits. The grapes here are 95% Nebbiolo and the remaining 5% a combination of Merlot and Barbera from vines planted between 1980 and 2000. This vintage has created a kinder, gentler, suppler, more user-friendly version of Nebbiolo without the edgy tannins that can sometimes make a stern impression and a sweet middle of cherry fruit. Perfectly quaffable, authentic (it’s from La Morra) Nebbiolo that you can fire up with a modest midweek meal and it will elevate the experience without denting the wallet much ($14.98)

The Silvio Grasso Barbera d’Alba 2017 represents the same kind of delicious pop-and-serve choice. Barbera can sometimes have a pretty stern lick of acidity but this rendition is supple, round, gentle and fruit-driven. It is 100% Barbera harvested from 35-year-old vines and is done entirely in stainless steel. As we have noted in other pieces, some of the 2017s from Piedmont have been particularly plush and engaging, almost New World in their suppleness and this one definitely has that profile. Again, at only $14.98, the price angst is greatly reduced.

We could try to ratchet up the prose because that is what people expect to hear these days. But we’d rather represent these for what they are…delicious, engaging, low-cost options when you just want a surprisingly good glass of wine and don’t necessarily need a lot of drama to go along with it. We all have those days and these are an answer.

GREAT ‘EVERYDAY’ BARBERA FROM AN ELITE SOURCE

Scavino is a big time label that is currently performing at the top of their game. They have an expansive list of ‘cru’ bottlings that collectors should be looking for, in particular the 2016s. But often lost in the breadth of their bottlings are the’ little’ wines. Something like a Barbera, within the context of Scavino’s high powered lineup, often gets lost in the shuffle. Also, to be fair, the folks looking over the Scavino lineup aren’t necessarily looking for Barbera. But this wine’s performance should merit its own set of fans and part of our job is to point stuff like that out. A delicious, supple, serviceable Barbera for well under $20 deserves a lot of attention on its own.

In a world that seems rather focused on ratings, and offers touting something as a best ever, this is just a really pleasing, food-friendly red wine, at an attractive price, that you can enjoy every day. Critics are people, too, and this delightful Barbera got pushed out of the 90s (it was an ‘89’) probably because it was tasted alongside an impressive battery of Barolos. But the words hold true for the Scavino Barbera d’Alba 2017, “The 2017 Barbera d’Alba is another tasty, entry-level offering from Scavino. Dark cherry, plum, mocha, licorice and dark spice all flesh out in this supple, juicy Barbera. All the elements are in the right place.” Indeed they are, and at $14.98, its an easy choice on the wallet as well.

POLISHED ‘GO-TO’ BARBERA

There has and will continue to be a lot of attention paid to the fantastic 2016 vintage in Piedmont, though history will remember the great Barolos and Barbarescos. We have had a lot of fun with the little wines of the region and the vintage provided a number of very appealing Barberas and Dolcettos. In our minds the vintage should have passed through the market by now, the fragmented distribution of Italian wines (lots of small purveyors) in this marketplace still seems to have a few pockets of the vintage wine to be had.

The Giovanni Rosso ‘Donna Margherita’ Barbera D’Alba 2016 is a fine example of this special vintage, coupled with a more generous style. It shows a sweet nose of red and black fruits, with earth, minerality and spice/herb/floral accents subtly woven in. Probably due both to the bottle age and the vintage itself, this particular version comes off as more fleshy and elegant than your typical commercial rendition of Barbera, which can be wildly different but often lean towards higher acidity. Consider this a ‘kinder, gentler’ example of the breed.

Monica Larner’s description of the wine we felt was pretty on point, “The Giovanni Rosso 2016 Barbera d’Alba Donna Margherita shows a slightly aged personality with toasted hazelnut, dried blackberry, dusty mineral and campfire ash. Barbera maintains bright primary fruit for a long time, but this wine (tasting four years after the harvest) is just beginning to show that added complexity of time, especially on the bouquet. In the mouth, however, Donna Margherita is surprising lively, bright and fresh.”

We sure liked it and the description appeared pretty positive. Given that, we have to say we were a little surprised by the ‘conclusion’, a ’89’ point score. What’s wrong with “added complexity” while still being “surprising lively, bright and fresh”? It goes to show that, on any given day, it is difficult to figure out what might be in the reviewer’s head. This rather plush, varietally true, engaging Barbera should please a lot of folks and delivers a lot for its modest tab.

BOISTEROUS BARBERA 2017

We weren’t sure how to title this one. The reference to Barbera is a murky one for some people. In Piedmont, Barbera is considered one of the ‘little’ wines, something of an everyday beverage with the grapes usually relegated to the lesser terroirs.

Barbera also has an image problem of a sort. What is it? There are so many variations. You’ve got something decidedly utilitarian and unadorned from a number of the larger producers in Piedmont all the way to someone like Braida who is shooting for the stars with carefully tended vineyards and an upscale oak regimen.

There are many personalities from firm and fruit forward to stern and acidic, and all of them perform better if the is food involved. Most recently in the 2013 and 2014 vintages, very difficult for the earlier harvest, ‘lesser’ grapes in particular, they mostly ranged from uninspired to awful. The 2015s and 2016s were at the other end of the spectrum, generally very good and often outstanding. Given the variations in style and dramatic swings in vintages, we couldn’t begin to guess what most folks think about Barbera.

The 2017 vintage isn’t going to answer the question of what Barbera should be. But it is a unique and joyful look at something the grape can be but rarely is. The short story of the vintage is crops reduced by weather quirks in the spring, low yields, warm dry summer, phenolic ripeness and an early harvest. The result is possibly the juiciest, tenderest, most engaging examples of Barbera we can recall tasting…ever!

Hey it’s early in the game, but there’s no reason to expect that the freakishly friendly 2017 Barberas we have tasted thus far aren’t a proper vanguard for what is coming (the 2017 Nebbiolos have been remarkably precocious as well).

Our poster child for what we have seen thus far is the Revello Barbera d’Alba 2017 . Billowing nose of spicy dark red fruits, supple palate with tender edges, gregarious and juicy every step of the way, the profile hardly says Barbera given the history of the grape here, though the flavors are varietally correct.

Also, at $15, it’s a lot of wine for the fare and, even though it is an uncommonly friendly version of the genre, it is just as food friendly as it should be as, under all of that fruit, there’s enough cut to get the job done.

‘House’ Barbera: Bosco Agostino Barbera d’Alba Volupta 2015

Barbera is one of Piedmont’s great go-to wines. Steaming plate of pasta? Barbera. Hearty lasagna? Barbera. A good, ripe Barbera can hit it with a burger and fries as well. It’s about the juice. Barbera can be fussy to grow. The acids can be too high and, when the vintage isn’t cooperative, you can get the lifeless examples of 2013 and 2014. The thing is, most top Piedmont estates grow some Barbera. It’s what’s for dinner. But so often it is an afterthought to the more famous Nebbiolo grown higher on the hill. But there are a few guys that do take their little wines as seriously as their flagships and one of them we have been working with for a long time is Agostino Bosco.

Year in and year out Andrea Bosco seems to stuff more fruit into his Barbera than almost anyone we can think of. That riper, somewhat plump palate has an almost New World feel to it, yet the personality of the fruit itself is unmistakably Italian.

As we mentioned, we have sold many vintages of this, but the Bosco Agostino Barbera d’Alba Volupta 2015 might be the juiciest yet. Why don’t more people know about this producer? Well, first off, this isn’t some fancy Piedmont estate trying to pass itself off as a ‘small family farm’. This actually is a small family farm with good holdings and a good dose of passion.

Second, they are not with one of those large international import companies that make sure they have all of their wines in front of critics. This hands-on operation doesn’t have the staff to do that. So you see little in the way of press, though this did get a 91 from James Suckling and comments, “Plenty of blue fruit, slate and violets to this Barbera on the nose as well as hints of resin. Full body, fine acidity and a fruity finish. Drink now.” But this wine delivers in the glass as a compelling, easy going, authentic mouth full, especially this year.

The estate itself consists of four hectares in the La Morra area divided among Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Dolcetto. The family existed as growers for decades until they decided to make their own wines in 1979. This Barbera is a blend of two different vineyards, one with 20-year-old vines in clay and limestone and a southwest exposition, the other 30-year-old vines in tufa and limestone with a southeast exposition. The blend yields a wine with ripe dark red and black fruit, sufficient but never intrusive acidity, not a lot of evident tannin, and a minerality that adds an interesting textural underpinning. In other words, perfectly tasty yet deceptively serious Barbera.

LUSH, ENGAGING BARBERA FOR A SONG: CA’VIOLA D’ALBA BRICHET 2015

Beppe Ca Viola is ‘one of the most important oenologists in Italy’ according to multiple sources that write about such things, yet unless you are pretty deep into Italian wine you have likely never heard of him. He started under the wing of one of the superstars of Piedmont at the time, Elio Altare, who encouraged him to bottle his own efforts early on, and has gone on to be a consultant at a number of elite addresses. He is working or has worked with the likes of Pecchenino, Albino Rocca, Vietti, Sette Ponti, Damilano, and Luigi Einaudi, something of a who’s who lineup But, while his credentials are pretty impeccable as a consultant, it is his own efforts from his winery near Dogliani that really get us excited.

As much as we are and have been fans of Ca Viola for a decade or more, there have been precious few opportunities to taste his wines. Production is small, distribution here has been a little inconsistent, and the wines, for as good and distinctive as they have been, haven’t been getting the media attention that they deserve. We have a bit of a hard time deciding what to think about the general lack of coverage and enthusiasm on the part of the critics for a producer of this caliber who makes such an engaging style of wine.

His wines are consistently among the best of Italian producers, and there is a tenderness and perceived sweetness to the fruit component that sets them apart from most Italian efforts, yet the wines don’t lose their ‘Italian’ identity in the process. The Ca Viola Barbera d’Alba Brichet 2015 is from a variety of vineyards with an average vine age of 20 years-old, farmed organically (though they haven’t concerned themselves with the ‘certification’ process) fermented with only native yeasts, and put in large barrels for 12 months.

The resulting wine, no doubt aided by the lush 2015 vintage, is loaded with evident plum/blackberry fruit that is tender and juicy but fresh and light on its feet. The tannins are refined, the acidity is ripe and well integrated, and the whole experience is engaging. This is a Barbera that drinks like a Pinot Noir and is fruit driven enough to drink on its own, though it sings with food as one would expect.

This particular rendition even go a little love from the press, a 93 point tout and some compelling words from James Suckling, “There’s minerality on the nose of this Barbera, but also some smoky complexity, not to mention brambleberries and blackcurrants. A structured palate with firm tannins, refreshing acidity, and a succulent, chewy finish. Drink now.” As to that ‘drink now”, absolutely. This is a Barbera where it will be hard to put down the glass and a thrilling example of the kind of flashy, engaging, well priced wines we expect from Ca Viola’s own label.

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ONE OF A KIND BARBERA SOURCE

Our subject here is the Cantine Valpane Barbera del Monferrato Perlydia 2012. What’s special about it? Well, we have presented wines from Valpane before and they are delicious examples of the breed. But what makes this house unique is that this 2012 is the current release! What kind of vintner holds on to his Barbera this long before going to market, sometimes for more than a decade? One who follows his own heart.

Clearly Pietro Arditi, the ‘Barbera whisperer’, listens to the wine and not the ‘metrics’ of 21st Century marketing. Now this didn’t happen completely by accident, mind you. The land gave him some juicy, vibrant fruit to work with, then he decided to keep the wine in botti (large neutral barrels) or cement until he deems it ready. What does six-year-old Barbara taste like? This particular effort is loaded with red berry fruit, but the spice and terroir notes are more expressive and better meshed because the lower acidity from bottle age lets them be.

Don’t worry though, there is surprising freshness and life to the fruit. Bottled unfiltered and unfined, fermented entirely with native yeasts, there is a gregarious, fruit-forward element to Valpane’s wines as well as great purity of flavor.

The Perlydia is 100% Barbera harvested from vines planted only in 2000, but it delivers the same joyous mouthful of fruit as do all of the Valpane wines. That little bit of bottle age really helps the wine to get into gear quickly and the ripe, somewhat resolved tannins and lower acidity make for an uncommonly delicious drink without a lot of fuss. To do all of this careful raising of the wines for this kind of price is an added bonus and makes Valpane a rather unique wine to offer.