On April 27th,
after my study group tasted two white wines (an Arneis and a Gavi di Gavi) and a
Dolcetto d’Alba we then sampled two bottles of Barbera d’Alba from two
different vintages (2009 and 2010) and two different producers - Podere Ruggeri Corsini Winery and Vietti Winery. Barbera is not a “grid
wine” for the Court of Master Sommeliers’ Advanced exam for which we are
studying, but it is an important wine to know.
Barbera d’Alba
Barbera is Italy’s third most planted red grape after
Sangiovese and Montepulciano.[1] It
is a vigorous varietal that adapts well to different climates and soils. Although
it can be found growing all over Italy, it has been most prominent in the southeastern part of Italy’s
Piedmont region where it is believed to have originated in the Monferrato hills
around Asti. There it
grows primarily in three provinces at the heart of which are the cities of
Alba, Asti and Alessandria.
There are three
primary Barbera DOC (Denominazione
di Origine Controllata) regions: Barbera d’Alba, Barbera d’Asti and Barbera
del Monferrato. Although the three zones are contiguous and in some cases
overlapping, there are some subtle differences between the Barbera wines
produced in these zones.
The Barbera
d’Alba production zone includes the rolling hills around the town of Alba and
it overlaps the Barolo and Barbaresco zones. In fact, most of the vintners of
Barbera from this zone also produce Barolo or Barbaresco wines. For
a wine to be legally labeled as Barbera d’Alba, it must be made from at least
85% Barbera grapes and up to 15% Nebbiolo may be added, but Dolcetto is not
allowed.[2]
The added designation of superiore may be added to
labels if the wine is aged for 12 months prior to commercial release, of which
at least 4 months must be spend in oak barrels.
In terms of structure Barbera is the “middle child” between Dolcetto and Nebbiolo. It
is an early-maturing but late ripening varietal with dark ruby colored juice,
it tends to have high acidity with lower levels of tannin than Nebbiolo and
often times either the same or more tannin than Dolcetto.
Podere
Ruggeri Corsini Winery
 |
| Loredana Addari and Nicola Argamante |
The Ruggeri
Corsini estate was founded in 1995 by Loredana Addari and Nicola Argamante,
both of whom have a degree in Agriculture and specialized in Viticulture and
Oenology. The estate gets the name “Ruggeri” from Nicola’s mother’s surname who
helped finance the founding of the winery and “Corsini” is from the small
hamlet of Monforte d’Alba. In 1996 they produced 6,000 bottles and in the
following year they began exporting to the USA and around the world. Their
first wines were Dolcetto d’Alba, Barbera d’Alba and Barolo but now they also
produce Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir), Albarossa (a cross between Chatus [Nebbiolo di
Dronero] and Barbera), a Langhe rosé
and a Langhe white wine (a blend of 50% Arneis, 20% Chardonnay and 30% and
Sauvignon Blanc) and their production has increased to 65,000 to 75,000 bottles
per year.[3]
2009 Podere Ruggeri Corsini Armujani
Barbera d’Alba
This is an opaque
dark purple at the core to pink at the rim with minor variation, medium+
viscosity. On the nose it has moderate intense aromas of stewed and raisin-like
dried plums, dried figs, soy sauce, damp soil, desiccated roses, hints of
spice. On the palate it is dry with gritty medium+ tannins, medium+ alcohol,
full bodied, with a moderate length finish. This wine is somewhat rustic with
old-world charm and complexity.
2010 Vietti Barbera D’Alba
I provided
background information for Vietti winery when I reviewed the 2012 Vietti Roero Arneis,
so I won’t do so again here.
This is an opaque
dark purple at the core to pink at the rim with minor variation, medium+
viscosity. On the nose it has moderate intense aromas of stewed plums and black
cherries, cooked strawberries, hint of smoke and meat, soy sauce, black pepper
and spice, sage, a touch of anise and hints of vanilla. On the palate it is dry
but fruity with acidic tomato-like flavors and vanilla, it has moderate
tannins, medium+ acidity, medium+ body and alcohol with a fruit driven a
medium+ length finish. A very tasty wine that definitely has the delicious
factor going on. Lovers of ripe new world wines, especially Zinfandel and
Malbec will enjoy this wine.
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