Jody Scharf

9.2

enjoyable, effortless, silky...flows nicely — 2 months ago

Mark S.

9.0

sweet red flower. Spicy. Acidic. Dry. Plum. Tannin. Elio Altare Barbera d’Alba 23 @4972, AD, 250210,88
Deep cherry red still with violet. Vanilla. Rose, blueberry. Cherry Clove nutmeg. Fe blood. Leather. Fruitiness M+ Sweetness M Acidity M+++ Tannin M unexpectedly Soft Bitterness M Body M Finish M 14.5% Elegant Balanced Concentrated. Elio Altare Barbera d’Alba 23 @4972,AD, 250215-260308 — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Served to me double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine appears a deep garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears and no signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with ripe bramble fruits: a mix of blackberries and raspberries with Morello cherry, roses, tar, talcum powder, dried herbs, and gravelly soil. On the palate, the wine is dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and delicious. Alcohol is medium+. Initial conclusions: this could be Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir or Grenache from Italy or France. Because of the high tannin and talcum powder/tar/roses combo (and the utter lack of staining), my final conclusion is: Nebbiolo; from Italy; from Piemonte; Barolo…from Monforte d’Alba. I chose 2016 because it shows good great balance of structure and fruit. Ooooof…that was too close.

“La Villa” is Fratelli Seghesio’s most precious wine and until now, I can only ever recall drinking their Barolo “classico” and Barbera d’Alba and only on a few occasions. Believe it or not, “La Villa” is the oldest, single MGA bottling from any producer in Castelletto. The name “La Villa” is an old name for an area within Castelletto when it was once a commune all to itself. The distinguishing feature of “La Villa” is the eponymous ridge that runs perpendicular with Collaretto and Vigna Rionda to the east, across the stream of Talloria di Castiglione. The vines facing south are dedicated to their Nebbiolo while the vines facing north are predominately Barbera and Dolcetto. A very tasty Barolo. Drink now through 2035. — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Popped and poured; no formal notes. The 2021 Burlotto Barbera d’Alba “Aves” is developing; redolent of impossibly dark berry fruits with some purple flowers and earthy clay-like minerals. Medium tannin and medium+ acid. High alcohol. The finish is long and has a bit of a salmiakki thing on the finish that’s really nice. This is a really good wine right now but it’s undeniably primary and I think it’s holding something back. I won’t touch another bottle for at least a few years. Drink now with patience and through 2036. — 3 years ago

David D

9.0

Barbera d’Alba not Barbaresco.
Great acidity, tart blackberry brambles, dried violets, pretty mineral. From Astor Wines. 04/22/23 — 3 years ago

Mark S.

9.0

Smooth but spicy from Barbera, red flower. Acidic. Still powerful and stimulated. Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Santo Stefano di Perno Superiore Barbera d’Alba 2012 @1615, château -, 230209-230314 — 3 years ago

Edo Wachters

9.3

The Mascarello ‘Scudetto’ Barbera d’Alba is dark and substantial, where cherries come out first on the palate followed by some chocolate and very soft tannines. Makes you want to go back for another sip. Really nice. — 5 months ago

Mark S.

8.9

Deep ruby red with violet. Fe, rose, raspberry, blueberry. Vanilla. Clove. Herbal. Matured Plum. Animal flavor. Complexity. 2nd day, it is stabilized. Elegant and good concentration. Fruitiness M Sweetness M Acidity M++ Tannin M++ Bitterness M Body M Finish M 14% Sorelle de Nicola Feyles Barbera D’Alba 19 @4356, AD, 250921-260125 — 9 months ago

Maddie Fromell

9.1

Better than the D’alba — a year ago

Mark Rosse

9.3

Fantastic Barbera d’Alba! — 2 years ago

Mark S.

8.9

Garnet at edge. Aged, balanced spiciness. Complexity. Gianni Gagliardo La Matta Superiore Barbera d’Alba 2013 @2850, X ST CN, 240422 — 2 years ago

Ming L

9.2

This, along with the Massolino Serralunga d’Alba bottling, are my go-to regular Barolo.

Excellent fruits and acidity as usual, the ‘19 has quite firm tannins, and will require longer cellar time than the ‘15 or ‘16 to truly shine. — 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Cascina Ornato is located in the southern portion of Serralunga d’Alba, right along the ridge. The elevation is higher here and the Ornato MGA falls to the west and south from there. Ornato is nearly a monopole for Pio Cesare would it not be for a couple of parcels that are controlled by Palladino. This bottle of the 1982 was generously provided from the cellar of a good friend; it was opened and enjoyed over two days. On Day 1, half the bottle was poured into a decanter and served immediately. The color was a slightly hazy garnet with an orange rim. On the nose and the palate, the wine came across rather tired. It wasn’t dead…and it definitely wasn’t vinegar, it just was...a bit dull. Since there were other wines open that were showing very well, we let it sit. At the end of the night, we poured what was left back into the bottle and I elected to take it home; hoping that it might wake up overnight. On Day 2, the wine had transformed. The color had deepened and everything had brightened up! The nose is loaded with tar, desiccated red fruits, sweet pipe tobacco accompanied by porchini, forest floor and dried, cracked leather ball glove…like after pitching 6 innings of baseball in the middle of July (IYKYK). On the palate, the wine is dry with surprisingly vigorous structure! The tannins are more pronounced than they were the day before and there’s also great acid to give everything a buoyant lift and some youthful energy. The fruit and non-fruit notes from the nose are confirmed with an added element of red rope licorice. Somehow, this is younger today than it was yesterday. At forty years old, this bottle clearly needed time to stretch its legs. Drink now with several hours of air but remarkably well-cellared examples could last for many more years. An illuminating experience in so many ways!

Something worth noting: Pio Cesare did not begin bottling single-cru Barolo “Oranato” until 1985. Curiously, this bottle was labeled “Vino da Tavola del Piemonte”. I reached out to Pio Cesare in hopes of getting some additional information and they were very kind to share some helpful detail. It turns out this bottling was an idea from their former importer, Terlato, with grapes for this wine sourced by Cascina Ornato. It was a traditional blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera! A long time ago they had a small amount of Barbera planted there. Now, Ornato is more or less 100% Nebbiolo. The “Vino da Tavola del Piemonte” was a sort of predecessor to the “Langhe Rosso” designation since there were not many appellations back in those days. The more you know!
— 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Fairly consistent throughout but better on Day 1 to my palate where the freshness carried the day. The 2022 “Vigna Santa Lucia” pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with wonderful notes of fig, plum, old attic, dried wildflowers, and organic, iron rich earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ with ferrous minerals. A positively lovely Barbara d’Alba that effortlessly draws one’s attention. Drink now through 2032. Thanks for the assist @Lyle Fass — 6 months ago

Shreya Murthy

9.6

bold dry a little spicy but still guzzle worthy. this is a review for the barbera d’alba — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.0

Popped and poured, Cappellano’s Barbera d’Alba “Classico” is actually sourced fruit from Roero. The 2021 pours a deep purple color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity and moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with mostly blue and black fruits, some purple flowers, and after an hour of air, a Maillard reaction character that gives a rather remarkable note of freshly burnt, buttered toast. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium. A lovely Barbera that benefits from air but it should be stated that this is a very different wine from the “Vigna Gabutti” which, to my palate, is one of the greatest Barbera’s on the planet. Drink now with some patience and through 2031. — 2 years ago

Daniel Bloom

9.6

Now that’s Barbera d’Alba Superiore in excelsior! Liquid black plums and some tar on the nose. Inhale deeply and you get some Asian spices on the fringes.
That palate…oh my. Liquid velvet. Dark as midnight. Plums, licorice, nice acidity,
deep, long, long, finish. Some minerals on the end.
Wowza!
Possibly better than her Barolo. Gulp.
Thanks@FassSelections — 2 years ago

Carlo Maria Rossotto

9.5

The first bottle of my new Barbera d’Alba from my Argantino wineyard #2 Opened it with my son Davide and my parents. Paired it with wild boar salame, carne cruda, insalata russa, agnolotti al ragù. Masterpiece from Abellonio — 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Opened prior to dinner, no formal notes. This was served alongside a lovely pasta and meatball dish and the table was over the moon with the pairing. The 2018 Barbera d’Alba delivers a lovely mix of dark and red fruits that came across a bit rounder and richer than I expected and it was absolutely lovely! It brings classic structure that is matched with an almost silky texture. Lovely now and should remain so for several years to come. Grazie Tim! — 3 years ago

Carlo Maria Rossotto

9.0

For me this Barbera d’Alba from La Morra is superior. Had it with Marco and paired it with farro with Barbera and mushrooms and Gorgonzola (masterpiece) — 4 years ago