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.