Barbera d'Alba doc "Superiore"

Grape-variety: Barbera.
With its rustic style and extensive technical reworking, this variety produces an excellent wine that has won the plaudits of enthusiasts throughout the world.

Growing location: a historic vineyard on the San Biagio cru in the village of La Morra, with soil composed of calcareous marl.

Harvest: first ten days in October, usually delayed to achieve optimal ripening of the bunches. The grapes are picked by hand, with a selection in the vineyard and again in the winery before crushing. Careful summer thinnings reduce the yield to 5-5.5 tons/Ha, well below the maximum laid down by the production regulations (9 tons/Ha).

Vinification: intense maceration in keeping with tradition, in heat-conditioned tanks with gentle breaking up of the cap. This results in good extraction of the polyphenols, and in particular of the aromatic substances in the skins.

Maturing: in 225-litre barriques made of French oak for 18 months, rounded off by 6 months in the bottle. During this period the wine’s flowery and fruity qualities develop, with softening of the tannins.

Colour: ruby red with scarlet highlights.

Nose: expansive and complex, with charming fruit - blackberry, cherry, plum, red fruit jam - when the wine is young. Spicier overtones develop on maturing, with cinnamon, vanilla and green pepper showing through, and a flowery aroma contributing to the overall bouquet. A harmoniously rounded wine with an appealing nose.

Taste: warm, full-bodied and mouth-filling, with an ever-present tangy streak that provides fragrance and freshness, catering for the more modern market.