Today we’ll be looking at Barbera d’Alba DOC; a 2014 vintage by Cascina Gramolere.
Barbera is the most popular, traditional and familiar Piedmont vine. A vine that finds its great excellences both in the Asti and Alba area.
Here, we have a Barbera d’Alba of Monforte, a terroir with a very high vocation.
The vine
A few words about the vine: a red berry, with a medium maturation inclination; it is very widespread in Piedmont, as in the rest of Italy, particularly in the north.
It is characterized by a constitutional acidity of a certain level and a presence of coloring matter.
The territory is that of the Langhe, a territory with a high vocation. Monforte, in particular, has a terroir with a high vocation for Nebbiolo grapes used to make Barolo.
The vineyard’s cultivation fully respects the environment with integrated pest control. Herbicides and/or chemical products are not used and it has a low density per hectare and green vegetation control. I would say, viticulture of the highest quality.
The winery simply enhances what the winemaker, Claudio Pressenda from Monforte, has created and as a result it too fully respects the raw material: regular fermentation, short macerations, aging in stainless steel and a very light passage in wood.
Sensory analysis
Leading on from the above description, let’s see what this wine represents at a sensorial level.
Color
Let’s start with the color: a wonderful garnet red color, a wine that has been preserved for not too long in wood; its color is still vivid, beautiful, and intense with excellent chromaticity.
Its viscosity is perfect, as are the tears. It is a very pristine wine.
Aroma
To the nose, its scent is quite spicy, evident, I would say of the highest level: finesse, elegance, and persistence are clearly present.
The spicy hint is linked to its preservation in wood, which will eventually evolve into even more interesting notes that will then be reminiscent of camphor, a balsamic nuance and other wood essences.
Flavor
Upon tasting, it is clearly a full Barbera; structured, warm, tannic, well-balanced, full-bodied and with a good persistence.
It is a wine that evolves optimally and can be excellently preserved for several years.
Serving and pairing
It should be served at a temperature ranging between 18-20 °C, in large glasses.
Pairing: Barbera is versatile and thus goes well with all meat or vegetable appetizers, yet also with pasta dishes, agnolotti, ravioli with plin and above all with risottos. Excellent with meat, braised meats and medium-aged cheeses.
Barbera Gramolere 2014 is a great wine from a great territory.