Barbera d’Alba Superiore, Brezza

BARBERA D'ALBA SUPERIORE

Location

town of Barolo

Soil structure

clay-loam, sandy-loam

Trellising

Vertical canopy

Vineyard expansion

2.1 ha

Pruning system

traditional Guyot

Exposure

a variation of Southeast and West

Planting with

0.8 m X 2.5 m

Altitude

300 m

Plant density

5,000 plants per hectare

Varietal

Barbera

Production

about 7,000 KG / ha

Rootstock clone

420 A, SO4, K5BB

Year planted

1942/1991

Soil characteristics

The SANT’AGATA FOSSIL MARL is the majority of the soil structure that characterizes the towns of Barolo and La Morra. Originated in the Tortonian age from a normal offshore sedimentation, it occurs more or less a sandy blue grey soil with local interbedded conglomeratic sandstone. A smaller part is represented by the DIANO SANDSTONE, that characterizes a part in the towns of Castiglione Falletto, Monforte d’Alba, and Barolo. It consists more or less of compact sand with a grey sandstone. The Barbera grapes produced in these conditions are of high quality with good acidity/sugar balance, especially in drier years

Production process

Once the grapes arrive to the cellar they are immediately de-stemmed and crushed. The must ferments for about 8-10 days. The maceration is normally prolonged for another 4-6 days, then the wine is maintained at a temperature of 18°C /64°F for the malolactic. Once the malolactic fermentation has finished the wine will go into our youngest (1-3 years) Slavonian oak barrels to rest for one year. Then after the wine will be bottled and let to rest another year in bottle before being placed on the market

Serving recommendations

Barbera is widely considered to be one of the great red grapes of Italy. The Langhe Barbera is an important red wine of great structure, aged in oak with good aging ability. It is a wine that matches well with pasta dishes (tajarin with ragu, ravioli del plin) but it is also very common to enjoy this wine throughout the entire meal