Visiting Produttori, especially in the company of Aldo Vacca, is always a great pleasure. The wines are spot on; Aldo Vacca is a treasury of knowledge about the history, grape growing and winemaking of Barbaresco. When I wrote to him explaining my Nebbiolo vintages project he came up with all sorts of reasons why this might not work but then said come anyway and we see what we can do. I was richly rewarded by a comprehensive set of insights about recent and older wines, a Produttori del Barbaresco vertical.
On a side note, just before our visit my wife and I ate in the outstanding Trattoria Antica Torre in the centre of the village. It is directly across the square from the Produttori. We were greeted by a friendly and efficient gentleman who kindly found us a table even though we had not booked in the very popular restaurant. There was a moment when I (and he) thought, I am sure I know you but I can’t quite recall the name. Later he worked out who we were and introduced himself. It was Aldo Vacca with what I call his new job! He was just filling in to help his neighbour. And his son was doing work experience in the kitchen. We also sat next to Dave Fletcher of Fletcher Wines, Barbaresco’s only winery owned and run by an Australian. Barbaresco is a delightfully small place.
We tasted 2023 Barbaresco and 2022 Langhe Nebbiolo from the vats, but it is too early to comment on these wines. From bottled wines, we compared 2016 (the Riserva, Don Fiorino), 2015, 2014, 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2005. The fruit for the Barbaresco classico is from many different vineyards, the great majority in the municipality of Barbaresco itself. The key points of the winemaking are 24 days on the skins and aged for 30 months in 25–50 hectolitre Slavonian oak botti. While some might be critical of a standardised approach, I am sure it is adapted to suit the season. And certainly, it is a great help in demonstrating the differences between vintages.
The 2014 and 2015 make for a perfect comparison, being a cool year followed by a warm one. Approaching the end of its first decade, the 2014 shows precise violet and lively redcurrant to plum fruit with a hint of liquorice and earth as it develops tertiary notes. The fruit is fully ripe if on the cool side, reflecting the season, the tannins are fine but crunchy. It is ready to drink now but will continue to improve with bottle age. By contrast, the 2015 has a very rich palate of plum to prune. It is less aromatic than the 2014 with rounded tannins. It is ready to drink. Will it develop elegantly in the future? Aldo Vacca thinks that modern very ripe vintages may not age as well as in the past … but for most drinkers, that won’t matter.
The 2016 Riserva is a special wine, made from a selection of the best fruit from multiple top vintages. It was aged for three years in botti and a further three in bottle before release. Despite this, at seven years old, the nose is compact and reserved. But the depth of the palate–dense red cherry, balsam, a touch of tertiary fruit–and the fine tannins combine to make a wine of a satin-like texture which will surely develop beautifully over the next two decades.
Personal bonus: it was lovely to see my book for sale in the Produttori shop! Thank you.
Older vintages
These wines were not as consistent as those of more recent times. But I would need to taste more examples to come to a reliable judgment.
2009: Fine emerging spicy chocolate note, tar, ripe plum, firm tannins
2008: Leather/forest floor, a bit stinky, super savoury, tastes fully tertiary, perhaps not the best bottle of this good vintage
2007: Balsamic, super integrated, lively acidity, fine tannins
2005: Less concentration, lighter body than the other wines, red fruit, high tannins, tastes a lot younger than 2007 and 2008
Leaving Barbaresco–always a poignant moment–was made more so by the beautiful transition from late evening sunshine to dusk. I can’t wait to get back.
