The Piedmont Series - Barbaresco
Written By: Dylan York on Wed, Jul 9th 2008
In the next two articles I will take the two most popular wines made in Piedmont--Barbaresco and Barolo--and explain the defining differences in both. Though both wines are made in Piedmont and are made solely from the Nebbiolo grape, there are distinct differences that you should know of. Interesting enough, both Barolo and Barbaresco were not always dry wines; they were once sweet in flavor. Barolo was transformed into a dry wine in the 1840's and later in 1890 by a man named Domizio Cavazza who was successful in fermenting all the sugars producing a dry wine in Barbaresco. Even though both wines are Nebbiolo based, they experience different variables that affected their flavors. The technical differences between Barolo and Barbaresco lie in the terroir and aging requirements while the flavor differences depend on the vintage and producer.
Barbaresco takes its name from a village in northwest Italy and is produced in the townships of Barbaresco, Treiso, Neive and Alba. Alba contains a small amount of Nebbiolo vines (less than 100 ha) and is also home to Moscato, Dolcetto, and Barbera vineyards which are known for producing rich, fruit-driven wines. However, almost 95% of Barbaresco is produced in the first three areas. The soils in these areas are very similar to that of Barolo as they are made up calcareous marl, yet the Nebbiolo grapes tend to ripen much earlier. This is partly because the vineyards are situated close to the Tanaro River which creates a maritime microclimate that directly affects how the fruit ripens. Because of this, Barbaresco wines tend to be lighter in body than the wines of Barolo because they do not enjoy a longer ripening period which slowly develops tannins, acidity, and fruit structure; all of which create a powerful and age-worthy wine.
Barbaresco has a minimum aging requirement of one year in oak and one year in the bottle. It is best consumed when it is five to ten years of age. Now of course there are Barbaresco wines that live much longer than this as it all depends on the most important factors: vintage and who made it. Your average Barbaresco should start around the mid $40's and that is typically the wine that will drink from the five to ten year period. However there are producers that make Barbaresco that can age much longer. For instance, take the phenomenal and impossible-to-afford-unless-you-own-a-drug-cartel wines of Angelo Gaja. Example: 1971 Gaja Barbaresco Sori Tildin $659.00 per bottle retail. His single vineyard Barbaresco is still drinking well after over 30 years. Gaja is truly an exquisite wine, I still remember drinking my first bottle, the 1990 Barbaresco that was miss-priced on a wine list in northeast Georgia. The poor manager in the restaurant had four "high-end" wines in a display cabinet that she said where all $40. My eyes almost popped out of my head. I ordered two bottles one to drink and one to breath. The kicker was when she brought out the wine in an ice bucket. Sorry for the tangent, but I have to tell that story when I talk about Barbaresco, it was truly a great moment in history.
Other great producers of Barbaresco that I enjoy include Giuseppe Cortese and Prunotto, but also look out for the single vineyard wines from others. Look for the vineyard sites of San Lorenzo, Tildin, and Rabaja in Barbaresco; Santo Stefano in Neive; and Pajore in Treiso. These are quickly receiving somewhat of a "cru status" and are heavily competing against the wines of Barolo. In today's market the differences between Barbaresco and Barolo may technically lie in the terroir and aging requirements, but as far as taste it all depends on producer and vintage.
